‘I told him that the poster was an absolute disgrace and that he should be ‘ashamed of himself’.
With Nigel Farage flying high, and his Reform Party looking to capitalise on discontent and political apathy among the electorate, it’s worth reminding readers about Farage’s beliefs and what he really stands for.
Farage, who has made clear his views on opposing immigration and multiculturalism has often drawn criticism for his dog-whistles and inflammatory rhetoric.
Many will recall the ‘Breaking point’ poster’ during the Brexit campaign, which showed a photograph of Syrian refugees near the Croatia-Slovenia border in 2015, with the caption “breaking point” and “the EU has failed us all”.
The poster was condemned by many at the time from across the political spectrum, with many labelling it racist and divisive.
Speaking to PoliticsJoe, journalist and commentator Iain Dale recalled how he confronted Farage over his racist posters.
He said: “Some politicians, including Nigel Farage, especially Nigel Farage, said that the country’s full up. Well it wasn’t and isn’t, if you have the right infrastructure. 7% of the land of this country is built on, 7%. So it’s a very easy argument to demolish.”
Referring to the breaking point poster, Dale said: “When he put out that poster with the queue of Albanians coming in or something…I thought what an absolute disgrace, and he used to do the programme before me on LBC, and the day that poster was released, I thought do you know what I’m going to take him on on that.”
Dale said that when he and Farage were both on LBC, before the handover between the pair, he really laid in to him over the poster, and told him that the poster was an absolute disgrace and that he should be ‘ashamed of himself’.
He added: “From time to time, he will do things or say things that appeal to the worst instincts of some of the electorate, and I find that unforgivable.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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