Yesterday Nigel Farage took refuge in an Edinburgh pub having been barracked by some malingering trots from Edinburgh University.
The Beeb reports that in response to accusations from Student Association vice president, Max Crema, that UKIP was a racist party, Farage replied wonderfully: "If you believe that then you are less intelligent than you look, dear boy."
That the woosterish Farage is clearly happy to take on all comers in places that are traditionally resistant to such characters is a sign of his confidence that UKIP isn't going to go away. And why should it?
The attractions of both Labour and Tory parties in the UK has declined massively - from 97% of the vote in the 1950s to barely 65% in 2010. And with the implosion of the Lib Dems, UKIP are clearly going to remain a non-racist but populist 'none of the above' choice - led by a man who is the consummate anti-politician politician.
The Beeb reports that in response to accusations from Student Association vice president, Max Crema, that UKIP was a racist party, Farage replied wonderfully: "If you believe that then you are less intelligent than you look, dear boy."
That the woosterish Farage is clearly happy to take on all comers in places that are traditionally resistant to such characters is a sign of his confidence that UKIP isn't going to go away. And why should it?
The attractions of both Labour and Tory parties in the UK has declined massively - from 97% of the vote in the 1950s to barely 65% in 2010. And with the implosion of the Lib Dems, UKIP are clearly going to remain a non-racist but populist 'none of the above' choice - led by a man who is the consummate anti-politician politician.
The trouble with Nigel Farage is that he is also wants to repeal the laws of physics—he is a so-called climate change "skeptic." This unwillingness to engage with reality is a bad sign I think.
ReplyDeleteMy reading, based on watching a 1.5hr YouTube video of the entirety of a UKIP meeting in Blackburn which he addressed, pint in hand, is that he's basically a pub bore who's hoping there are enough stupid people out there to be fooled by his populist message—and that will very soon be completely out of his depth.
Hi Dougie - fair comment - I'm not a particular fan of Farage and your pub bore analogy is spot on. But the fact that people are refusing to go back to either Labour or Tories shows that the anti politics trend continues - even if it currently vested in UKIP. And you're right that once the spotlight is on them it will expose theie shallow populism.
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