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Hypocrite Nigel Farage rudest man in Europe
Neil Clark: Brussels will be glad to see the back of Nigel Farage if he can beat Bercow in the general election
The British have sent many loud-mouthed yobs to Europe over the years - rampaging football hooligans, drunken stag party revellers - but Nigel Farage, leader of the UKIP MEPs, takes the crown after his performance yesterday.
Already known in Brussels for his brash and abrasive style, Farage launched a scathing personal attack on the new President of the EU Council, Herman van Rompuy, in the European Parliament, one which left MEPs reeling in shock at its sheer nastiness.
"Who are you? I'd never heard of you, nobody in Europe had ever heard of you," Farage proclaimed. He said van Rompuy had the "charisma of a damp rag" and compared him to a "low-grade bank clerk". For good measure he also insulted the EU President's homeland, saying Belgium was "pretty much a non-country".
Farage's attack (see video above) on the modest and mild-mannered van Rompuy and his equally inoffensive country will only confirm what many in Europe think about the British: that we are a country of arrogant, bullying xenophobes.
Farage, a former commodity broker, represents the worst kind of Brit abroad, a blazered, braying, over-confident public schoolboy, convinced of his own - and his country's - superiority over others.
There is undoubtedly a strong 'Eurosceptic' case to be made against the undemocratic EU and its institutions, but it does not involve making vicious personal attacks on the President of the EU Council, or making derogatory remarks about the country he comes from.
Farage's attacks on van Rompuy as well as being offensive are also contradictory. Last year, when the Belgian's appointment, and that of the Baroness Ashton as the EU's High Representative was announced, Farage lambasted the pair as "two political pygmies", lamenting that "in terms of a global voice, the European Union will now be much derided by the rest of the world".
But Farage and his party have consistently opposed the idea of the EU playing a global role. Did they really want someone like Tony Blair to be the EU President, instead of van Rompuy?
The UKIP stance on the EU also reeks of hypocrisy. The party ferociously attacks the EU and its institutions at every opportunity, yet its 13 MEPs are quite happy to draw their €91,980 salaries from Brussels - and their generous expenses. Last year Farage boasted that he had received around £2m in non-salary expenses and allowances from Brussels since becoming an MEP in 1999.
But the days of attacking the EU, while riding on its gravy train, may be coming to an end. Farage is standing against Speaker of the House John Bercow in Buckingham at the upcoming general election. If elected, which is looking increasingly plausible, he will be forced to relinquish his MEP's position due to the dual mandate rule.
By standing against Bercow, Farage is once again causing controversy: it is a convention that the Commons Speaker is returned unopposed. But Farage's chances of becoming his party's first ever MP appear bright: Bercow, nominally a Conservative, is unpopular with Conservative-inclined voters - and with leader David Cameron - due to his close relationship with New Labour. UKIP also did well in the area in last year's European and local elections.
Furthermore, Bercow's campaign could be derailed after a complaint was made over possible impropriety regarding a 'Friends of Speaker Bercow' fund-raising letter.
It could well be that on the morning after the general election, Farage will be celebrating an historic success. And it's a good bet that the champagne corks will be popping in Brussels too, as Herman van Rompuy and his fellow Belgians celebrate the departure from their "non-country" of the rudest man in Europe. ·
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William VanAnderoye:
About historic re-education I suggest you reread the history of our non country since WWI till the end of WWII, to compare the number of traitors (to our non country) per million people in both parts (Flanders and Wallonia), the number of French speaking clandestine newspapers compared to the number of such newspapers written in Flemish, the number of requests for amnesty (for traitors) that come from your part of our non country and the number that come from mine, the number of flemish army units that ran away instead of fighting in May 1940 versus of the number of walloon such units, the number of Walloon man-years spent in German POW camps between 1940 and 1945 vs the number of such Flemish man years, the number of Jews - many of them coming from Flanders - hidden by Walloons with the number of Jews hidden in Flanders, etc etc
I assume your teacher of history has just told you about the hundred of years old Flemish hours of glory, but has omitted the dark sides of the 20th century ... and I pardon you thereof.
You did not realize that you were brainwashed; e. g. did you ever read about the walloon soldiers of WWI whose officers did not speak their (walloon) language ? This story is never told to us walloons; it is as true as what your leaders tell you about the flemish soldiers being led in French. Or rather it is as false, definitely false : the officers were mostly wealthy aristocrats owning land in both parts of belgium and speaking both the local languages with their servants depending on the part of Belgium the servants were from. They would speak french between themselve, the name of many of them would be composed of a Flemish AND a Walloon name separated by an hyphen !
