Nigel Farage: Difference between revisions
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'''Nigel Paul Farage''' ({{pron-en|fəˈrɑːʒ}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article6828143.ece|title=Nigel Farage? Might as well be Johnny foreigner|author=Matthew Parris|newspaper=The Times|date=10 September 2009|accessdate=1 April 2010}}</ref>, born 3 April 1964) is a British politician, and former leader of the [[United Kingdom Independence Party]] (UKIP). He is also a [[member of the European Parliament]] for [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|the South East]]. He co-chairs the European Parliament's [[Europe of Freedom and Democracy]] group. |
'''Nigel Paul Farage''' ({{pron-en|fəˈrɑːʒ}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article6828143.ece|title=Nigel Farage? Might as well be Johnny foreigner|author=Matthew Parris|newspaper=The Times|date=10 September 2009|accessdate=1 April 2010}}</ref>, born 3 April 1964) is a British politician, hateful bastard, and former leader of the [[United Kingdom Independence Party]] (UKIP). He is also a [[member of the European Parliament]] for [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|the South East]]. He co-chairs the European Parliament's [[Europe of Freedom and Democracy]] group. |
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On 4 September 2009, it was announced Farage would resign as leader of UKIP.<ref>[http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/1229-farage-to-quit-as-ukip-leader Farage to quit as UKIP Leader], UKIP website, Retrieved 4 September 2009</ref> This was to enable him to concentrate on his efforts to become an [[Member of Parliament|MP]] at [[British Parliament|Westminster]]. If successful he will be obliged to give up being an MEP due to the [[dual mandate]] rule. |
On 4 September 2009, it was announced Farage would resign as leader of UKIP.<ref>[http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/1229-farage-to-quit-as-ukip-leader Farage to quit as UKIP Leader], UKIP website, Retrieved 4 September 2009</ref> This was to enable him to concentrate on his efforts to become an [[Member of Parliament|MP]] at [[British Parliament|Westminster]]. If successful he will be obliged to give up being an MEP due to the [[dual mandate]] rule. This announcement prompted mass jubilation among the British public, who were all sick of the sight of him. However, he is still seen on TV far more often that the current leader, [[Lord Pearson of Rannoch|The Lord Pearson of Rannoch]]. |
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On 1st April 2010, Farage is to appear on the BBC show [[Have I Got News For You?]] This was initially assumed to be an early [[April Fool's]] joke as Nigel Farage is not a comedian and, as far as we can tell, is an obnoxious, racist bigot. However, it was confirmed by the BBC to be true. It is currently assumed that he won't last 5 minutes on the show before [[Ian Hislop]] and [[Paul Merton]] start taking the mick out of him relentlessly. |
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==Early life and career== |
==Early life and career== |
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|title=EP President Jerzy BUZEK on MEP Nigel FARAGE - 68659 |
|title=EP President Jerzy BUZEK on MEP Nigel FARAGE - 68659 |
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|date= 2010-03-03|publisher=[[European Parliament]]|accessdate=2010-03-21 |
|date= 2010-03-03|publisher=[[European Parliament]]|accessdate=2010-03-21 |
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|quote=The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, said after his meeting with Mr Farage: 'I defend absolutely Mr Farage's right to disagree about the policy or institutions of the Union, but not to personally insult our guests in the European Parliament or the country from which they may come. [. . .] I myself fought for free speech as the absolute cornerstone of a democratic society. But with freedom comes responsibility - in this case, to respect the dignity of others and of our institutions. I am disappointed by Mr Farage's behaviour, which sits ill with the great parliamentary tradition of his own country. I cannot accept this sort of behaviour in the European Parliament. I invited him to apologise, but he declined to do so. I have therefore - as an expression of the seriousness of the matter - rescinded his right to ten days' daily allowance as a Member'.}}</ref> |
|quote=The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, said after his meeting with Mr Farage: 'I defend absolutely Mr Farage's right to disagree about the policy or institutions of the Union, but not to personally insult our guests in the European Parliament or the country from which they may come. [. . .] I myself fought for free speech as the absolute cornerstone of a democratic society. But with freedom comes responsibility - in this case, to respect the dignity of others and of our institutions. I am disappointed by Mr Farage's behaviour, which sits ill with the great parliamentary tradition of his own country. I cannot accept this sort of behaviour in the European Parliament. I invited him to apologise, but he declined to do so. I have therefore - as an expression of the seriousness of the matter - rescinded his right to ten days' daily allowance as a Member'.}}</ref> He seemed to be under the impression that he was voicing the opinions of the British public in this attack, but instead just sounded like an obnoxious, racist bigot. |
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==Electoral performance== |
==Electoral performance== |
Revision as of 13:36, 1 April 2010
Nigel Farage MEP | |
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Leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party | |
In office 27 September 2006 – 27 November 2009 | |
Preceded by | Roger Knapman |
Succeeded by | The Lord Pearson of Rannoch |
Member of the European Parliament for the South East | |
Assumed office 15 July 1999 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Kent, United Kingdom | 3 April 1964
Political party | UK Independence Party |
Website | [4] |
Nigel Paul Farage (Template:Pron-en[1], born 3 April 1964) is a British politician, hateful bastard, and former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). He is also a member of the European Parliament for the South East. He co-chairs the European Parliament's Europe of Freedom and Democracy group.
