What do we think of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party?

Quite right Maizie.

From "On defining the 'Fascist Minimum" by Roger Eatwell
"in practice fascism has tended to stress style, especially action and the charismatic leader, more than a detailed programme and engage in a Manichaean demonstration of their enemies."

A the use of Manichaean in this definition means they only see people as good or evil, or in our current case "leaver" or "remainer" with leavers seen as good, while the evil is shown in the constant view of the remainer as "undemocratic".

Firecracker , it may be some while before there will be enough (if ever) British produce TO buy.

MaizieD and GracesGranMk3, too right. Ignoring alll this and saying “just use your common sense” is like sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting “la, la, lala, la”. No argument made, just wishful thinking.

Well I've left it to the so called experts before the Torys and Labour and where has that got us. I'm boycotting EU products and buying British where possible, supporting my local farm shop if you can find fault with that then in my opinion it is you who have a problem.

Supposing as is looking very likely that Farage gets most of the seats on 23 May, what then?

He wants to leave as do many MPs who have already sat grappling with thus question for countless hours.
Farage has no say in parliament, he has failed countless times to win the support from the voter (sensibly).

He has zero MPs in parliament. His message is we must leave. That has been the message since 2016. Parliament is trying to do just that, and doing it in a way that will not leave this country poorer and more divided.

Throwing your toys out of the pram because we haven’t achieved that longed for event, smacks of a level of political immaturity all to evident in many of our MPs.

Can you tell me Cyclingknitter how it is that a vast majority of MP's voted to implement article 50, and also went to the country on the back of delivering Brexit, when, as it now appears, they had absolutely no intention of doing either from Day1?! We, poor fools, in our ignorance, believed these people and honestly thought that this was a serious commitment! How wrong can you be, do you seriously think that we now believe one word these so called politicians say?! I can't even bear to look at them, never mind listen to ,or believe one word they say! Tbh, I don't care what they do, have another referendum and stay in the wretched EU, it would be easier, and pats on the back all round by these self serving, self opinionated fools!! IF we ever do leave,and it's a big IF, whatever is finally cobbled up, will be a fudge by the worst set of so called politicians since Robert Walpole!

Firecracker123: My advice would be buy British and use your common sense.

Yes, buy British bananas, citrus fruit, avocados etc. Common sense is also in short supply.

We can live well enough without so much choice and it would only be in the short term. Money/trade talks. Always.
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Greta I get my FREE TRADE bananas at Sainsbury supermarket and they get them from Colombia ??. I'm boycotting the EU not the rest of the world. ?

Columbia is not the epitome of democracy.

how it is that a vast majority of MP's voted to implement article 50, and also went to the country on the back of delivering Brexit, when, as it now appears, they had absolutely no intention of doing either from Day1?!

I thinkthat, like the greater part of the UK population (including me and probably most Remainers) didn't have a clear idea of how the process should work. I also think that Parliament felt bounced into invoking A50.

With hindsight (and also said by a number of people before A50 was invoked) the UK government should have had a clear plan as to just how the process of leaving should be carried out and just exactly how the future relationship was to be developed. What is absolutely clear is that there was absolutely no plan and that, as with the referendum itself, the government was primarily driven by political considerations (i.e keeping the tory party intact) rather than cool appraisal of what would be best for the UK and the best way to achieve it.

It was (and still is) absurdly simplistic to say 'just leave'. The complexity of leaving has been pointed out over and over again on this forum so I won't attempt to repeat it. Economists, diplomats, professors of Law, trade experts and many others have all pointed out the problems but Leavers just ignore everything because their desire to leave is based on emotion and has no basis in, or time for, rationality.

Parliament is a deeply divided as in the nation. The essence of democracy is not, as Leavers so fervently believe, implementing the will of a tiny majority; it has to encompass the 'minority' view too. It is also the duty of MPs to put the interests of the country above the interests of Party and while there were two differing views of the interests of the country there was bound to be huge difficulty in reconciling the two 'sides'. MPs who oppose leaving the EU are not undemocratic traitors, they are carrying out their duty as MPs to consider what is best for the country.

British mobiles?

British washing machines?

