Farage Launches Brexit Party to ‘Begin Political Revolution in UK’

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Victoria Friedman

Nigel Farage launched his Brexit Party on Friday to campaign Britons to support a clean break from the EU and “to begin a political revolution in the UK. “

Mr Farage wrote in The Telegraph ahead of today’s launch of what was nothing short of a “national humiliation” suffered by the UK at the European Summit, where Prime Minister Theresa May secured yet another delay to Brexit to October 31st, 2019, and lamented of the ineffectual lawmakers in the House of Commons.

“The fact is, our ruling class no longer believes in Britain. In them, there is a blithe acceptance of managed decline.

“I feel differently. We are a great nation and a great people. But we are being held back by weak leadership. The time to change this is now,” Mr Farage wrote.

The Brexiteer, who campaigned for the UK to leave the EU for more than two decades, registered his party in February in preparation for the betrayal of Brexit which would result in the UK needing to take part in European Parliament elections.

“We see the next few weeks as the beginning of a fightback against an establishment that has wilfully betrayed our trust,” the MEP wrote.

“This is the most ambitious project I have ever launched in my life. If, as I believe, the people want to change politics for good, I am going to give them the opportunity to make that happen,” he added.

Anti-establishment and eurosceptic parties are set to make gains in the May 23rd to 26th elections, with Open Europe commenting the drop in support for the Tories in a recent poll could be due to the rising popularity of the Brexit Party.

During the launch, Mr Farage said, “What I am fighting for now is a democratic revolution in British politics,” adding, “Our democratic decision is being wilfully overturned in the country that once had the mother of parliaments”

Mr Farage introduced fellow Brexit Party candidates, notably the sister of Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, Annunziata Rees-Mogg.

Ms Rees-Mogg said Britons must fight back to “rescue” British democracy, “and show that people have a say in how this country is run. Politicians are not our masters, but do our bidding.”

Teacher Dr Alka Sehgal Cuthburt likewise called for the ‘”Redemocratisation” of British politics and has stood for MEP candidate to fight for democracy.

“Since the referendum, we’ve seen even as an ideal that principle of democracy is so weak it doesn’t even exist any more,” Dr Shegam Cuthburt said, saying those “institutional structures” of democracy “have been recast away from democratic principles to technocratic boundaries.”

MEP Candidate June Mummery called for an end to the Common Fisheries Policy, saying for the years that the UK has been “throwing the jewels from the crown” as Europeans continue to be allowed to fish in British waters.

Businessman candidate Ben Habib calls it “absolutely bonkers” to take no-deal off the table, saying that “Parliament has condemned this country to unconditional surrender.”

While Richard Tice, chairman of the Brexit Party and founder of Leave Means Leave, says “we cannot allow this shambles in Westminster to continue.”

“It’s time we took on the establishment and the civil service” to make British politics work “for the people” again, Mr Tice said, warning that by the time Halloween comes around, the Government will write another “begging letter” to the EU to delay Brexit even further.

A playback of the launch and a liveblog can be read below this article.

This liveblog of the Brexit Party launch is now closed, but see below for real-time updates.

UPDATE 12:12 — Farage on the so-called Irish ‘hard border’: Who’s going to build that hard border? Not the UK or Ireland.

Farage laughed off the scare tactics that a WTO exit would result in a ‘hard border’ saying, “who’s going to build that border”? with Mr Tice pointing out that technology can be used for customs purposes.

Mr Farage added, “I do believe the quickest way to a free-trade deal is we leave on WTO and the EU will come running down the street after us wanting a tariff-free deal.”

UPDATE 12:08 — Farage: We have division because politicians refuse to accept the decision of the people

Asked whether the divide in Parliament was a reflection of the ‘divide’ in the country, Mr Farage said that recent polls have shown that people just want to get on with Brexit, saying we have division because politicians “refuse to accept the decision of the people.”

UPDATE 11:45 — MEP Candidate Richard Tice says “we cannot allow this shambles in Westminster to continue.

“We cannot allow this shambles in Westminster cannot continue,” the Brexit Party chairman said, adding, “We have an incompetent government, an incapable negotiating team, and politicians who write one thing in a manifesto then conspire in dodgy backroom deals” to undermine Brexit.

