Nigel Farage warming to second EU referendum

[Deleted]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42649214

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage says he is close to backing a second EU referendum to end the "whinging and whining" of anti-Brexit campaigners.

Mr Farage told Channel 5's The Wright Stuff a fresh vote could "kill off" the Remain campaign for a generation.

He said "the percentage that would vote to leave next time would be very much bigger than it was last time round".

Pro-EU campaigners welcomed his comment, claiming "support is growing" for another referendum.

And co-founder of the Leave.EU referendum campaign group, Arron Banks, said that to avoid sleepwalking "into a faux Brexit" people should "go back the polls and let the people shout from the rooftops their support of a true Brexit".

But Mr Farage's former UKIP colleagues dismissed his suggestion.

And Downing Street said: "We will not be having a second referendum."

Mr Farage was one of the leading figures in the Leave campaign, which won the referendum with 51.9% of votes.

That June 2016 referendum means that the UK is leaving the European Union, with the date for departure set as 29 March 2019. Negotiations are currently taking place between the UK and the EU about how things work afterwards.

During a debate about Brexit on the Channel 5 programme, Mr Farage said: "What is for certain is that the [Nick] Cleggs, the [Tony] Blairs, the [Lord] Adonises will never ever, ever, give up.

"They will go on whinging and whining and moaning all the way through this process.

"So maybe, just maybe, I'm reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership... and we may just finish the whole thing off.

"And Blair can disappear off into total obscurity."

His UKIP colleagues did not agree:

The party's former deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans described his comments as "epically stupid".

"Even putting aside the astronomical and completely unjustified public cost of a second referendum, Farage's comments are an open goal for the Remain camp," she wrote on the Brexit Central website.

But the other side of the Brexit debate were more enthusiastic.

Labour MP Chuka Umunna, of the Open Britain campaign for close ties with the EU, said: "For perhaps the first time in his life, Nigel Farage is making a valid point.

"In a democracy like ours, the British people have every right to keep an open mind about Brexit."

The Lib Dems vowed that in any referendum, they would be "leading the charge" to keep Britain in the EU.

"But Farage shouldn't be so confident of winning, people are now far more aware of the costs of Brexit and the fabrications of the Leave campaign.... what will the Leave campaign bus have written on it next time: 'let's not fund our NHS, but pay a £39bn Brexit divorce bill instead'?"

Bore off Farage, we're already bored to tears with Brexit we don't need another referendum to delay it...

This pretty much sums up the Brits feelings on Brexit now

[ranzino]

our Politics forum has a 164 pages long thread about Brexit. Feel free to dive in that pool of opinions and info.

this way, grab a seat

[Netherspark]

He doesn't want it to give the people a final say, he only wants it to validate himself and discredit his detractors.

Nigel Farage doesn't give an actual shit about the UK.

[Deleted]

Guess he figured out that once the UK leaves the EU. He and his Wife will stop getting that EU MEP money.

[ranzino]

Guess he figured out that once the UK leaves the EU. He and his Wife will stop getting that EU MEP money.

Nope, he's safe with his pension, that is part of the deal: UK has to pay him via EU parliament for his treason. silly brits !

[ati87]

Guess he figured out that once the UK leaves the EU. He and his Wife will stop getting that EU MEP money.

Well I actually think either his visa application got rejected because he is a douche or he determined that living in the US under Trump isn't a bad idea.

[rogueMatthias]

"Nigel Farage warming to second EU referendum"

He's really not, BBC is being needlessly misleading again.

What he's really saying is that he's really tired of all the continual moaning about Brexit, and (clearly) joking about holding another referendum to humiliate/shut them up. He's saying it to make the point that he believes that so many more people will vote for Brexit now - he's not actually considering or "warming" to the notion. That's just usual BBC's usual spin.

[Elegiac]

"Nigel Farage warming to second EU referendum"

He's really not, BBC is being needlessly misleading again.

What he's really saying is that he's really tired of all the continual moaning about Brexit, and (clearly) joking about holding another referendum to humiliate/shut them up. He's saying it to make the point that he believes that so many more people will vote for Brexit now - he's not actually considering or "warming" to the notion. That's just usual BBC's usual spin.

What assures us that 'he's just joking' isn't just -your- spin, especially considering that people afflicted by the recent wave of populism have a habit of trying to explain away statements that are fundamentally no deeper than their face value.

