Nigel Paul Farage / b. 1964 / Farnborough, England, United Kingdom / Former Leader of the UK Independence Part (UKIP), former Member of the European Parliament, Television News Presenter, Author, Podcaster
Note: The sources of the following quotations are unknown, but presumably derive from Farage’s very numerous writings, online comments, interviews, and podcasts
Brexit
Brexit was a victory for ordinary people who wanted to take back control of their country.
Brexit is the most important political event in the last 50 years. It’s about whether we govern our own country and make our own laws.
Brexit is the beginning, not the end. It’s a chance for Britain to reset and redefine its role in the world.
I am convinced that the “we want our country back, we want our borders back” message that we took across the country on an open-top double decker energised non-voters to back Brexit.
Democracy
I’ve always believed in the power of democracy. It’s the people who should have the final say.
I believe in the values of democracy and freedom. That’s why I’ve dedicated my political career to fighting for them.
Democracy is the most important thing. It’s the people who should be in control, not distant bureaucrats.
We used to fight for democracy. Democracy used to matter. We now treat it with contempt. We have turned our backs on values that we built up over hundreds of years, for the benefit of politicians in Europe. To me, that is heartbreaking.
Economics
I believe that if you have a strong economic plan and good governance, you can build a strong country and a strong society.
I want to see a strong, prosperous, and sovereign Britain that can trade freely with the world.
I believe in a Britain that is open to trade with the world and that takes control of its own destiny.
We shouldn’t measure everything in terms of GDP figures or economics. There is something called quality of life.
It’s a European Union of economic failure, of mass unemployment and of low growth.
I’m not a fan of the euro. It’s a flawed currency that has caused a lot of economic problems in Europe.
The euro Titanic has now hit the iceberg—and there simply aren’t enough lifeboats to go round.
European Union
I’m not anti-European, but I am against the concept of being forced under a political structure called the European Union. I’m happy to be friendly with Europe, to trade with Europe, to cooperate with Europe. But I don’t want to be governed by Europe.
The European Union is an outdated, failing project that needs to be consigned to history.
I don’t want to be part of a European superstate. I want Britain to be a proud, independent nation.
I want my country back. I want my passport back. I want my identity back.
I’m not anti-European, I just want us to be self-governing.
I’ve always been a critic of the European Union, but I’m also a realist. We have to work with our European neighbors, but not be ruled by them.
I’m not against Europe, I’m against the European Union. I want a Europe of sovereign nations, not a European superstate.
The European Union is a political project that has gone far beyond what was originally intended. It’s time for Britain to reclaim its sovereignty.
The EU is a club for politicians, not for the people. It’s time for the people to take back control.
We want our country back. And we want our country back not because we don’t like the French or the Germans or the Spanish. We want our country back because we love it and we’re proud of it.
I love Europe! France is wonderful. It should be. We’ve subsidised it for 40 years.
Are we the same? Good lord, no! That’s why Europe’s fun—it’s fun because it’s different. A political project that seeks to make it all the same—it’s ghastly.
Farage on Farage
I’ve been called a maverick, a troublemaker, and a disruptor. But I’m just someone who speaks my mind and stands up for what I believe in.
I want to see a Britain that is open to the world, but not controlled by it.
I’ve been called all sorts of names, but I don’t care. I’m not in this for popularity; I’m in it for the principles I believe in.
I’m not a career politician. I’m just a regular guy who got involved in politics because I wanted to make a difference.
I’ve spent my whole political career fighting against the establishment, and I’ll continue to do so.
I’m not interested in being part of the political elite. I’m interested in representing the concerns of ordinary people.
I’ve always believed that if you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, you can make a difference.
I’ve never been part of the establishment. I’ve always been an outsider, and I’m proud of that.
I’m not interested in being a career politician. I’m interested in achieving my political goals and then getting back to the real world.
I’ve always believed in putting my country first and standing up for what I believe in, no matter the opposition.
I’m proud to have played a part in the Brexit campaign. It was a victory for democracy and self-determination.
I’ve spent my political career fighting for what I believe in, and I have no intention of stopping now.
I suppose, being in politics, it wasn’t a job—it was almost a calling. It dominated my life, so I do think that probably a lot of people around me have paid quite a big price for that.
I am married to a girl from Hamburg, so no one need tell me about the dangers of living in a German-dominated household.
Free Speech
I believe in free speech, even when it’s uncomfortable. Political correctness is a threat to our freedom of expression.
Global Warming
We may have made one of the biggest and most stupid collective mistakes in history by getting so worried about global warming.
Immigration
We’re not against immigration, but we believe in managed immigration. We’re not against people coming to Britain to work, but we believe they should have a job.
I want us to be able to control our own borders, make our own laws, and trade with the world.
I have never said anything anti-immigrant. I’ve said we should have a proper immigration policy and we should be able to control the numbers.
In Britain, what we’ve done is say to 485 million people, “You can all come, every one of you. You’re unemployed? You’ve got a criminal record? Please come. You’ve got 19 children? Please come.” We’ve lost any sense of perspective on this.
Politics
The global political establishment is out of touch with ordinary people. I’ve made it my mission to represent their views.
I think it’s essential that people in politics have a sense of humor and an ability to laugh at themselves. Otherwise, you end up taking yourself too seriously.
Politics is about conviction and principle. It’s not about pandering to the latest opinion polls.
I do think that a degree of polarization has helped the political debate. When people stand up and are counted and say, “This is what I believe, and this is what I think we should do,” then it helps the electorate to make a decision.
I’ve always believed that the best decisions are made by those closest to the people, not by distant bureaucrats.
There are two kinds of people in politics: there are those who want to be something, and there are those who want to do something.
I think what’s happened in the last couple of years is that the political class in Britain have been shaken to their core, and they now realize that the people are not going to be browbeaten.
Trump
I would say that in many ways, Donald Trump is the most important political figure in the West.
UKIP
I want to lead a political party that is not simply a pressure group, that is not simply putting ideas on the table for others to pick up and run with. I want us as a political party to be absolutely at the heart of the national debate.
Quite simply, without UKIP, there would not have been a referendum.
No deals with the Tories; it’s war.
United Kingdom
I think we should be an independent, self-governing, democratic nation, making our own laws in our own country.
I think the political class has let us down, and let us down badly. I think we have a group of people in Westminster, not just in the Labour Party, the Conservative Party too, who do not understand ordinary people’s lives.
I’ve never been a fan of big government. I believe in small government and individual liberty.
I’m not a fan of the nanny state. People should have the freedom to make their own choices.
The real question is, at the end of the day, do we want to run our country? Are we proud of who we are? Are we happy to be just a star on somebody else’s flag, or do we want to be an independent nation?
I want to live in a country where our laws are made by people we elect, not by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels.
There are two completely different Britains. There’s London, and there’s the rest of Britain.
We do have, I’m sad to say, a fifth column that is living within our own countries that is utterly opposed to our values, we’re going to have to be a lot braver . . . in standing up for our Judaeo-Christian culture.