On 4 September 2009, it was announced Farage would resign as leader of UKIP.[2] This was to enable him to concentrate on his efforts to become an MP at Westminster. If successful he will be obliged to give up being an MEP due to the dual mandate rule. This announcement prompted mass jubilation among the British public, who were all sick of the sight of him. However, he is still seen on TV far more often that the current leader, The Lord Pearson of Rannoch.
On 1st April 2010, Farage is to appear on the BBC show Have I Got News For You? This was initially assumed to be an early April Fool's joke as Nigel Farage is not a comedian and, as far as we can tell, is an obnoxious, racist bigot. However, it was confirmed by the BBC to be true. It is currently assumed that he won't last 5 minutes on the show before Ian Hislop and Paul Merton start taking the mick out of him relentlessly.
Early life and career
Farage was educated at Dulwich College before joining a commodity brokerage firm in London. He ran his own brokerage business from the early 1990s until 2002.
Active in the Conservative Party from his school days until the resignation of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1990, he left the party in 1992 when John Major's government signed the Treaty on European Union at Maastricht. He became a founding member of UKIP in 1993 and has contested UK parliamentary elections for UKIP five times. He was elected to the European Parliament in 1999 and re-elected in 2004 and 2009. Farage is currently leader of the thirteen-member UKIP contingent in the European Parliament, and co-leader of the multinational eurosceptic group, Europe of Freedom and Democracy. He also contested the Bromley & Chislehurst constituency during the May 2006 by-election, organised after the Member of Parliament representing it, the eurosceptic Conservative Eric Forth, died. He scored third, winning 8% of the vote, thus beating the Labour Party candidate. This was the second-best by-election result recorded by UKIP out of 25 results.
Farage married first, in 1988, Grainne Hayes, with whom he had two children, Samuel (born 1989) and Thomas (born 1991). In 1999 he married the German Kirsten Mehr, with whom he has two more children, Victoria (born 2000) and Isabelle (born 2005).[3]
Leader of UKIP
On 12 September 2006, Nigel Farage was elected leader of UKIP with 45% of the vote, 20% ahead of his nearest rival.[4] He pledged to bring discipline to the party and to maximise UKIP's representation in local, parliamentary and other elections.[citation needed] In a PM programme interview on BBC Radio 4 that day he pledged to end the public perception of UKIP as a single-issue party and to work with allied politicians in the Better Off Out campaign, committing himself not to stand against the MPs who have signed up to that campaign (ten in all at this moment).
At his maiden speech to the UKIP conference on 8 October 2006, he told delegates that the party was "at the centre-ground of British public opinion" and the "real voice of opposition". Farage said: "We've got three social democratic parties in Britain — Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative are virtually indistinguishable from each other on nearly all the main issues" and "you can't put a cigarette paper between them and that is why there are nine million people who don't vote now in general elections that did back in 1992."[5]
At 10pm on 19 October 2006, Farage took part in a three-hour live interview and phone-in with James Whale on national radio station talkSPORT. Four days later, Whale announced on his show his intention to stand as UKIP's candidate in the 2008 London Mayoral Election. Farage said that Whale "not only has guts, but an understanding of what real people think". However Whale later decided not to stand and UKIP was represented by Gerard Batten.[6]
In September 2009, Farage announced that he would stand against John Bercow, the newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons, in his Buckingham constituency at the 2010 general election, despite a convention that the speaker is outside of party politics, and not challenged for re-election.[7]
In October 2009, he was ranked 41st (out of 100) in The Daily Telegraph's Top 100 most influential right-wingers poll, citing his media savvy and his success with UKIP in the European Elections. [8]
Controversies and whistleblowing
Expenses disclosure
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Nigel_Farage.jpg/175px-Nigel_Farage.jpg)
In May 2009, The Guardian reported that Farage had said in a speech to the Foreign Press Association that over ten years as a member of the European Parliament he received and spent nearly £2 million of taxpayers' money in expenses and allowances, on top of his £64,000 a year salary.[9]
The former Europe Minister, Denis MacShane, said that this showed that Farage was "happy to line his pockets with gold". Farage called this a "misrepresentation",[10] pointing out that the money had been used to promote UKIP's message, not salary, but he welcomed the focus on the issue of MEP expenses, claiming that "[o]ver a five year term each and every one of Britain's 78 MEPs gets about £1 million. It is used to employ administrative staff, run their offices and to travel back and forth between their home, Brussels and Strasbourg."[11] He also pointed out the money spent on the YES campaign in Ireland by the European Commission was "something around 440 million", making the NO campaign's figure insignificant in comparison.
