Farage backtracks on claim he was advised not to hold constituency surgeries

[username3678]

Farage isn't holding surgeries in his constituency and said it was because the government told him not to. He's since said that isn't true. His constituency can't get hold of him.

This was entirely predictable, he's renowned for not doing the job. The problem is his constituency is one of the most deprived in the UK. It seems they have no representation.

Is there any recourse on this? Can he be held accountable in any way?

Unfortunately, his constituents have got exactly what they voted for.

I don't think there is much accountability tbh, other than to boot him out at the next election. Unless he commits a crime or gets suspended from Parliament for something etc, I don't think a recall petition can be triggered.

It should really be possible for constituents to trigger the petition for a crap MP that isn't doing their job.

If nothing else, hopefully the people of Clacton will finally see him for what he is.

Unfortunately, his constituents have got exactly what they voted for.

Exactly. This was entirely predictable. My sympathy is largely limited to the residents of Clacton who voted for the other candidates.

Nope. Under a couple of specific circumstances there could be a recall petition but that requires a criminal conviction (I think with a minimum amount of prison time) and/or a suspension from parliament of at least 10 days (I think it's 10). But he doesn't meet either of those so they are stuck with their "man of the people" who "tells it like it is" 🙄 while not actually being available.

I suppose he's in for another fat pension when he gets bored and stands down. He is expected to be in receipt of a pension of £73k pa from the European Parliament when he reaches 63 (60 now).

I don't believe so. Constituents can petition for an MP to be recalled if they are convicted of a crime but not if they're too bone idle to do the job.

Farage rarely turned up for important meetings in his role at the EU, so I'm not sure what they expected. He also fitted off to the US to support Trump's campaign.

I can't believe he is only 60. I keep wishing he would fuck off (and die) but he's too young to wish that on.

He's a smoker. That's probably why he looks years and years older than he actually is.

Surely, though, no one, not even people who voted for him expected him to appear in the constituency?
I would assume that they voted for him on the "stop the boats" card and expected him to be working on this at a higher level.
In there any info on whether the people of Clacton are bothered about him not being there?
I would imagine that vast swathes of people in Clacton are used to being ignored. It's such a shame, they could really do with an MP who would look after them locally.

Dotty Dorries didn’t turn up anywhere for about a year but was still troughing it along with her over-paid daughters.
This ‘not turning up for work’ but still getting handsomely paid is becoming a joke, it certainly wouldn’t wash in industry.
And as for accepting bribes (except they spell it as gifts) makes my piss boil…no other public sector worker is allowed to accept a bean!
Unfortunately nothing will ever change as those accepting the bribes are the only ones who can change the system & hell will freeze over before that ever happens.

I would assume that they voted for him on the "stop the boats" card and expected him to be working on this at a higher level.

I imagine they'll be disappointed on that front as well then.

According to this article, in September he still remained popular:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/20/clacton-nigel-farage-first-months-as-mp-reform

One woman who had her house burned down was promised help but hasn't heard from him since.

I think the local community are quite disenfranchised and don't seem to expect much. People were saying that he's not answering emails and there's no way of getting in contact with him.

It's disgusting as it's a basic democratic right to have representation. It's also a waste of tax payers money.

I don't think many people who voted for Reform have a strong grasp of how the constitution works. Vox pops during and immediately after the election suggested they thought once he was in Parliament he would be able to get a lot of things changed. As he leads a party with five MPs out of 650 and Labour has 411, that was never going to be the case.

Does anyone know how the people of Clacton feel now? Particularly the ones who voted for him?

My first job was at Dorothy Perkins. 8hrs a week while doing my A-levels.

In my first week I ended up locked in a heavily bombed building where the first I knew of it was a man blown across the shopping centre by one of those bombs. The police rescued me and my colleague from the building. I turned up for my next shift. And every shift after that.

I left school and became a civil servant. Bombings and bomb scares were a "normal" thing. Something I expected because I worked for the government, and I got on with it because it was my job and I was glad to have it.

I lived in times when it was dangerous to be at work, at the pub, even at the bus stop. I still went in. I still went out. So did my school mates, my family, my, neighbours, my colleagues.

None of us on Farage's salary. None of us with the resources available to the sitting MP for Clacton.

I'm fucking raging at Nigel Farage. He's a stirring, workshy wee cunt who hides his laziness behind cowardice, inventing "victimhood" to get out of doing his job.

What a Scumbag!
Shame on him.

Rant over.🙏

For the TL:DR folks:
Teenage me in the 1980s was braver, more hard working and better served the UK than grown man, Nigel Farage MP is in 2024.

Well, he wouldn't have had time to turn up to his constituency. He'll have been practising for last evening's party political broadcast. He was on for more than a minute after a strange American voice had twittered on for a bit. No, I can't remember the substance of what either of them said.

It’s less than a month until the US election. His mate Donald probably needs him. The people of Clacton can’t be expected to take precedence over that.

I think he thinks Donald needs him, I think he's wrong.
His fans in Clacton probably think he's discussing them with Donald, I think they are wrong too.

Oh yes. I doubt Donald thinks he needs Farage. It’ll be like the shooting when he rushed over to support his friend and didn’t even get to see him.

Oh that was so funny he really tried to spin that.
Do people still think he's an honest man of the people?

I think the law should change to allow for MPs to be removed if they don't make themselves available to those they are paid to represent.

Surgeries are usually looking at personal issues and aren’t really representation in a wider sense. He got 46% of the vote and obviously doesn’t represent the views of everyone. Turnout was low at 58%. So he definitely doesn’t represent the full constituency. However what did anyone expect? The UKs biggest attention grabber behind Boris Johnson. It’s all about him and always will be. Constituents can write to. Ministers, form pressure groups, etc but Farage was not interested in the constituency. As in most constituencies, a minority decide for the majority. The 40% not voting could have altered the outcome.

The Farage voters of Clacton likely couldn't give a shit. They're unlikely ever to have gone near an MP's surgery (and probably never knew such a thing existed) and are just thrilled they're the 'chosen ones', regardless of the fact that he'd wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire in the middle of the road. In Lord of the Rings speak they have 'the precious'. It doesn't matter that he's a massive twat flicking them the V signs at every opportunity.