[rogueMatthias]

What assures us that 'he's just joking' isn't just -your- spin, especially considering that people afflicted by the recent wave of populism have a habit of trying to explain away statements that are fundamentally no deeper than their face value.

Because everything about Farage, and from any interviews anywhere. Brexit is his legacy+ retirement - he's basically the only politician to have fullfilled his entire manifesto lol.

[Elegiac]

Because everything about Farage, and from any interviews anywhere. Brexit is his legacy+ retirement - he's basically the only politician to have fullfilled his entire manifesto lol.

I'll let you in on a little secret; Farage didn't want Brexit to happen.

[ranzino]

I'll let you in on a little secret; Farage didn't want Brexit to happen.

Nigel F. has for sure a weird way to reveal his wishes ?

[Pann]

Because everything about Farage, and from any interviews anywhere. Brexit is his legacy+ retirement - he's basically the only politician to have fullfilled his entire manifesto lol.

To be honest when your manifesto consists of being disruptive and half-arsing the job you are supposed to be doing it is not that difficult to fulfil. I mean there are plenty of people on the internet who, like Farage, spend their time bad-mouthing the EU and not turning up to EU Parliament sessions.

[Elegiac]

Nigel F. has for sure a weird way to reveal his wishes ?

You're approaching it from the wrong angle; when it comes to elected politicians, public support is as important (if not moreso) than the policy itself.

When the referendum was proposed both Cameron and Farage were banking on the hope that Remain would win; from Cameron's viewpoint it would be a public repudiation of UKIP and the populists and an implicit show of confidence in his government, and from Farage's it would solidify his place as leader of the 'silent majority' without actually having to deal with being the instigator of something politically and economically disastrous for the UK. What they didn't count on was that Leave would actually win. It's a mirror of the Trump campaign; winning wasn't the goal in mind. The goal was publicity and establishing a rabid base of supporters by appearing to be a political martyr in eternal opposition to 'the elite'.

Basically, Farage and Trump are the Producers.

[Deleted]

Gotta agree, this isn't needed, we have the megathread.

That's about negotiations - I mean if we're going to go there then make a Trump Megathread too

[mvaliz]

He doesn't want it to give the people a final say, he only wants it to validate himself and discredit his detractors.

Nigel Farage doesn't give an actual shit about the UK.

Didn't the PM also attempt this with her snap-election? You know... the one that went terribly terribly wrong for her?

[Elegiac]

Didn't the PM also attempt this with her snap-election? You know... the one that went terribly terribly wrong for her?

There's a lot of that going around the West lately; public opinion in governing institutions has waned due to a variety of factors and rather than actually biting the bullet and governing, politicians are wasting their time on gambles to secure some sort of mythical public validation without actually having done anything to earn it.

[Jastall]

Because everything about Farage, and from any interviews anywhere. Brexit is his legacy+ retirement - he's basically the only politician to have fullfilled his entire manifesto lol.

Not much of a manifesto when what he actually did was kick the hornet's nest then let everyone else deal with it as he cashed in on his EU pension.

[rogueMatthias]

Not much of a manifesto when what he actually did was kick the hornet's nest then let everyone else deal with it as he cashed in on his EU pension.

Admittedly so, but he still achieved it.

Farage Manifesto
Step 1) Get out of EU
Step 2) Retire and do radio shows and guest on TV shows for rest of life

[Elegiac]

Admittedly so, but he still achieved it.

Farage Manifesto
Step 1) Get out of EU
Step 2) Retire and do radio shows and guest on TV shows for rest of life

Got it wrong.

Step 1) Bitch about the EU.
Step 2) Fail to see Brexit achieved so can play the eternal martyr for the cause.
Step 3) Do radio and TV shows for rest of life living comfortably off MP pension.

[Jastall]

Admittedly so, but he still achieved it.

Farage Manifesto
Step 1) Get out of EU
Step 2) Retire and do radio shows and guest on TV shows for rest of life

I mean I could decide that my entire political manifesto was to get up and water my plants this morning, and I'd have achieved it easily. But that says more about my lack of competence and ambitions than on any qualities I might have proven by fulfilling said manifesto.

Plus, the UK isn't out of the EU yet, and I heard there's some debate as to the exact nature of said ''out''.