You have heard about Leon Degrelle and REX - but you do not mention Staf DeClerc and all his friends of the VNV; did you compare the number of members of both organizations in say 1942 ?
I prefer to think that you are one these many honest Flemings, and will therefore take my advice to read a bit about these days of shame that are even more a secret for you that they are for the german people of your age.
[Posted by William Vananderoye at 1:53pm on February 27, 2010...mr. Farage (who strangely enough doesn't refuse his European salary!)] - get real William. The EUrocrats want an appearence of democracy, and they pay his wages direct into his mandatory euro account, along with the mandatory expenses, and the mandatory allowances, whether he wants them or not as an MEP. Just like all the other democratically elected MEPs, but not like the non-elected European Commission, who actually make the laws and the rules. Like the rule that we can't just leave unless they all say we can! And they get two years to think about it, to give them time to change the rules before they lose our national subscriptions, which are the second largest net in the EU.
Well done Nigel at last someone who is not afraid to speak up for those of us who hate the whole fiasco that is purported to be a democratic body, the whole rotten mess stinks of corruption and we are not given a vote to end it. I speak as a very disgruntled over 60's Englishman.
Well, Naabraham, if this is Barrage's best performance, then he's done us all a favour... and shown us that he's a poisonous dwarf who's never achieved anything in his worthless life. Vote for this loudmouth tosser? ROFL, you must surely be joking. Like his chums Brons and Griffin, he has the luxury of all no-hoper single-candidate parties... he can talk empty bollocks about policies, in the certain knowledge that he'll never be called up to put his worthless idiocy into practice.
fbaudoux.ir, maybe you need some historic re-education, because you're talking a lot of rubbish here. It's a proven fact that the Walloons collaborated a great deal with the Nazis during WW II, and not only in an economical way. Have you forgotten all about Léon Degrelle? But this is in the past and the Germans are our great friends now.
Now, you would like Wallonia to be a protectorate of Great Britain, you say. Dear friend, mon cher ami, that's the most crazy idea I've heard in many years from my likeable French pâtois speaking fellow citizens. Even la douce France doesn't want la Wallonie within its borders!
And before you're crying "racism" or "fascism!", please take notice of the fact that I do love la Wallonie and its inhabitants. For the overwhelming part they indeed are nice, peaceful and gently talking men and women, very friendly and hospital even towards Flemish like me, which you seem to hate that much. I'm afraid you are a bit of a loner with those harsh opinions of yours. Be happy with them. And with mr. Farage (who strangely enough doesn't refuse his European salary!) as your soul mate!
To the British EU-haters: I'd like to advise them warmly to get out of the EU as soon as possible. Crawl humbly towards the heels of your former colony, the Great United States of America, as the Poodle of Bush always did.
"Posted by Richard Ross at 1:34pm on February 25, 2010 (Michael Jose) Is this irony? If you don't approve of Europe, then send someone who doesn't sound like he's a cocky student at a university debating society. Argue the case."-- HA! I am very cocky, and I read a lot, but sadly no longer a student. We must all start with assertions or we must never start. But to engage, what is this nonsense about if I 'don't approve of Europe'? What? I like England, Wales, Scotland, Cyprus and Brussels, where I have eaten and slept with great pleasure recently. Are they not Europe? C'est vrai? Polu kala, parakalo? I don't like the EU - a political con job, taking my money in a pretence of trade agreements and using it for social engineering and enforced floods of immigrants - Belgian, Greek, Hungarian, or any in fact. I am not a little Englander, I am a big Englander and a Great Britainer. Rule Brittania, a vous la France, viva Espana. Let nations be nations. Belgium admittedly does need help in this respect, but not the EU...
Don't particularly agree with his approach but Mr Clark, it's hardly hypocritical to criticise the organisation that pays you if you believe it to be wasteful & inefficient...stating how much he has been able to claim merely reinforces his point... we have many politicians who have milked the UK system to the maximum,( & beyond) hoping they would never be found out...is that what you would prefer?
A pompous and ugly Brit trying to impose his own warped values and record of full of hypocrisy.
The Brits should be ashamed. Perhaps they wanted that other thug and murderer Tony Blair, to be in this seat.
The EU is as corrupt as any banana republic and should be disbanded asap.Maybe it will collapse under it's own mountain of paperwork and sleeze;re.Greece,PIIGS etc.
We can't afford to keep sending millions of sterling over there every day , we need it in England ,which the EU does'nt even recognise as a sovereign country.
Hooray for UKIP !
Like the sentiments but hate the sound of his voice. If he were speaking in German one might think him a reincarnation of Adolph.
well at last someone tells the e.u dictatorship the truth....good one nigel!!
