As the official deadline for Britain leaving the European Union approaches, Parliament seems determined to override the will of the people and sound the death knell of freedom. Each week, Liberty Nation shines a light on the dark rumblings in the British Isles that portend the betrayal of Brexit.
After Prime Minister Theresa May asked for and received an extension to Britain’s membership in the European Union (with a deadline of Oct. 31), the nation must now, by law, take part in the E.U. elections unless a deal can be reached before the beginning of June.
On June 2, the new E.U. Parliament takes its seats, but will British members be among them? This crucial question comes down to one thing: Is May scared enough of Nigel Farage to risk going ahead with a legally mandated election?
A Track Record
In 2014, Farage led the United Kingdom Independence Party to victory in the E.U. elections, the first time in 100 years that a national election had been lost by both of the two big parties. He also threatened an electoral earthquake in 2015 if then Prime Minister David Cameron did not promise an In/Out referendum. Cameron caved, and the rest is history.
Prof. David Starkey, a noted historian, described Farage as “the most significant politician since Henry VIII.” The “father of the House of Commons,” Ken Clarke, a political enemy of Farage and a devout Europhile, said he was “the most successful politician since WW2.”
And now he has started a brand-new party with the sole aim of creating a political revolution in British and European politics.
The Brexit Party
On April 12, Farage oversaw the official launch of his new Brexit Party (BP). Upon the announcement, polls started swinging quickly in his direction, showing that the BP could garner more votes than the sitting Conservative party in the E.U. parliament. Within two days, the gambling odds had the party 7/5 to win the most seats. There are five more weeks of campaigning to go.
But is this just a vehicle for Farage to achieve Brexit, or is there something more to it? In a speech to the E.U. Parliament, he made it very clear that if he were forced to fight the E.U. elections, he would win and create merry hell, but if the PM chickened out, he would have to take on the British Parliament and sweep the dusty halls clean:
This isn’t just about Brexit anymore, it’s about what kind of country we are.
The two-party system must be broken apart for good.
May 23rd will be a new future for British democracy. pic.twitter.com/kr4P1yBlDZ
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) April 16, 2019
Polling, Polling, Polling
The present polling for the European election has the Labour Party at 24%, and the Conservatives and Brexit Party tied at 16%. While many would suggest that this points to a clear Labour majority under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, that view neglects two very important points:
- The Brexit Party is only a few days old and has yet to begin campaigning.
- The Conservative vote is not likely to hold. In fact, the surveys suggest that it could lose a further 8-10% of support, all of which would likely go to the Brexit Party.
May is caught between a rock and a hard place. If she forces through a deal that does not represent a “real Brexit,” she will face defeat in the British elections. If she fails to get a deal done, she will face defeat in the E.U. elections.
Either way, Farage is back on the front line of politics, and the establishment is terrified.
