Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Farage Standing as Reform Candidate
Yesterday, the fate of the Conservative Party in the UK took a turn for the worse, if one is a supporter of the Tories. Nigel Farage, the Great Brexiteer, reversed an earlier decision to announce he will be the Reform Party candidate in the Essex constituency of Clacton. Before yesterday, his announced plan was to support Reform candidates while campaigning for Donald Trump in the US. Thursday, a New York court convicted Mr. Trump of 34 felonies. So, Mr. Farage had a change of heart. Numerous sources have denied this is the case, but coincidence like this takes a lot of planning. While Reform may not win many seats, it will eat into the Tory margins, handing many seats to Labour, the LibDems and the nationalists in Wales and Scotland. The losses will be worse than if he had stayed out.
At about 4 pm UK time, Richard Tice of the Reform Party held an emergency press conference to announce a major shake up in Reform and for the election campaign. One, he was quitting as head of the party. Two, Mr. Farage will take his honorary lifetime presidency of Reform and make it an active role. He is now party boss. Three, he would stand in Clacton.
"We have been betrayed by a Conservative party that I gave considerable help to back in 2019," Farage told BBC Radio 4's Today program. "I got rid of Mrs [Theresa] May by forming the Brexit party . . . and then I stood aside in 300 seats for Boris Johnson. And we were told that we would get control of our borders . . . I feel betrayed by them."
He added, "Millions of voters feel betrayed by them and even though there are people in the Conservative party who I fought with during Brexit and other battles, they are part of a party well past their sell-by date. Their brand is ruined and what I am trying to do is to establish a voice of opposition to a Labour party that might be out of control."
Over on Good Morning Britain on ITV, he was asked if he would someday lead the Tory Party. Farage said, "You can speculate as to what'll happen in three or four years' time. All I will tell you is if Reform succeed in the way that I think they can, then a chunk of the Conservative party will join us -- it's the other way around."
He also has said that Canada a while ago what his model. In that particular case, the ruling Conservatives lost all but 2 seats to a more populist right-wing Reform Party. Eventually, the two merged with the Reformers running the show.
"Reform did a reverse takeover of the Conservative party, rebranded it and Stephen Harper -- who was elected as a Reform [party of Canada] MP -- became the Canadian prime minister for 10 years. I don't want to join the Conservative party. I think the better thing to do would be to take it over."
That is a declaration of war. Moreover, he has said that there is not a chance of an electoral pact with the Conservatives. After all, the Conservatives did benefit from Reform standing aside, and then, they did not deliver for the Reform crowd. Burned once, Mr. Farage will not put his hand on the hot stove again.
The entire campaign lies ahead, and polling day is a month off. A week is a long time in politics, so there is much that can happen. However, what is certain is that Labour will form the next government with a substantial majority. The Tories will lose scores of seats. Beyond that, no one can really say. The future of the British right depends on how well or badly Reform does.
© Copyright 2024 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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