Crikey. They really hate Farage now.

petra the French might not be having an election until next year but what happens if Sarkosy comes forward and offers the French their own referendum if they vote for him? He has already said recently in Le Figaro that some of the British demands were perfectly justified. French politicians also know which side their baguette is buttered.

but I defend to the death his right to say it" ...... something which appears not to apply to many of the scribes on this forum!

I haven't noticed anyone telling anyone with different views from them to be silent or telling anyone they have no right to speak. 'Robust' responses aren't censorship. If someone says something that someone else thinks is daft they're likely to be challenged on it. Rightly.

The EU is a sideshow compared to what is happening to and in the more important Union; the break up of the UK and the growing fear of a racist resurgence fed on nationalism.

When I went to the local shops today people were using Union jack umbrellas and the hardware shop had a Union Jack display.

That's when I cried real tears for the first time because
I was born in a country called the UK, my family a mix of English, Welsh and Scots. There are Polish surnames in my wider family - Poles have been here a long time. Our parents and grandparents from all four nations who fought for a country called the United Kingdom. I love and am immensely proud of my country but I fear it isn't the one I am going to die in, it may soon not exist and I will die in a much diminished England.

Farage's speech to the EU sounded a bit familiar so I looked up the internet for similar quotes, two came up. The man isn't Hitler: the words, however, are a really very unfortunate co-incidence in the circumstances. So lest we forget that the overwhelming will of the people can sometimes make mistakes: -

"I said that I would one day take over the leadership of the State, and with it that of the whole nation, and that I would then among other things settle the Jewish problem. Their laughter was uproarious, but I think that for some time now they have been laughing on the other side of their face. ...."30 Jan 1939

"They have always derided me as a prophet. Today countless numbers of those who laughed at that time, laugh no longer. Those who are still laughing now, also will perhaps laugh no longer after a while ....." 8 Nov 1942

Racists are certainly not "mentally deficient". But they are all lacking in intelligence. And width of mind.

How can it possibly be intelligent to despise someone simply because of their race, creed, or skin colour?

Racists are most likely as thick as two short planks. And they are bigoted. They are never intelligent.

Lillie Yes, French politicians are very good at bending over and ( I'd better not go any further with that one) I'm sure most of you knew where I was going.

Yes Petra LOL

Some EU politicians are also very good at ignoring referendums when they don't go the right way. Lisbon Treaty anyone - how many countries voted twice on that one or ignored the result - and they say hypocrisy is the 'English disease"

C'est la vie

I thought something else was known as the 'English disease' but I won't go there.

The UK has a long and embarrassing history of rich powerful and to entirely dumb people being racists and racists. Just been reading Diana Mitford/Moseley's biography...
People like Farage and Moseley are always brilliant speakers and very good at stirring up racist emotions in disaffected poor people. Rich men who support them have their own agendas - in the case of leaving the EU I suspect a wish to hack back on worker's rights and thereby cut the staff costs to businesses. Murdoch may be just a power addict who would tolerate Blair as long as he felt he could control him.
Johnson always a brilliant speaker but without a slightly more flexible set of beliefs...
I imagine the MEPs were staring in disbelief to actually *see" him in the chamber as he is famously keen to take his £85,000 a year while rarely appearing or vote.
I hear there is now a petition to include Farage in the EU leave negotiations because he is trustworthy.

Jess M - trustworthy? I thought they were all rowing back on their promises like they were in creek without a paddle approaching Niagara Falls

annan I feel like that too, so sad for our UK. I feel like I have had a bereavement which is a bit of a shock as I did not think I would feel like this. I actually cried with gratitude last night when I saw those 'Remain' protesters in London - if I lived near I would have been down to join them.

Farage is an odious man, I felt real revulsion when I saw his stupid smiling face yesterday goading the EU parliament, and these people will be the ones voting on our exit agreement! For goodness sake, he is just a piece of sh1t.

I can't believe that idiot Cameron is really going to go through with this madness. This is all down to him, stupid stupid man, only thinking of his own personal aims.

There was only a very slim majority and a referendum is not legally binding apparently so I really hope the Scots will vote against the proposal when it gets to the commons and get it thrown out.

I could not believe the speech he made, how bloody arrogant saying none of them had had proper jobs before! He is trying to cause as much trouble as possible for the British. I never wanted Independence before for Scotland, but it is beginning to look like a good deal. So much hatred and racism down there being fuelled by UKIP and others.

This is probably very true (see link, but delicate souls be warned, some very ripe language!)

m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/uk_57737efce4b081f48abaa055?edition=uk

Hi HootyMcOwlface

I wish. Although the Scots have the legitimacy to do this and the constitution says MPs are representatives not delegates there are reasons why the English and Welsh MPs cannot vote against Brexit as the EU recognises.

As one EU diplomat put it to the Channel 4 interviewer: “57% of the English voted no when you discount London. What do you (Cameron) tell them? It is irreversible. And that we have noted everywhere.” The Remain MPs who talk of schemes to reverse things have constituencies that defiantly went against their views.

We had the best terms of any country and a veto too - some are now glad to be shot of us and who can blame them. To someone earlier that said the EU was behaving childishly in trying to punish us, well lets turn that analogy around shall we:-

"Hey kids I think your games are awful, I don't like the rules and I don't want to play anymore". Most kids I know would say; "Well, that's fine, OK off you go then."

