Nigel Farage demands 'fair deal for the English' at St George's day celebration
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Version 0 of 1. The leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage, has stepped up his nationalist rhetoric at a St George’s day party in a pub, demanding a fair deal for the English and accusing the SNP of creating “terror” in communities. Farage held the celebration in his target seat of South Thanet, which he is increasingly confident of winning based on internal party data. Flanked by several army veterans and St George’s flags, he declared Englishness was “something our political classes look down upon, they sneer at”. “In the terror of Scottish nationalism, the three leaders of our main parties appease the Scottish nationalists by all promising to continue the Barnett formula. We’ve just about had enough. We want a fair deal for the English,” he said. His language appeared to be an attempt to outdo that of David Cameron, who has warned of a “match made in hell” between Labour and the SNP. The Conservatives have been highlighting the risk of such an alliance in the hope of winning back support from Ukip and swing voters in marginals, who they believe may dislike the idea of SNP influence in Westminster. Ukip is going a step further by claiming to be the only party standing up for the interests of England and declaring it wants to make St George’s Day a national holiday, while arguing the Scots get too much public money. “There is a terror. There is a sense of terror in the community about the SNP,” Farage said. “I was up close and personal with Miliband and Sturgeon and it’s pretty clear to me who’s going to wear the trousers in that relationship.” Pressed on whether his tone was nationalist, he said: “Well if you think my tone is nationalist, then the one of Cameron, Clegg and Miliband is one of total appeasement. Is there any wonder Nicola Sturgeon has a spring in her step?” Farage was joined at the gathering near Ramsgate in Kent by DJ Mike Read, who apologised last year for singing a Ukip calypso song in a cod Jamaican accent. The pub was decked in England flags, which Farage said he wanted to “remove all the negativity and prejudice” from and reclaim from groups like the English Defence League. “We want it to be mainstream and respectable in a modern, federal United Kingdom,” he said. When it was pointed out that St George himself was a foreigner who could have been excluded by Ukip immigration policy, Farage said he would always want to make room for heroes. The Ukip leader also said he was “more and more and more” confident than ever of winning a seat in Westminster. “I can feel it out there. There has been a lot of old baloney written generally by journalists who haven’t even visited this constituency and pick up the spin of Labour and the Tories,” he said, claiming to have shaken hands with 15,000 people in the seat. Amid signs the national support for Ukip has been flagging, falling to below 14%, Farage insisted there is a “buzz” again about the party’s campaign. He has said he would step down if he loses in South Thanet and added on Thursday that he will be “gone within 10 minutes” if that happens. |