Nigel Farage, the Clacton By-election and Count Binface
Yesterday afternoon, Nigel Farage the Member of Parliament for Clacton and leader of the Reform Party, held a press conference in which he declared that he would be resigning his seat and thus triggering a by-election. He cited the following list of grievances that have led to him making this decision. That the Parliamentary standards investigations were being politicised, the media and other parties were conducting a coordinated campaign against him and that he had endured years of threats and physical attacks. He further asserted that his family’s privacy and safety had been breached as well. He finished by alleging that the political system was repeatedly changing rules to obstruct Reform and that he was the most attacked politician in the UK. Rather than be judged by the legacy media and the “establishment”, he would rather put the issue of his political integrity to the electorate of Clacton. He even offered to pay for the cost of the by-election.
I shall not spend too much time rebutting Farage’s claims. There are plenty of online sources that have the resources to do a far more comprehensive job than myself. Let it suffice to say that as ever the claims are spurious. The Parliamentary standards investigation is simply following protocol because it is important to know how all political parties are financed. Furthermore, Farage has benefitted from a disproportionate amount of media coverage over the last 15 years and has frequently gone unchallenged when making political points and assertions. It is curious how his opinion changes when he is legitimately scrutinised. His family’s privacy has not been breached and details such as home addresses have been in the public domain for years. As for claims of threats and physical attacks, are these not the consequences of his policies and actions which have often lead to violence themselves? Plus how can you claim to be the “most attacked politician” when Jo Cox and David Amess were murdered in recent years?
Nigel Farage’s action yesterday were nothing more than a poorly conceived political contrivance. A means to try and sidestep legitimate scrutiny into his party’s finances that may ultimately lead to him being suspended from Parliament if he is found to be in breach of the rules. Such an outcome could trigger a by-election anyway, so it would appear that Farage’s plan is to try and bypass any inquiry, call the by-election now and try and fight it on his own terms. Sadly, this plan has not been thought through properly. Something that often seems to happen to Reform. Firstly, they cannot pay for the by-election so the cost will be picked up by the British taxpayer. Also calling a by-election does not stop the ongoing investigation. If he wins, he will still face the committee. If he loses, they can even pursue their inquiry without him. But perhaps the biggest error that Farage has made is the other political parties choosing not to be drawn into such a contrived political stunt.
Clacton-on-Sea, often simply called Clacton, is a coastal town in Essex, England
Today, it would appear that none of the major UK political parties will be contesting the Clacton by-election and fielding candidates. The only person interested in standing against him is Count Binface. For those who are unfamiliar with the UK’s rich history of satirical and novelty political candidates, I wrote about the subject last month. Hence there is a possibility that the UK’s media will spend the next month or so, focusing upon a political battle between a controversial populist politician who polarises the nation and a man with a bin on his head, who actually interviews very well. At first glance this may appear to make a mockery of UK politics. But I suspect that if it does actually happen, then it may well even re-ignite the public’s interest in a democracy and voting. If politics has taught us anything in recent years it is that unexpected results can and do happen. Assuming Farage is prepared to endure such a contest. He is a singularly humourless individual by his own admission.
Nigel Farage is a politician who thrives on trading upon negative feelings and perceived grievances. His is a good communicator who can connect with specific groups of the public. He claims that political solutions are easy and that the only reason that things aren’t “fixed” is due to a specific socioeconomic strata of society he labels “the establishment”. He points the finger at entrenched political power, wealth and alleged social standing. Then he sets himself, aside from such a group, despite being a millionaire, ex-commodities trader who enjoyed the education and privilege of his class. There is simply no logic to his position but sadly logic is conspicuously absent from much of contemporary politics. However, this situation that he now finds himself in may well be his undoing. Although Farage still enjoys a strong hardcore following of people who support him regardless, initial polls and the word on the street indicate that the wider public are losing patience with the ongoing “Reform show”.
Despite there being a strong appetite for political change, as seen in recent years by voters abandoning the traditional parties, it would appear the UK electorate still broadly expect politicians to work with the prescribed rules. There has also been a strong element of tactical voting to keep Reform out of elected office, which is a totally legitimate political tool. Some people have raised the question whether Nigel Farage even wants to remain an MP and that this is simply a wider plan to lose, retreat and claim victimhood. His politics has never been about building a consensus and finding solutions. He is simply a professional malcontent who is most effective (and comfortable) when he can just stand on the wings, point the finger and not have to do anything tangible. Hence the rules, regulations and work load associated with being an MP are not to his liking. Whatever the reason, perhaps the tide is turning against Nigel Farage. Will Count Binface be his nemesis and deliver the coup de grâce?
