According to the BBC, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage is to throw his hat into the ring and attempt to get his old job back.
The position became vacant last month when Lord Pearson stood down, admitting with surprising honesty that he wasn’t up to the job. Farage’s decision may have been prompted by suspicions that none of the other likely candidates are up to the job either.
Farage, an MEP, failed in his attempt to unseat the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, at the General Election, finishing a disappointing third. An election day aircrash had left him injured and that, along with the pressure of his work in Brussels, had previously been given by Farage as reasons why he might not stand for the leadership.
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10 Comments
I think Farage is the best leader UKIP has ever had, and can have. I wish UKIP would talk more about the unfairness of our electoral system, though. They’re like a battered wife who stays silent. A million votes and no seats in Parliament??? They should be marching hand in hand with Fair Votes Now!
I would think that UKIP will campaign on the Yes2AV ticket, just like the Greens, SNP, PC, SDLP, etc. all will in the end, too. A long way short of ideal (and there is disagreement as to what the ideal is, UKIP wanting AV+, Greens AMS), but it is a clear step in the right direction for a more diverse national politics.
In fact the prospect of Caroline Lucas and Nigel Farage standing on the same platform is one I find delicious!
Jez I was under the impression that their interim leader was talking about this unfairness just this morning, esp with regards to the Greens having a lower overall vote share and still getting an MP.
Think ukip are pretty strong in their fair votes campaigning. Seem to remember letters from them to charlie k back in the day asking to form a joint campaign
Farage is already on the record supporting AV – I think that he said something fairly recently about it.
It does say something about UKIP, though, that most people during the election probably thought Farage was still the leader, and would be stretched to name any other of their representatives – I can’t, and I consider myself a bit of a geek on these things!
Paul, as I understand it, AV+ is a form of AMS.
Hi Yello.
One difference is that AV+ uses AV for the constituency elections, whilst AMS uses FPTP.
You’re right, though, that they are similar ideas.
When I occasionally visit ConservativeHome, there are a fair few regulars there who have defected from the Conservatives to UKIP. When AV is discussed, it always strikes me as poetic irony that these former right-wing Tories have suddenly seen the light, and are supporting electoral reform. But those with almost identical politics, who have not defected, condemn electoral reform as the spawn of the devil.
Perhaps someone could explain why pro-Europeans are being told by the Yes campaign that AV is good news since it will make coalition government more likely and therefore UKIP-style anti-European extremism less influential. Is AV in UKIP’s interests or not?