Latest news with #Ukip
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Farage's flirtation with Bitcoin will cost him his credibility
Nigel Farage's entire political career has been coupled with the pursuit of credibility. From those early days of Ukip, unsuccessfully soliciting the backing of Enoch Powell, through his incendiary years in the European Parliament culminating in Brexit, to his return to Reform ahead of last year's general election, Farage has been a vocal and powerful figure in politics – but always outside the realm of serious contender. Lately, however, the story has changed. Reform comfortably leads the polls, overturned a near 15,000-vote majority to win a by-election and was the emphatic winner of recent local elections. Farage is an MP and widely considered the unofficial opposition, despite heading only the seventh-largest party in Parliament. Even the Prime Minister was forced to declare Farage the 'main challenger' to his government. His credibility is no longer in question. Or at least it shouldn't be. But, just hours after Sir Keir Starmer conceded that Reform had replaced one of the most successful political parties in history as the focus of his attention, Farage took the stage in a foreign country to announce a new policy that could torch his hard-won recognition. Playing to the crowds of the annual Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas, Farage committed the UK to a variety of crypto proposals in a move that smells more of his time in the political cold between Ukip and Reform than it does of a potential prime minister-in-waiting. While policies such as allowing Reform to accept political donations in Bitcoin are irrelevant (I honestly believed they already accepted crypto cash), and a new rate of capital gains tax just for the world's most insufferable zealots will be forgotten by both party and people, Farage laid out a dangerous precedent at his fireside chat. In declaring the Bank of England will be forced to establish a 'Bitcoin digital reserve', à la Donald Trump, Farage has made two key errors. The first threatens his credibility with markets and the mysterious 'bond vigilantes' – a relationship that has already been strained by his other recent policy announcements. It's not even the ridiculous notion itself of a nation state buying a bunch of Bitcoin that rankles, but the inherent threat to the independence of the central bank which is foolhardy. Just ask Liz Truss. Even Trump has (somewhat) backed down from his fight with 'loser' chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell, understanding that, like it or not, an independent central bank is sacrosanct in the 21st century. There are fair arguments to be made on both sides regarding Farage's £90bn tax cuts. They simply cannot all be instated and do ring of 'fantasy economics' in some regards, but I think you would struggle to find any supporters of 'fiscal drag', that most euphemistic of persistent tax burdens. But, even more vital to Farage's credibility is his perception from the polling station, not Threadneedle Street – and right now he seems more concerned with winning votes in the US than he does the UK. Crypto is not a serious issue for voters here: a recent YouGov survey found that just 11pc of people in the UK have a positive view of crypto, which correlates with the amount of people who own any. More than a third of people either don't know or don't care. It strikes anyone paying attention as a tickbox exercise designed to emulate the American Right rather than built from his own sincere belief. A brief look at the comments confirms it: 'Farage is making a big mistake here. He is copying Trump on this but the involvement of Trump and his DJT company and of his two sons in this is rather murky, to say the least.' 'Sorry Nigel, not a good idea, total gamble and the sort of thing Trump does, but should not be for a stable central bank to do…' Perhaps Farage is hoping for a boost to the (unaffiliated) $FARAGE coin he once shilled for (currently down 96pc on its peak). Or maybe he is being paid for the promotion (like his £189,000 pay cheque from Direct Bullion for four hours' work promoting gold). He may even sincerely believe these policies will drag Britain into a prosperous future. But he must consider whether all of this is worth that hard won and easily lost prize of credibility. He'll have to make up his mind soon. The most liked comment under the news of his Bitcoin bill is simple: 'Successfully turning me off Reform day-by-day.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Farage's flirtation with Bitcoin will cost him his credibility
Nigel Farage's entire political career has been coupled with the pursuit of credibility. From those early days of Ukip, unsuccessfully soliciting the backing of Enoch Powell, through his incendiary years in the European Parliament culminating in Brexit, to his return to Reform ahead of last year's general election, Farage has been a vocal and powerful figure in politics – but always outside the realm of serious contender. Lately, however, the story has changed. Reform comfortably leads the polls, overturned a near 15,000-vote majority to win a by-election and was the emphatic winner of recent local elections. Farage is an MP and widely considered the unofficial opposition, despite heading only the seventh-largest party in Parliament. Even the Prime Minister was forced to declare Farage the 'main challenger' to his government. His credibility is no longer in question. Or at least it shouldn't be. But, just hours after Sir Keir Starmer conceded that Reform had replaced one of the most successful political parties in history as the focus of his attention, Farage took the stage in a foreign country to announce a new policy that could torch his hard-won recognition. Playing to the crowds of the annual Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas, Farage committed the UK to a variety of crypto proposals in a move that smells more of his time in the political cold between Ukip and Reform than it does of a potential prime minister-in-waiting. While