(C) Common Dreams
This story was originally published by Common Dreams and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Can Nigel Farage ride the wave of right-wing populism? [1]
[]
Date: 2024-07-07 05:08:32+00:00
Farage himself may have given a hint of his disruptive desires during an interview with the Sun’s “Never Mind the Ballots” YouTube show in May.
Referring to his friend Trump’s MAGA takeover of the Republican Party, he said: “What Trump did, of course, is he was able to hijack the conservative party in America. I’d love to have had a crack at that here in this country.
“But of course, there’s no open primary in this country. The Conservative Party, several times, said they wouldn’t have me as a member … “
For some Tories, a change of heart may be underway, amid a feeling on the right of the party that Farage would be at home in their faction and could unite the country’s right-leaning voters too. Those who argue in favor of allowing Farage in include expected leadership contender Suella Braverman.
Who’s joining who?
Tory MP Edward Leigh, now the Father of the House as parliament’s longest-serving member, told the BBC on Friday that the Tories must “invite Reform voters and Farage to join us.”
“Because otherwise in five years’ time, we are going to have a similar debacle. We can’t have a divided right-wing vote,” he said.
Advertisement
Others disagree. Robert Goodwill, an ex-Tory MP who stood down at the election, told POLITICO: “We either tack right and cozy up to Farage — or stay in the center where elections are won.”
Tom Lubbock, former Tory Party data chief and founder of JL Partners polling firm, said the “lego bricks theory of adding the two votes of Conservatives and Reform together is actually quite appealing and has taken hold in the party.`”
He said that while most leadership contenders had ruled this out before the election, he believes the final results may change perspectives among senior Tories.
“The exit poll and result was a cleansing fire, which will reset a lot of people’s thinking on Reform,” Lubbock said.
Whatever conclusion the Tories come to may be a moot point, however; given his strong position, Farage could well fancy riding the Western wave of populism without the help of the Conservative Party.
As well as Reform’s strong performance in the U.K. general election, recent international events may lead Farage to have a change of heart about the best vehicle for his ambitions.
Advertisement
The rise of Le Pen’s National Rally, which finished top in the first round of the country’s legislative elections, and its quest to replace France’s version of the Tory Party (the Republicans) presents an apt model for him to emulate.
Surging populist right-wing parties in places including Germany and the Netherlands could also portend a unique moment for upstart right-wing parties in Europe.
Riding the wave
The official Reform line is that the party has no interest in joining forces with the Conservatives, and that its end goal is to dominate the right all by itself.
Farage told the Independent Saturday that the Tories “can join us if they want but we don’t need them and won’t be chasing them.”
“We don’t really need the poison they will bring,” he said.
Howard Cox, Reform’s defeated candidate in Dover and Deal, told POLITICO: “A center-right party will now evolve led by Nigel Farage with those true Conservatives who have been betrayed by Sunak’s regime.
Advertisement
“Real Tories with Thatcherite values of low taxation, small state and strong borders will join Nigel’s revolution.”
A Reform official, granted anonymity to comment candidly on the election fallout, was more blunt.
“There is no chance anybody is joining that rabble — they are already ripping shreds off each other,” they said.
Bethany Dawson and Esther Webber contributed reporting.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.politico.eu/article/nigel-farage-righ-wing-populism-united-kingdom-general-election-reform-uk/
Published and (C) by Common Dreams
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0..
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/commondreams/