Thank you for your opinion Neil, its not one shared by most Brits though. Mr Farage was abrasive its true...he is a politician, its part of the job....and after all he was only telling the truth, plain and unvarnished....and Belgium IS an artificial construct...even the Belgians know that...Walloons and Flemings who can't stand each other, the state nearly fell to pieces a few years back....
Don't worry about Mr Van Rompoy's feelings...he is well paid and will get over it....after all he is as Mr Farage said, totally unaccountable...he has nothing to fear....well not until a majority of MEP's are committed to root and branch reform of the EU....reversing political union and abolising the Parliament itself...
Nigel tells it like it is and it shows up the Westminster Parliament as being in a sleep of death. There is no one left now with a bit of fire to speak out the truth on the EU. Let us hope and pray that the forthcoming General Election will bring forth several with Nigel's courage and character to speak up for the People and the the restoration of the British Constitution under statute, law still in force, but cheated on since 1972 by implied repeal. If not we will be in need of a new Cromwell to restore true democracy.
There might be some truth in the meanings of Farage's comments but it was inappropriate for him to express his opinions in such a way. Had Rompuoy been a liar or cheat, it might have been OK to use strong language. But if he is a decent man who is not up to it(I don't know) then it isn't. If he is inadequate, blame those who appointed him. If he isn't Mr Razzle Dazzle (like Blair) what is wrong? Shouldn't we concern ourselves with the workings of his mind? If you don't like his appearance, tough; it is none of your xing business. And in any case, "Forage" sounds French and he looks like an Estate Agent.
Nigel Farage is certainly right on some points : Belgium is not a country with one people but rather a contraption artificially built by a couple of large nations (among which Britain) that married together, in view of their own interests, a pair of strongly different peoples, the Walloons (from Celtic ascent, a peaceful, and anti-fascist population) and the Flemishes (of Viking origin, many being friends of Germany during the two world wars). Now that the formerly rich Wallonia no longer has money to spend for the benefit of Flanders, more and more Flemish want to split that non-country - whose Flemish current PM, Mr Leterme, believed the national anthem of his non country was that ... of France.
And whose former premier was Mr Van Rompaey that ran away to Europe from this Belgian unity problem he was among the very creators.
Nigel scores another point when he questions Mr VanRompaey's notion of democracy : Flanders, including Mr VanRompaey's political friends, refuses to sign the European agreements about protecting minorities; and they feel being 55% of the total population is a sufficient majority to impose to the walloon whatever rule will benefit them most.
Without particularly liking NFarage and his political friends, I, as a Walloon nevertheless would agree to becoming a sort of British protectorate of some kind, whose government would rule from London, like e.g. during WWII !
"Nigel is a splendid fellow and his humour is much misunderstood. It is wonderful to have some British verve and style exported to the EU". (Michael Jose)
Is this irony? If you don't approve of Europe, then send someone who doesn't sound like he's a cocky student at a university debating society. Argue the case.
As was so with the idiot Nick Griffin of the BNP, it is only necessary to give airspace to the likes of Farage. He has, in one short outburst, proved beyond all doubt that UKIP is a party of the myopic, the xenophobic and the ill informed. Maybe a short, sharp history lesson would not be a bad thing for these verbose Little Englanders. These fools can only cut their own throats. Long may it be so!
I certainly didn't vote for him, but Farage is finally doing what he was sent to Brussels to do, so hats off to him. And why all the fuss? Did his speech contain a single assertion that isn't true?
What a trash-talking twonk Farage is. No-one will be sad to see the back of this gutless wanker.
What an odious creep. Almost as bad as Daniel Hannan.
Oh dear. Someone tells the truth in the European Parliament, shock horror. We know it is the truth, because it has been, as always, treated with contempt.
Nigel is a splendid fellow and his humour is much misunderstood. It is wonderful to have some British verve and style exported to the EU, itself so pencil-pushing, stuffed-shirt, all po-face and pumpernickel. They are so corrupt that they cannot manage to fiddle their own corporate expenses and get their own chief auditor to sign them off for the last 15 years. As Marta Andreasen tells in her autobiography, they sacked her for trying to sort the system out when she was their chief auditor, and then she joined the party the hate most - UKIP - and then she became an MEP to torment them again! You could not make it up, unless you were Kafka. Hurrah for Nigel, Nigel for Prime Minister. Then they will wish he were still there, giving them what for on behalf of Blighty, because when we get in over here we will cut their EU gravy train off at source - Britain out of the EU is the beginning of the cure. The EU is the disease. It costs us GBP45 million a day to belong to this corrupt club of bureaucrats.