policies such as allowing Reform to accept political donations in Bitcoin are irrelevant (I honestly believed they already accepted crypto cash), and a new rate of capital gains tax just for the world's most insufferable zealots will be forgotten by both party and people, Farage laid out a dangerous precedent at his fireside chat. In declaring the Bank of England will be forced to establish a 'Bitcoin digital reserve', à la Donald Trump, Farage has made two key errors. The first threatens his credibility with markets and the mysterious 'bond vigilantes' – a relationship that has already been strained by his other recent policy announcements. It's not even the ridiculous notion itself of a nation state buying a bunch of Bitcoin that rankles, but the inherent threat to the independence of the central bank which is foolhardy. Just ask Liz Truss. Even Trump has (somewhat) backed down from his fight with 'loser' chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell, understanding that, like it or not, an independent central bank is sacrosanct in the 21st century. There are fair arguments to be made on both sides regarding Farage's £90bn tax cuts. They simply cannot all be instated and do ring of 'fantasy economics' in some regards, but I think you would struggle to find any supporters of 'fiscal drag', that most euphemistic of persistent tax burdens. But, even more vital to Farage's credibility is his perception from the polling station, not Threadneedle Street – and right now he seems more concerned with winning votes in the US than he does the UK. Crypto is not a serious issue for voters here: a recent YouGov survey found that just 11pc of people in the UK have a positive view of crypto, which correlates with the amount of people who own any. More than a third of people either don't know or don't care. It strikes anyone paying attention as a tickbox exercise designed to emulate the American Right rather than built from his own sincere belief. A brief look at the comments confirms it: 'Farage is making a big mistake here. He is copying Trump on this but the involvement of Trump and his DJT company and of his two sons in this is rather murky, to say the least.' 'Sorry Nigel, not a good idea, total gamble and the sort of thing Trump does, but should not be for a stable central bank to do…' Perhaps Farage is hoping for a boost to the (unaffiliated) $FARAGE coin he once shilled for (currently down 96pc on its peak). Or maybe he is being paid for the promotion (like his £189,000 pay cheque from Direct Bullion for four hours' work promoting gold). He may even sincerely believe these policies will drag Britain into a prosperous future. But he must consider whether all of this is worth that hard won and easily lost prize of credibility. He'll have to make up his mind soon. The most liked comment under the news of his Bitcoin bill is simple: 'Successfully turning me off Reform day-by-day.'
Spectator
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Don't cancel Andrew Lawrence for his Liverpool joke
Andrew Lawrence has some claim to being Britain's most-cancelled comedian. For more than a decade now, the 37-year-old stand-up has been losing himself work, friends and representation due to his wilfully offensive style of comedy / commentary. In a 2014 Facebook post, he took aim at BBC panel shows on which 'aging, balding, fat men, ethnic comedians and women-posing-as-comedians, sit congratulating themselves on how enlightened they are about the fact that Ukip are ridiculous and pathetic'. After England's Euros penalties defeat in 2021 he wrote on Twitter: 'All I'm saying is, the white guys scored.' Given the tournament began with a row over England players taking the knee and ended with a moral panic about racist England fans abusing black players online (when the posts predominantly came from overseas), his timing couldn't have been more explosive.
Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
'Come up here' and say that: Anas Sarwar challenges Farage
The Reform UK leader had accused Sarwar of 'introducing sectarianism' to Scottish politics, while the Scottish Labour leader hit back and branded Farage 'poisonous'. After Farage made a speech in London attacking the Labour leader, Sarwar has now thrown down a gauntlet to the former Ukip leader. READ NEXT: 'Poisonous man': Anas Sarwar hits back at Nigel Farage's sectarianism claim He wants to have a head-to-head debate between the two, ahead of the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election next week. Sarwar said: 'Nigel Farage is a pathetic, poisonous little man who wants to use divisive rhetoric to spread fear and division for his own political gain. 'Nigel Farage should ask his chauffeur to put Hamilton into Google Maps. 'Come up here and I'll challenge him any time, any place in Hamilton, any town hall. 'He can challenge me on my views, I'll challenge him on his, and I am confident that the people of Scotland will reject him. 'I want to change Scotland while Nigel Farage wants to divide it.' Farage sparked the row by playing a Reform advert which included a clip of Sarwar encouraging people from south Asian backgrounds to get involved in politics. Sarwar, in turn, said Farage was a 'pathetic, poisonous little man'. READ NEXT:Orange walks to take place in north, south, east and west of Glasgow this weekend The by-election takes place next Thursday, following the death of SNP MSP and Scottish Government minister, Christina McKelvie. It has led to a battle between Reform and Labour with the Farage-led party buoyant after successes in the English local elections and hopes to take votes from Labour and the Tories in Scotland as it tries to builds support ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections next year. The candidates in the by-election are: Collette Bradley, Scottish Socialist Party. Andy Brady, Scottish Family Party. Ross Lambie, Reform UK. Katy Loudon, SNP. Janice MacKay, Ukip. Ann McGuinness. Scottish Green. Aisha Mir, Scottish Lib Dems. Richard Nelson, Scottish Conservatives. Davy Russell Scottish Labour Marc Wilkinson, Independent.