Jacques Barrot
On 18 November 2004, he announced in the European Parliament that Jacques Barrot, the French Commissioner designate, had been barred from elected office in France for 2 years, after being convicted in 2000 of embezzling £2 million from government funds and diverting it into the coffers of his party. He claimed that French President Jacques Chirac had granted Barrot amnesty. Although initial BBC reports claimed that, under French law, it was illegal even to mention the conviction,[12] the prohibition in question only applies to French officials in the course of their duties.[13] The president of the Parliament, Josep Borrell, enjoined him to retract his comments under threat of "legal consequences".[14] However, the following day it was confirmed that Barrot had received an 8 month suspended jail sentence in the case, and that this had been quickly expunged by the amnesty decided by Chirac and his parliamentary majority. The Commission's president, Jose Manuel Barroso admitted that he had not known of Barrot's criminal record when appointing him as a Commission vice-president.[15] The Socialist and Liberal groups in the European Parliament then joined UKIP in demanding the sacking of Barrot for failing to disclose the conviction during his confirmation hearings.
José Manuel Barroso
During the spring of 2005, Farage requested that the European Commission disclose where the individual Commissioners had spent their holidays. The Commission did not provide the information requested, on the basis that the Commissioners had a right of privacy. The German newspaper Die Welt reported that the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso had spent a week on the yacht of the Greek shipping billionaire Spiro Latsis. It emerged soon afterwards that this had occurred only a month before the Commission approved 10.3 million euro of Greek state aid for Latsis' shipping company.[16] It also became known that Peter Mandelson, then a member of the Commission, had accepted a trip to Jamaica from an unrevealed source.[17]
Farage persuaded around 75 MEPs from across the political divide to back a motion of no confidence in Barroso, which would be sufficient to compel Barroso to appear before the European Parliament to be questioned on the issue.[18] The motion was successfully tabled on 12 May 2005, and Barroso appeared before Parliament[19] at a debate on 26 May 2005. The motion was heavily defeated. A Conservative MEP, Roger Helmer, was expelled from his group, the European People's Party - European Democrats (EPP-ED) in the middle of the debate by that group's leader Hans-Gert Poettering as a result of his support for Farage's motion.
Joseph Daul
In January 2007, the French farmers' leader Joseph Daul was elected the new leader of the European People's Party–European Democrats (EPP-ED), the European Parliamentary grouping which then included the British Conservatives. The UK Independence Party almost immediately revealed that Daul had been under judicial investigation in France since 2004 as part of an inquiry into the alleged misuse of public funds worth €16 million (£10.6 million) by French farming unions."[20] It was not suggested that Daul had personally benefited, but was accused of "complicity and concealment of the abuse of public funds." Daul accused Farage of publicising the investigation for political reasons and threatened to sue Farage, but did not do so.
Prince Charles
Prince Charles gave a speech to the European Parliament on 14 February 2008, in which he called for EU leadership in the war against climate change. During the standing ovation that followed, Farage was the only MEP to remain seated and went on to describe the Prince's advisers as "naïve and foolish at best."[21] Farage continued: "How can somebody like Prince Charles be allowed to come to the European Parliament at this time to announce he thinks it should have more powers? It would have been better for the country he wants to rule one day if he had stayed home and tried to persuade Gordon Brown to give the people the promised referendum [on the Treaty of Lisbon]." The leader of the UK Labour Party's MEPs, Gary Titley, accused Farage of anti-Royalism. Titley said: "I was embarrassed and disgusted when the Leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, remained firmly seated during the lengthy standing ovation Prince Charles received. I had not realised Mr Farage's blind adherence to right wing politics involved disloyalty and discourtesy to the Royal Family. He should be thoroughly ashamed of himself and should apologise to the British people he represents."[21]
Herman Van Rompuy
After the speech of Herman Van Rompuy on 24 February 2010 in the European parliament, Farage taunted the first long-term President of the European Council by saying he has the "charisma of a damp rag"[22] and the "appearance of low grade bank clerk",[22] also asserting that Van Rompuy's "intention is to be the quiet assassin of European democracy and of European nation states."[22] He also referred to Belgium as a "non-country", and that "nobody in Europe" knows who Rompuy is, nor how he was elected.[23]. Van Rompuy commented afterwards, "There was one contribution that I can only hold in contempt, but I'm not going to comment further."[22] After refusing to apologise for behaviour that was, in the words of the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, "inappropriate, unparliamentary and insulting to the dignity of the House", Farage was reprimanded and had his right to ten days allowance (expenses) rescinded. [24][25] He seemed to be under the impression that he was voicing the opinions of the British public in this attack, but instead just sounded like an obnoxious, racist bigot.
