Guest post by Richard North
Richard North of the EU Referendum blog, who has done so much to expose the EU’s involvement and responsibility for exacerbating the extent of the flooding in the Somerset Levels, shares his assessment of Nigel Farage’s failure to use recent media opportunities to shine even more light on the EU’s role – and those who are defending this political error:
There is a certain constancy to the “Nigel can do no wrong” brigade. Whatever he does, ex post facto, his little claque will leap to his defence, saying he’s done exactly the right thing.
There is no getting away from the premise here, though, that Farage has scored a massive own goal. The EU dimension of the floods has, on my blog, been the most popular post I have ever written, attracting a massive level of interest. Yet “our Nige” has chosen to play a derivative game, all but ignoring the EU dimension. The sight of an anti-EU party leader ignoring the EU sends its own message.
Further, the populist dimension of the Farage message also sends a message. While there can be no doubt that more money will help in this growing crisis, above all else for the longer term, there is a massive policy deficit. You can throw money at a problem but if the policy framework is not right, the spending will have little effect or even – as we are seeing – a perverse effect.
Thus, it is absolutely essential that the deficiencies in policy are identified and corrected, which provides a magnificent opportunity for a focused and sustained attack on the EU. Farage, however, has walked away from the open goal. UKIP, as always, is out to lunch.
Nigel’s defenders can now blather all they want. But once again, Farage has shown himself to be a policy-free zone, a lightweight who is good for the “man-in-pub” routine but not a serious politician.
Autonomous Mind 
“UKIP, as always, is out to lunch.”
+1
I don’t want another heavyweight, a real poitician, look where they’ve got us over the last 40 years, almost completely round the U bend.
If i want more of the same i’ll vote for another bloody Cam/Cleg/Bad salesman and, like millions of other fools, expect a different result having voted for another clone inside their cloned party with hardly a principle or genuine belief between the lot of them.
UKIP’s very strength is that they are completely different from all the others, yes warts and all.
If i want another 5 or 50 years of the same crap, i’ll vote for one of the three cheeks of the same arse party, won’t make a scrap of bloody difference which cheek, you couldn’t get a fag paper between them.
I wouldn’t want UKIP to be a fourth cheek to join the others.
Nige must be doing something very right, not only does he have the establishment and their media running round in circles looking for the any twig to beat them with, he’s even got those who should be onside, but are not, sniping constantly too.
That is possibly one of the most ridiculous, short sighted and deluded comments ever left on this blog. Well done.
Update: Not because you disagree with me, that’s perfectly fair and welcome, but for the ludicrous nature of your argument. Everything Farage is doing is an effort to make UKIP like the big three. Part of the problem is that he is doing so, the other part of the problem is that he is doing it so appallingly badly.
I was a member of UKIP until last year, paying considerably over the subscription to help fund the anti-EU message. I did not renew my membership for many of the reasons Autonomous Mind is highlighting. The local prospective MP candidate rang me up to ask why I was not renewing my membership and when I outlined the reasons, she suggested I met their treasurer Neil Hamilton. I pointed out that this was one of the problems, I could not see how a minor celebrity, of dubious provenance, could enhance the party. Chasing the popular vote for the sake of it, will not get us out of the EU. Substance is required, not form.
Judd
If your thinking is typical of a UKIP voter then in Mr Farage, you have the leader that you deserve.
Yes would agree with Richard on this one.Farage has missed a golden opportunity to give it to Brussels over their ridiculous environmental directives.Directives that have allowed the EA to abdicate any responsibility to looking after the livelihoods of UK citizens living in flood plains.
If they won’t look after their own people we should be calling for anyone who allowed the system to have become established to be removed and replaced by those who will implement a system that looks after basic security and safety for the human population and not the local wildlife
I am in the same situation as noneoftheabove; a long time supporter / activist but no more. Farage, besides encouraging persons of dubious colourful history into UKIP, continues to run the party as a one man band with little accountability or membership input. I believe it is noteworthy that he has not used the leverage that UKIP seems to command, to hold the government to account in any way – why not? Perhaps it was no coincidence that in 2008, Farage’s holiday let was next door to Cameron’s?
Perhaps it was no coincidence that in 2008, Farage’s holiday let was next door to Cameron’s?
Any more than the Referendum Party shared the same building with the federalist European Movement? Coincidences do exist.