Farage is poor at publicity stunts - his recent Cap'n Bird's-Eye sail down the Thames was pirate-raided by a well-heeled tax exile (and an expensively-shod woman). Of course, the media can "help" him be poor at that, and the level of collusion between them and Cap'n Bob (plus Cameron by cellphone) has yet to be coldly dissected.
Besides, what difference does it make? Before, during and after the vote nearly everyone on social media appears to have been howling with their hands over their ears.
But here's a rationality test - for anyone who can receive as well as transmit, how about actually listening to the points made by the same "cheeky chappy" in the EU Parliament a few days ago - the EU failed to listen all the way back to 1999.
The other point I'd make is that there may soon be no EU to go back to, and that won't be just because of the UK (we flatter ourselves). For example we'll be lucky if the Greek Left doesn't get their country to flee to Russia to save it from the prolonged cruelty of their treatment at the EU's hands. Maybe that's why Putin is being so restrained in what he says, and why unlike Obama he kept his nose out of our business.
Italy is going to get interesting too, and we should remember (as after our vote, how can we forget?) that opposition to the grandiose project comes from the Left as well as the Right. Look for example at Democrazia Verde - both sovereignist AND "green".
Hear a punchily-delivered but fact-filled argument from Italian economic journalist Paolo Barnard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYzlcfhJn1Q
- better than most of what we've heard from either side in the UK.
[Btw I see Soros made another billion out of the Referendum from his betting - while simultaneously publicly saying we should Remain. He delighted in telling us it would be bad for us:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-latest-george-soros-wins-big-prediction-black-friday-a7102481.html
- but Paolo Barnard's latest article begs to differ (Google translation)...
"And note: after Black Monday in 1987, in two years everything was in place as before .
"Just to inform.
"And ah! Brexit gave a slap than 3,900 billion dollars a multi-billion dollar portfolio of the world. Not bad."
http://paolobarnard.info/intervento_mostra_go.php?id=1531 ]
The word that rang like a bell in Farage's speechlet below was "hubris." But also listen to what he says after that about cooperation and trade.
It's not the end of the world.
P.S. The Parliamentary Labour Party hates Corbyn like a wedgie - but Craig Murray thinks the Blairites are trying to get rid of him before the Chilcot Report is published:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2016/06/still-iraq-war-stupid/
Well, if you got this far you can't be a snowflake, you must be a hailstone.
So - here's Nigel:
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5 comments:
Boris sidelines and ridicules Nigel yet has the affrontery to use his "Independence Day" tag in his last debate and since.
It has to be said speech wise that Nigel rarely manages to give such high class performances on British soil which is a bit of a mystery.
I have seen the Paolo Barnard piece previously and it is very good with one exception, his lumping in of UKIP with the likes of Golden Dawn as far right a strange analogy unless you are a member of the extreme left !
Well put together, Sackers.
JD comments:
That's a good post. Here is a bit of musing from 'oop' north.
I'm no fan of Farage because, as a commodities trader in the City, he is no more than a high class Bookie and bookies never lose because they play both ends against the middle and always come out as winners. Not sure I would trust him with the levers of power; what is his stance on TTIP for example? And the Farage Family Educational Trust looks rather dodgy to me. It was a 'mistake' he said. He is quite fond of that phrase isn't he.
As a speaker he can be very good and here he is concise and to the point, there can be no misunderstanding of what he has said and it was exactly correct.
I liked your link to Paolo Barnard; in it he pointed to the financial collapse called Black Monday in 1987. Markets dropped between 47% and 22,5%. After Brexit there has been a collapse of about 10% in the currency market. A rather big difference.
You forgot to mention the first test after Brexit and that was the Spanish election yesterday. Both the Beeb and RT point to a low turnout of about 50% but that is wildly inaccurate. According to El Mundo it was 69%. However, there is still a stalemate there. I wonder when the politicians will get the message - they are the problem. Farage calls it hubris, I would prefer to describe all career politicians as being 'crippled with ego' and we can see it here, they are still fighting amongst themselves instead of addressing the problems we have here in this country.
The Brexit vote was. in my view, a chance to register a protest vote against this Westminster/Whiehall/media incestuous relationship which ignores the realities of life outside the 'bubble' but in the aftermath the media has been navel-gazing and wittering on about the in-fighting of the two main parties, especially focusing on Corbyn's Labour Party. In case they haven't noticed he and they are not the government. What he and they are doing is not the main issue at this time.
What happens next is the important thing to consider now and will the EU force the issue by invoking the Lisbon Treaty themselves? It certainly sounds like their next move.
Just as an aside, I was reading in yesterday's Sunday Post about Mark Singer's book, a profile of Donald Trump -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trump-Me-Mark-Singer-ebook/dp/B01G6A9Q4S
Very interesting. Trump didn't want to be president, he was just drumming up publicity for himself (see above comment about crippled with ego) but it has run away with him. The more outlandish his comments have been, the more popular he has become and now it is out of his control. His ego will not allow him to back down now and yet he still doesn't want the responsibility of being in the White House. If the Republicans block his nomination, he wins by being able to blame others. If he does get the nomination.......!!! Gawd help us :)
Hi Sack
I liked the Nigel Farage clip, he understands the banking concepts and short comings that involve small countries. These are the entities that the EU destroyed economically.
Trump is like Brexit. The offer of change over "more of the same."
He could be elected before article 50 even gets signed.
Take care
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