Electoral performance
Nigel Farage has contested several elections under the United Kingdom Independence Party banner:
- Itchen, Test and Avon, European Parliament Election 1994 - 12,423 votes, representing 5.2% of total votes cast
- Eastleigh by-election, 1994 - 952, 1.4%
- Salisbury, 1997 general election - 3,332, 5.7%
- European Parliament Election 1999 - elected member for South East England from party list
- Bexhill and Battle, 2001 general election - 3,474, 7.8%
- European Parliament Election 2004 - elected member for South East England from party list
- South Thanet, 2005 general election - 2,079, 5.0%
- Bromley and Chislehurst by-election, 2006 - 2,307, 8.0%
- In the 2006 Bromley and Chislehurst by-election, Farage came third, ahead of the Labour Party candidate. This was the first time since the Liverpool Walton by-election in 1991 that a party in government had been pushed into fourth place in a parliamentary by-election on mainland Britain.
- European Parliament Election 2009 - elected member for South East England from party list
Footnotes
- ^ Matthew Parris (10 September 2009). "Nigel Farage? Might as well be Johnny foreigner". The Times. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ^ Farage to quit as UKIP Leader, UKIP website, Retrieved 4 September 2009
- ^ "Making plans with Nigel". The Daily Telegraph. 2007-03-11.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Politics | UKIP 'voice of British majority'". London: BBC News Online. 2006-10-07.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "Farage to stand against Speaker". London: BBC News Online. 2009-09-03.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Daily Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. 3 September 2009.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Helm, Toby (2009-05-24). "Ukip leader boasts of his £2m in expenses | Politics | The Observer". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "McShane misses the point on expenses - UK Independence Party". Ukip.org. 2009-05-19. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "MEP expense spotlight turns focus to EU - UK Independence Party". Ukip.org. 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "BBC NEWS | Europe | Profile: Jacques Barrot". Newswww.bbc.net.uk. 2004-11-22. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ The prohibition contained in the French penal code against mentioning crimes covered by an amnesty only concerns French officials who may hear of such crimes in the course of their duties (CP L133-11), and does not apply generally (L133-10).
- ^ "Latest News, Breaking News and Current News from the UK and World". Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "Latest News, Breaking News and Current News from the UK and World". Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "Barroso survives confidence debate over free holiday with Greek tycoon - Europe, World - The Independent". News.independent.co.uk. 2005-05-26. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ [3][dead link]
- ^ "Bloomberg.com". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "Europe | Barroso rebuffs yacht questions". London: BBC News. 2005-05-25. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ Waterfield, Bruno (2007-01-13). "EU Right's new leader at heart of funds inquiry". Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ a b "Politics | UKIP anger at prince's EU speech". London: BBC News. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ a b c d "Tirade against 'damp rag' EU president shocks MEPs". London: BBC News. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ^ EUX.TV YouTube channel - Nigel Farage harangues EU President Herman van Rompuy Uploaded on 24 February 2010; Retrieved 27 February 2010
- ^ "MEP Nigel Farage fined over 'insulting' tirade". BBC News. London. 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
Given Mr Farage's refusal to apologise, Mr Buzek said he would be docked his right to a daily allowance paid to all MEPs for 10 days.
- ^
"EP President Jerzy BUZEK on MEP Nigel FARAGE - 68659". European Parliament. 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, said after his meeting with Mr Farage: 'I defend absolutely Mr Farage's right to disagree about the policy or institutions of the Union, but not to personally insult our guests in the European Parliament or the country from which they may come. [. . .] I myself fought for free speech as the absolute cornerstone of a democratic society. But with freedom comes responsibility - in this case, to respect the dignity of others and of our institutions. I am disappointed by Mr Farage's behaviour, which sits ill with the great parliamentary tradition of his own country. I cannot accept this sort of behaviour in the European Parliament. I invited him to apologise, but he declined to do so. I have therefore - as an expression of the seriousness of the matter - rescinded his right to ten days' daily allowance as a Member'.
References
- James Whale of Talksport radio interviews the newly elected Leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage
- 2002 amnesty law
- Penal Code, articles L133-9, L133-10, L133-11
- United Kingdom Election Results
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Template:Members of the European Parliament 2004–2009 Template:Members of the European Parliament 2009–2014