[RedSparrows]

I see that in an interview with Kuenssberg to be broadcast on Sunday, Farage is saying that whilst he turned up to the meeting he was not listening. He then adds "The money could come from all over the world, you know. Income could have came from all over the world into a family office based in London. I know electoral law. I know donation law better than anybody". That last phrase sounds very much like another right wing nut job.

Simon

Simultaneously relying on the defence that he didn't understand what was going on.

There’s definitely a pattern here. Remember the multiple, ever-changing explanations for the 5 million quid “gift” from the Thai based crypto billionaire? It was to pay for Farage’s personal security. No, wait, it was a reward for campaigning to get Brexit. Or it was for Nigel to buy ridiculously expensive Italian supercars.

Fargle loves changing his story. Loves to lie. The cunt is as bent as the proverbial nine bob note.

This is the thing that fucks me off no end. The changing of the story. Trump does it all the time, as do other notably unpleasant leaders. It's part and parcel of the populist grift machine, the social media cunts, the lot. It's as if nobody can remember the changes, or the fact one person is telling multiple different stories about one subject. This isn't hard to track, or hard to challenge, but if people keep responding to stories like a dog to a ball, it's tragically easy to do.

That and the fact these stories often contain frank admissions of incompetence: I wasn't listening, I didn't hear, I don't remember, I didn't read that.

Well what the flying FUCK were you doing then?!

[Malcolm Armsteen]

There’s definitely a pattern here. Remember the multiple, ever-changing explanations for the 5 million quid “gift” from the Thai based crypto billionaire? It was to pay for Farage’s personal security. No, wait, it was a reward for campaigning to get Brexit. Or it was for Nigel to buy ridiculously expensive Italian supercars.

Fargle loves changing his story. Loves to lie. The cunt is as bent as the proverbial nine bob note.

Alternately he is flooding the zone with shit, quite cynically.

[Youngian]

Alternately he is flooding the zone with shit, quite cynically.

It does sound like telling a different lie every day is some voodoo shit I don’t get.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Me neither.

Doubtless Trump is the inspiration of elevating this to a conscious strategy, even if it comes naturally enough to Farage. But Trump operates on the back of a media structure that actively cleans up after him. While GB News, the Mail and Telegraph do that with Farage, The Times has (so far) limited willingness to do it (despite having some of the very worst columnists). There is scrutiny of Farage, via most media (despite what some say), and this isn't really like someone consuming Fox and the NY Post.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

"Flood the zone" is a political strategy in which a political figure aims to gain media attention, disorient opponents and distract the public from undesirable reports by rapidly forwarding large volumes of newsworthy information to the media. The strategy has been attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump's former chief political strategist Steve Bannon.

The strategy came to public light after Bannon told Michael Lewis in 2018 that "The Democrats don't matter... The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit". Trump adopted the strategy during the 2016 presidential election, followed by other right-wing political figures such as Éric Zemmour and Elon Musk.

See also:

The dead cat strategy, also known as deadcatting, is the political strategy of deliberately making a shocking announcement to divert media attention away from problems or failures in other areas. The term is popularly associated with political strategist Lynton Crosby's work on the successful London mayoral campaigns of Boris Johnson.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Eric Zemmour couldn't win an egg and spoon race let alone an election. Musk has got less popular the more people have seen him. Trump is the only one who's had success with it, and in a very partisan political system (as I always say, there are no Liberal Democrats to move to in America). Farage can't do what Trump did, with all the other options- one of which is Rupert Lowe, who comes across to people who know nothing about him as more sensible than Farage because he has a bit more message discipline.

[Tubby Isaacs]

If you're wondering why Farage looks out of his comfort zone, it's because he is. He loses to everybody on Best PM, even Polanski. I wonder if this is what prompted Badenoch to say she wouldn't work with him (which I don't believe). "Vote Tory, Get Farage" might be a winning message for Labour and the Lib Dems.

[Abernathy]

Starting to give the stories about Farage being about to throw in the towel just a smidgen more credibility ( but still not much). He’s suggested that “his family” apparently all want him to jack it in, and of course he has made a big (and probably dishonest) song and dance about an alleged security risk to his family due to alleged press intrusion. And of course, he is, as he keeps saying, the most death-threatened politician in recorded history (another lie). Strategically, with more than two years to go until the general election, he’d need to go soon to allow his successor as leader time to “bed in”.

If it’s really such an imposition and such a risky proposition being the leader of Reform, you ‘d think any sane individual would chuck it in pdq. But it’s a mendacious frog-featured cunt we’re talking about here. I really think he’s going to be around for a while yet.

[Oboogie]

Is it even possible for Reform to continue without Farage given it's company status with him as majority shareholder?

[Youngian]

If you're wondering why Farage looks out of his comfort zone, it's because he is. He loses to everybody on Best PM, even Polanski. I wonder if this is what prompted Badenoch to say she wouldn't work with him (which I don't believe). "Vote Tory, Get Farage" might be a winning message for Labour and the Lib Dems.

The Corbynista conspiracy theory that YouGov approval polls were rigged by co-founder Nadhim Zahawi might not be true.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah, I'm starting to believe he could go. It's all looking a lot harder than it did a few months ago. These takes about Farage's inevitable ascent to Prime Minister were very premature. As was Mr Zack Polanski's "it's us v Farage" stuff.

I'm less confident than I was that Reform would fall to bits without Farage. There's been a reasonably long period where others have got established in the media. Elevating Jenrick isn't like Paul Nuttall getting the gig (though to be more fair to Paul than he probably deserves, it was a tough gig to take over once UKIP's signature policy had been achieved).

[Tubby Isaacs]

The Corbynista conspiracy theory that YouGov approval polls were rigged by co-founder Nadhim Zahawi might not be true.

Ha ha, I remember that. Are they still "waiting for Survation"?

Yougov don't seem to be doing Zahawi any favours these days. Of the 54% who know who he is, only 1 in 6 approve of him. Almost half disapprove.

https://yougov.com/en-gb/topics/public_ ... him_Zahawi

[Tubby Isaacs]

The lying is even more blatant than you think.

[Rosvanian]

If Farage goes then either they all clear off to Restore or they all kiss and make up, Lowe steps back in to the fold and Reform turns even further right.

[davidjay]

If Farage does go, and someone like Tice or Jenrick takes over, I wonder whether Lee Anderson will be joining yet another party.

[Youngian]

Lee hasn't tried the Greens yet, they'll take any old riff raff.