Cameron has burnt his boats behind him I'm afraid and we have made so many enemies, not just Farage accidentally paraphrasing a speech of AH, tactful that - remember when Cameron insulted Juncker a few months ago - I thought then " He may need the goodwill of that man if it all goes pear shaped" - alas it has come to pass. Let's hope Merkel can help us out of the economic hole we are digging though if the pound falls any further the price of our exports may help save manufacturers though the price of imports will rise and we have a balance of payments deficit.

The breathless arrogance of the Old Eton schoolboys who have got us into this situation - all of them. They have no real world experience. All tactics to keep power and slogans to win debates but not a strategic brain or ounce of common sense between them. Anyone who has ever managed anything in the real world, even the proverbial whelk stall would not put a complex strategic decision forward to be decided by a vote of the team/ customers/ workforce etc. -asking people to take a complex strategic decision based on alternative prospectuses based on 'possibilities not promises' to quote IDS. A competent manager would present a strategy paper to any decision making body based on factual analysis and both sides now tell us they failed even to write one!

I can only think Johnson thought of the good old times in the Bullingdon Club "lets smash a few things up and pay for it later - what a jolly jape"

Cameron may have managed to do what Hitler failed to do and destroy the UK as a Union of four nations.

Those who are worried about the break up of the UK should take heart and remember that we are talking about politics here. Being seen and heard to make all the right gestures and noises is all part of the 'game' to ensure the continuation of their salaries.
The SNP have to make all the right noises for their own supporters to hear and then when it all fizzles out it will be everybody else's fault. It is pretty obvious that Scotland cannot afford to pay the membership dues of the EU particularly when the loss of value in the oil revenues is taken into consideration and also the loss of all that cash sent to Scotland under the Barnett formula.

I see that the papers are reporting that the FTSE is back up and there are reports that the house prices are supposedly back to normal - whatever that is!

Synonymous- I don't agree- it is about our Country, and about real people, and how it will affect their lives. It is about communities, families, parents and their children, grand-parents and their grand-children, sibblings - falling out over this because they really care.

The politicians played it like a stupid game- for the people it is NOT a game, but the future.

Absolutely granjura, I quite agree that it is important and will affect all of our lives.

Some politicians don't see things quite the same as other politicians and some people don't see things in the same way as others.

It will very be interesting to see how things develop.

To Tegan
Of course Mr Farage is still receiving his MEP salary as we are still in the EU, if you hadn't noticed, and still paying £34 million (nett) A DAY in fees. Yes, he speaks his mind unlike other politicians who only say what they think people want to hear. One day, when this country is really free of the grips of the EU, I hope that Nigel will be recognised for the contribution he has made.

He has been picking up his salary for years, and years. He was supposed to represent UK fishermen at the Fishing Commission- and attended just 1 meeting out of 40+ - where he was supposed to make the case for them. And we should thank him for that.

He is a lying toad of the worst kind, only followed closely by Boris.

quizqueen I agree! I think of all the politicians around at this time Mr Nigel Farage will, in time, be recognised as being the most able and far seeing person of his era who made the greatest and most significant contribution to his country. He has consistently fought a good fight for a long time and I was pleased to see and hear him taking the floor at the European Parliament where he was able to show how just one determined man can stand up for his country in the face of so much bullying. I take my hat off to him and wish him well.

That's optimistic Synonymous - lets hope all the ill will, grief and anger both referendums have generated will pass. Taking the long view - historically, Anglo Scots Irish relations have been worse!

The FTSE is up - but I hear it's mainly multinationals, people buying now because they got cheaper - multinationals win whatever happens because they can move their factories and assets around. Some UK stocks and Sterling have a way to go.

Without the certainty of free access to the EU market a lot of people will be worried for their jobs medium and long term. EU investment in science and technology will be difficult to replace. In the financial services sector - jobs and companies are moving already to Frankfurt and Dublin.

Hard going ahead- all sides agree on that. If you believe that 'sovereignty' is beyond price, it is an argument I respect whether you are a Nationalist or a Leaver both sides of the border.

He once claimed his EU salary and expenses were worth £250,000 a year. His wife is also on the Brussels payroll, earning more than £30,000 a year. But Ukip’s leader, Nigel Farage, has now claimed the couple are “poor”.

Mr Farage, who has been an MEP since 1999, initially described his role in the European Parliament as “a good job” after he was first elected. He claimed that if he had been working for Goldman Sachs he would need to earn £250,000 to match what the EU paid him because of taxation, secretarial allowances and “all the other games you could play”.

So with his own fiscal evaluation meaning he must have earned the equivalent of £3.75m over the past 15 years, his claim in a new Channel 4 documentary about the couple’s wealth – that “I don’t know anybody in politics as poor as we are” – is rather surprising.

Anyone with an ounce of decency would not have picked up his salary for NOT doing his job. Instead, he was paid a fat salary for running UKIP and campaigning. It's like picking up a salary from the RSPCA to run an illegal slaughter house.

Synonymous. Don't agree with you about Farage though - the worst sort of demagogue populist politician.

This honest man of the people act: he's a millionaire ex city trader who has taken loads of money from public office but not done the job we paid him for. He has alienated or sacked many of those who worked closely around him - no rivals in his tent. He thinks the best way to influence people is to insult them, so not exactly the greatest diplomat. He has some very dodgy supporters on the Far Right. His backers are multi millionaire neo cons - some champions of the people they!

And what are his policies if he does take power, loads of contradictions. An economic free trade for all? No regulations? A points system so we can get more workers from all over the world? We should trade with the rest of the world - nothing to stop us doing that Germany has fantastic trade with the rest of the world selling more to china and India than we do.

Not so great for the common man and woman and the planet can fry.

Farage also said that they had won without a shot being fired.

How on earth can anyone like a man who said that?