Nigel Farage- a force for good?

 Nigel Farage- a force for good?

He seemed to come from nowhere and the British political landscape may never seem the same again. He is a genuine candidate for elevation to the highest position in the hallowed corridors of Westminster and the House of Commons will now have to accept him as one of the most recognisable figures in British politics. If we didn't know who he was before, we certainly do now. He is the new kid on the block, blunt, outspoken, reactionary, controversial and dedicated to duty. He will never suffer fools gladly and he speaks his mind categorically. He could change our stereotypical perceptions of the British politician.

For the last couple of days or so, Nigel Farage has been moving among the movers and shakers of Westminster's finest, grinning endlessly, congratulating those who appointed him as the leader of the Reform UK party and delighted to be in the public limelight for all the right reasons. At some point, the realisation will dawn on Farage that his is a name to be reckoned with and taken deeply seriously. We thought we'd seen everything at 10 Downing Street during recent years but this almost felt like the most definitive moment.

But this could be a life changing week for the Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet ministers who had thus far felt as if their authority could never be challenged, that the status quo was here to stay and never to be shifted so dramatically. Suddenly though, an imposter has appeared on the scene, a gate crasher at a party who some may regard as unwelcome but then again a valuable asset who could influence the direction in which the political gravy train takes us in the next four years or so. 

Last July, the Labour party headed by the estimable Sir Keir Starmer, won the General Election and Starmer became Britain's latest Prime Minister. It all seemed very normal and ever so slightly exciting. Britain had decided that they'd had enough of the Tory party and gave Rishi Sunak the sack. Once again the British public had spoken forcefully, decisively and critically. And yet here we are in the merry month of May 2025 and the natives are restless, furious, truly exasperated and demanding the head of Starmer.

And this is where a certain Nigel Farage came in from the cold. For a number of years now, Farage has portrayed himself as an honest, respectable, working class man of the people, the Guinness drinking and cigarette smoking bloke who would love to have a proper conversation with the builders, architects, engineers and postmen and women of the world, a non judgmental figure who simply wants the best for his country. 

Recently, the salubrious Essex seaside resort of Clacton elected him as their constituency leader of the party much to the annoyance of those who hate him and a blessed relief as somebody who they thought was a breath of fresh air, a radical speechmaker and a man with the potential to break ranks with everything we'd been accustomed to hearing. Farage is now influential, unashamedly on the side of English patriotism and determined to stand up for English workers and their rights. 

When he emerged from a meeting during voting day at the General Election, Farage was pelted with a milkshake but far from being humiliated. He smiled stoically, got on with the business of whipping his adoring followers into a frenzy and fervently believed that Brexit had been done and dusted. He then presumably went on a long walk to clear his head before remembering that this was the most momentous day of his life. Farage had won over the sceptics and established his presence as a politician with a mind of his own and one with opinions and well defined ideologies. 

But above the hubbub and noise, Farage has promised that the Reform UK party could threaten the two party system in England and, quite possibly, become a bona fide Prime Minister one day. The Reform Party, hey. Now where did they come from, like a bolt from the blue, a flash of lightning, a clap of thunder? It must feel that the House of Commons will undergo its most dramatic transformation within a year or so. The Reform Party sounds like some revolutionary band of men and women who will take to the streets with large, visible banners and then storm the barricades. Is a modern day Reformation about to crash into British society in quite the most unprecedented fashion or are we just imagining all this? 

And yet the mood music does seem to be changing for good or bad. Your mind is taken back to the beginning of the 1980s when the esteemed likes of Shirley Williams, Dr David Owen and Roy Jenkins formed one of the most innovative of all political parties. The Social Democrat Party announced themselves quite forcibly on an unsuspecting nation, surely one of the most intriguing movements in British politics. Sadly the Social Democrats proved a temporary if quirky measure, honourable and well intentioned but completely lacking any real influence, clout or prestige. Nobody would take them seriously and it was all very short lived. 

Last week though could be that crucial, pivotal point in our lives when a new political party shake off the cobwebs of complacency that might be dragging down both the Tories, the Labour party and LibDems. When Sir Keir Starmer hits the pillow tonight and drifts off to sleep he might like to know that there are serious intruders hunting him down. At the moment he may rest easy but the fact is that both Labour and the Conservative parties were severely wounded in the local elections. The opposition are lying in wait and will not  be taken lightly or dismissed as just a passing fad. Beware the Reform UK Party.