So what you're saying is that MP's had no idea what they were voting for or indeed what the word leave meant never mind Brexit! If that was the case then surely abstention would have been a better way forward? Sorry, I just don't accept that after years of a threatened referendum that politicians on all sides hadn't thought through a way forward in the event of a leave result. Surely the near miss in Scotland must have rung a few warning bells?!! No, they went along with the referendum in the arrogant assumption that remain would win! Never promise something that either can't or have no intention of delivering! People don't like it!!

'better and more honest way forward'

Greta
I have a British made washing machine.

We keep hearing British manufacturing is a thing of the past. Far from it; manufacturing generates over £150bn for the UK economy and is over half of our exports. And if you’re smart enough, you can find a winner.

For example, a mobile phone?

Based in Reading, the Bullitt Group was founded in 2009. Keenly aware that brands can easily slap their badge on anything, but end up with something either nasty or generic, Bullitt set out to do bespoke design that was in keeping with the nature of the brand.

When’s the last time a British company won Best Product at Mobile World Congress? In fact it was as recently as 2016!

Go GB! ??
Go Brexit!

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Back on track: re The Brexit Party.

Hard working Brexit party rally this morning in Shrewsbury and another rally in Huddersfield tonight.

Apparently Nigel made a point of going on the hunt for labour voters, highlighting Yvette Cooper’s behaviour in going against the 70% who voted Leave in her consituency.

An audience member did ask Nigel about policies and he made it clear that right now the focus is the EU elections but after that there will be a wide range of policies, including stopping HS2.

Excellent post MaizeD

Let’s hope we can stop NF1

Just so you know, Firecracker, the EU has a comprehensive trade agreement with Colombia and Peru. So you're not avoiding the EU by buying Colombian bananas, you're benefitting from it: if we left the EU we would no longer have this trade agreement, meaning that the cost of Colombian bananas is likely to increase substantially, as we'd be trading under WTO rules, and we are unlikely to get as a good a trade agreement as a single nation, because our market is tiny in comparison with the European market.

Well said, MaizieD.

Parliament is trying to do just that, and doing it in a way that will not leave this country poorer and more divided

You jest.

Parliament is blocking our leaving the EU. End of.

You think that stance is not dividing the nation?

That stance has given birth to the Brexit Party, and rightly so. The best thing that has happened in politics for a long, long time. Remainers, politicians and even the BBC are running scared, and so they should be.

The Brexit Party is a direct result of lack of democracy in parliament and people being dismissed as insignificant - millions of them. Remainers created the need for it.

Leavers were feeling beaten, insulted, belittled and ignored. What disgraceful arrogance from elected politicians. I hope most of them lose their seats at the next GE.

Well, I'm not a mind reader, so I can't really give you any more than my opinion, based on watching this whole debacle unravel. First, there is a substantial contingent of both Labour and Tory MPs who support Brexit (or at least, there was). I would imagine that party whipping encouraged some to vote against their better judgement as well. When you say "went to the country", I assume you mean the general election, which May called, and led to a hung parliament. Labour gained 30 seats and the Tories lost 13, I think. I think they did have an intention to deliver it at first, but the complexity of the task, the dire economic impact and the unravelling of the lies from people like the ERG and Farage and his right wing cronies made it clear that it was not as straightforward as first imagined. May made some commitments that later proved unpalatable, and, as the country saw what was happening, they too began to change their minds. Rational people do that, in the face of new information.

I am much of the same opinion as you on our politicians: they have let us down outrageously and I can only read articles now: I can't even listen to them on the radio, they make me so angry. They have been appalling - lily-livered, duplicitous, self-interested and more. But unfortunately, we are where we are, so my interest is in how to prevent odious worms like Farage and his friends "Tommy Robinson", Banks, Bannon and the European far right from getting anywhere close to power: I don't want my granddaughter to ask what I did to prevent fascism, which seems to be heading our way, and having to say, I did nothing.

Hope that answers your question.

Multiple polls now show that more people support remain than support leave, though the gap is small and mostly seems due to leave supporters becoming "don't knows", rather than joining remain, though there is some suggestion that some leavers have changed their mind and now support remain. As I said, new evidence/information throws different light on things. For example, if you planned to marry someone and had got the dress and booked the venue and invited the guests and then discovered the person was already married, or dangerous or something, you would, presumably, change your mind.

Sorry, this is for Jabberwok