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Nigel Farage's previous visits to Scotland - arrests, protests and fleeing from Royal Mile pub
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will visit Scotland in June. Here, The Scotsman covers some of his notable past visits north of the Border. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nigel Farage is set to visit Scotland in the first week of June, as his party sets his sights on Holyrood. The Reform UK leader will come north of the Border just days before the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, taking place on Thursday next week, which his party is increasingly confident about winning. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Victoria Thomas Bowen, 25, admits assault by throwing milkshake over Reform UK leader Nigel Farage outside a pub in Clacton-on-Sea during the general election campaign. | AFP via Getty Images It will be Mr Farage's first visit to Scotland since becoming an MP. However, he has visited several times before, with mixed results. Here's what happened on the past few occasions the former commodities trader came to Scotland. May 2013 Visiting as Ukip leader, Mr Farage's attempt to host a press conference in a bar on Edinburgh's Royal Mile descended into chaos when it was hijacked by demonstrators who accused the-then Ukip leader of being a 'racist', 'fascist' and 'homophobe'. Nigel Farage (centre) on the Royal Mile being escorted by police officers as he leaves the Canons' Gait pub in 2013, while Ukip leader. Protestors heckled him during his visit to Edinburgh. | PA Two attempts to leave the Canons' Gait pub by taxi were thwarted as the vehicles were surrounded by around 100 protesters, some carrying a giant 'Vote Yes for Scotland' banner. Others carried a placard proclaiming themselves to be the 'Campaign for Radical Independence'. Met with a barrage of abuse that included the refrain 'you're a racist, go home to England', Mr Farage twice had to emerge from a besieged taxi to confront the crowd because drivers could not get him away from the scene. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On the second occasion, he responded to questions about his reception in Scotland, saying it was: 'Clearly anti-British and anti-English. They hate the Union Jack [sic] … maybe that's what it is all about.' It was then that police decided to escort him back into the Canons' Gait where the doors were locked to keep protesters out, who continued to chant 'scum, scum, scum'. Speaking afterwards, Mr Farage described the protesters as "fascist scum". He said: 'If this is the face of Scottish nationalism, it's a pretty ugly picture. The anger, the hatred, the shouting, the snarling, the swearing was all linked in to a desire for the Union Jack to be burnt. "The fact that 50 yobbo fascist scum turn up and aren't prepared to listen to the debate, I absolutely refuse to believe is representative of Scottish public opinion.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nigel Farage stands in front of a controversial campaign poster ahead of the 2016 Brexit referendum (Picture: Daniel Leal) | AFP via Getty Images June 2013 Mr Farage had been due to have a large lunch and press conference at the Marriott hotel in Aberdeen, only to cancel the event. He claimed an Aberdeen anti-fascist group had threatened to demonstrate outside. The party claimed it was down to security concerns, despite Aberdeen's police headquarters being less than 50m away, and no sign of agitation. The hotel insisted it was not influenced by demonstrators, instead claiming the provisional booking could not be taken up because the hotel was too busy. Speaking at the time, Mr Farage said: "I was invited to have go and take tea [with Marie Bolton, the independent depute leader of Aberdeen city council]. We now know that invitation was withdrawn. "They told us that somebody very senior advised them not to continue, so we took that advice. I'm sorry that she was pressured or felt she was pressured into not allowing this meeting to go ahead." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, a Police Scotland spokesman said: "The police haven't had any part [in that decision] whatsoever." However, there was one confrontation and one arrest, when, after a debate in a pub with Mr Farage about Sharia law and the status of Norway in the EU, a man threw a drink on the back of a Ukip official. April 2023 Mr Farage hosted his live GB News show at an Aberdeen golf clubhouse. He took questions from the audience and spoke with guests, including fellow GB News presenter Neil Oliver.