The Brexit Party is going to do things differently,” Mr Tice continued. “It’s time we took on the establishment and the civil service” to make British politics work “for the people” again, otherwise by the time Halloween comes around, the Government will write another “begging letter” to the EU to delay Brexit even further.

UPDATE 11:40 — MEP Candidate Dr Alka Sehgal Cuthburt calls for the ‘Redemocratisation’ of British politics

Dr Sehgal Cuthburt is a researcher, author, academic, and educator, and says she is standing for the Brexit Party to stand up for democracy, telling the audience that the political class has created a structure that dedemocratised politics, of which ramifications are being felt through society because “everyone lives their lives through these structures.”

“The question of democracy is central. It’s taken society centuries to go from being ruled by taboos, to monarchs who rule by divine right, to social democratic forms of governments which are based on majority vote where they get their legitimacy from their citizens for democratic mandates,” the academic explained.

“Since the referendum, we’ve seen even as an ideal that principle of democracy is so weak it doesn’t even exist any more.

“Over the past 25 years, our political class of all parties have used their time and efforts — along with their friends in Europe — to create an institutional structure of political regulation that has… ‘depoliticised the economy and dedemocratised politics.'”

“That has had ramification throughout our lives where our institutional structures have been recast away from democratic principles to technocratic boundaries,” Dr Sehgal Cuthburt added, and called for the “redemocratisation” of the UK which can only happen through the people.

UPDATE 11:35 — MEP Candidate June Mummery calls for end to the Common Fisheries Policy

The managing director of Lowestoft fish market auctioneers BFP Eastern and veteran Brexiteer, Ms Mummery said the UK must stop “throwing the jewels from the crown” and end the fisheries policy that allows Europeans to fish in British waters., tearing up the policy document on stage.

UPDATE 11:30 — Brexit Party candidate Ben Habib calls it ‘Bonkers’ to take no-deal off the table.

The candidate said it was “absolutely bonkers” to take no deal off the table, saying that “Parliament has condemned this country to unconditional surrender.”

Mr Habib, according to his company bio, “founded and is CEO of First Property Group plc, an award winning commercial property fund manager with operations in the United Kingdom and Central Europe.”

UPDATE 11:22 — Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg’s sister Annunziata Rees-Mogg reveals she is standing as an MEP candidate for the Brexit Party.

Talking of the “betrayal” of Brexit, she said, “our politicians need to listen to what the people have said.”

Speaking of May failing to listen to the British people who voted to leave, Ms Rees-Mogg said, “I can’t sit by and let her do it. it is our fight and we must fight to win.”

“We should stand up and fight for our future but we should trust the people… We have got to rescue our democracy, and show that people have a say in how this country is run. Politicians are not our masters, but do our bidding,” she affirmed.

Stating that this fight is more than just a fight for freedom from the EU, but from British politicians who work against the interests of the British people she added, “This is a fight back for the control of democracy. The stakes are that high.”

UPDATE 11:17 — Farage: A Brexit Party win in Euro Election will put ‘the fear of God’ into those in Britain’s Parliament who betrayed Brexit

“We are going to provide the British people with a decent responsible political vehicle… I believe we can win the European Parliament election to put the fear of God into those in Parliament — they deserve nothing less after how they treated us in this betrayal.”

UPDATE 11:15 — Farage: Our democratic decision is being wilfully overturned.

“Our democratic decision is being wilfully overturned in the country that once had the mother of parliaments,” the Brexit Party leader said.

Saying that he believes the British people are “lions led by donkeys,” he added, “All over the world, our friends” alluding to, perhaps, U.S. President and Anglophile Donald Trump, “people look on with incredulity because they still think we are a great country. And we the people still think we’re a great country, but our leaders are still happy to continue down the path of managed decline.”

UPDATE 11:00 — Farage: I am fighting for a democratic revolution

Farage says, “Our task is to change politics for the good. I did say that if I ever had to come back into the political fray, it would be no more Mr Nice Guy.”

“What I am fighting for now is a democratic revolution in British politics,” he added.

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