Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party doesn’t have any policies. Except one. A vote for the Brexit Party is a vote to crash out of the EU. Though Farage likes to talk about a “WTO Brexit”, this means leaving the EU without a divorce deal and triggering chaos. Pro-Europeans must turn out in force on May 23 to stop his ploy gaining democratic credibility.
Because that’s what Farage is trying to do. He knows that the 2016 referendum was not a straight vote to crash out on WTO rules. During that campaign, he suggested Norway, which has a very close relationship with the EU, was “rich and happy and successful” and had a model worth following.
Having seen polling suggesting the Brexit Party could do well, Farage is now trying to turn that into “democratic legitimacy” for the hardest Brexit possible. That includes a call for his party to “have a say in how we proceed from here”.
Farage says the Brexit Party is all about “honesty”. But he’s not being honest about what a “WTO Brexit” actually means. He dodged questions about this at a press conference yesterday.
What about the hit to the economy and jobs? What about a hard Irish border, jeopardising the peace process (does he even care)? What about the devil’s choice to be made on tariffs, between higher prices in shops or letting our farmers go bust? What about the impact on the fishing communities Farage claims to champion? And what about the fact his friend Donald Trump is doing his best to undermine the WTO at every turn? In future, journalists must press him hard on these questions.
This challenge may be more urgent than it seems. While no-deal Brexit has been rejected several times by MPs, it is still one of three possible outcomes to the Brexit process: leave with a deal, leave with no deal or don’t leave at all.
The idea of “no deal” often polls better with the public than the government’s deal – though it still trails behind staying in the EU. Farage is trying to capitalise on public desire to just get Brexit over with, no matter how. Crashing out looks unlikely today, but who knows where we’ll be after months more political turmoil and the possibility of a general election.
Pro-Europeans must turn out in huge numbers on May 23 to vote for the parties which strongly back a public vote on Brexit – Greens, Lib Dems, Change UK, SNP, Plaid Cymru. We need to take the wind out of Farage’s sails now before his dishonest yet crisp messages can take root.
Demand a vote on the Brexit deal
Click here to find out moreEdited by Hugo Dixon
Your hysterical article is pretty much all lies, nearly every political leader and politician stated it will mean leaving the single market and customs union, there are clips all over Youtube. You have misquoted his Norway speech, again Youtube, hit to the economy….really, like the doomsday scenarios if we voted out. Crash, chaos, lets chuck in plague, tsunami, destruction and a few others for added effect. The real truth is that remoaners simply cannot understand that this is not about GDP or farmers, or food prices or roaming charges or higher prices its about breaking free from an un-democratic, dishonest, shady, unelected organisation that is the EU.
Once 23/05 comes you will once again see what the MAJORITY of people want, will you get it then or will you continuing bleating on.
Unfortunately Mr Garage has a lot of followers. The comments on articles in the Daily Express shows that.
Arguing against Farage is ineffective since we are not dealing with logic. James Randi showed that when an actor pretending to be a magician confessed that his apparent supranormal powers were simply an act, his followers refused to believe it and were more convinced than ever. Johnson admitted he had simply made up the 350 million figure, and vote Leave’s fraud was exposed for all to see, and but neither has had much effect. As with Trump, many leavers don’t care.
So Farage could openly admit to being a charlatan and it would not dent his popularity.
A different tactic is needed. A Brexit Plus policy might be successful – it gives you all the benefits of Brexit plus you get to stay in the EU
Very true. The racist Farage has been treated with kid gloves for far, far too long. I like many others received a waste of paper from the Brexit party spelling out their policies…except policies there were none!
It was just a rant about ”betrayal” and the ”elites”. Nothing about how Brexit was going to make me, my neighbourhood, my city and the country at large better off.
This is all Farage and his one-man band Brexit Party has left to offer. Nothing except anger on an epic scale despite seemingly getting what they wanted all along!
While the leaders of our two main political parties squabble and procrastinate Farage will slip, unoticed below the horizon, and sail to victory. Both in the EU elections and as a pressure group forcing whatever government is elected to bend to his will.
What on earth is going on in GB where our country is being openly governed by billionaires and the tabloid press (not to mention other media)?
If journalists were to ask Farage questions, he’d be glad to be seen and heard, and he’d answer dishonestly.
All the Parties standing in EU elections (even the Conservatives!) should be giving the answers to the questions that Farage is so good at avoiding, i.e. explaining the costs (in every sense) of a so-called WTO Brexit, and making the case for a new People’s vote as the only way forward (and based on the fact that a new vote would be not be a re-match, but a vote on a specific version of Brexit informed by things learnt over the last three years.)
I’m apt to think that by failing to challenge Farage, and confining themselves to the case for Remain, they may be promoting the divisiveness that Farage hopes to trade on.
He does have one policy in that he would stop HS2 immediately – So not only is he going to stuff the UK, jobs wise, he’s going to prevent the population from commuting to the very few jobs that will still exist
I reckon private Frasier was a remainer – “we’re all doomed!” and he was wrong.
Carlos, Brextremists are the hysterical ones ranting about the EU being a dictatorship and undemocratic which is a total lie and ironic because the Brexit Pensioners Party is standing for European elections on May 23rd. The truth is the Leave campaign which includes Nigel Farage never campaigned on a no deal WTO Brexit. If they had they would not have won the referendum. Nigel repeatedly said the Norway model would be very nice for the UK. He’s the liar and you’re a liar. Brexit is no longer supported by the British People. They have changed their mind because all the Leave promises have been exposed as lies! That’s why Brextremists don’t want a Peoples Vote – because they know they will lose. It’s all down to Karma and the Leave side have alot of bad Karma coming back to them.
‘Brexit is no longer supported by the British People. They have changed their mind because all the Leave promises have been exposed as lies!’
Now who’s telling lies??
Just because you think the majority of people want something (They don’t, by the way) doesn’t mean that it’s available and deliverable. Apart from leaving on WTO terms being terrible for the economy, it doesn’t deal with a whole number of other issues which will turn the lives of millions of people and their families upside down and will further undermine The UK’s reputation, thus turning it into an even bigger joke than it has already made of itself. Brexit doesn’t solve any of the UK’s problems and only serves to aggravate them.
As for the EU being ” an un-democratic, dishonest, shady, unelected organisation”, you seem to have zero understanding of how it works. Do you really think democracy is better served in the UK!? Do you really think Farage cares about you? Do you really think he’s trustworthy? All I see is a shameless demagogue who is addicted to the sound of his own voice manipulating facts for his own ends. I’m really curious to know what you can see that I can’t. You’re being played.
You mean you want a no-deal and kill people, you know stop medication from the EU from coming into this country. The prime minister is like Hitler. Stopping people from getting medication for epilepsy and cancer.