Express & Star comment: Nigel Farage back on the Brexit stage
Say what you like about Nigel Farage, the man sure knows how to set the cat amongst the pigeons.
His announcement a few months ago that he was forming The Brexit Party to see through the result of the EU referendum was met with a mixture of mild amusement and disinterest by our political elite.
But that was when we were leaving the bloc on March 29, a date which has since shifted all the way down the road to the end of October.
It has now become abundantly clear that moves are afoot to stop Brexit from happening altogether, with a concerted effort under way in both chambers of the House of Commons to keep us forever tied to the EU.
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Despite MPs’ best efforts the public can see what is going on, and there are growing feelings of anger and distrust against the traditional political parties.
It is in such circumstances where Mr Farage has thrived before.
By turning his old party Ukip into an electoral force, Mr Farage undoubtedly made a significant contribution to getting the Leave vote over the line in 2016.
And as we saw at Saturday’s Brexit Party launch in Birmingham, he has returned to finish the job that Parliament has failed so miserably to complete.
The fact that the UK looks increasingly likely to be participating in the European elections next month should put the fear of God into anyone of a Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrat persuasion.
The outrage over Brexit could well play right into Mr Farage’s hands at the ballot box.
It is just possible that the electoral threat posed by the new party may finally concentrate the minds of our parliamentarians.
Who knows, maybe it will push them into thrashing out a Brexit deal as soon as they return from their Easter break? Don’t hold your breath.
We live at a time when Labour MPs are calling for another referendum, having spent months promising to respect the result of the first one.
Meanwhile their Tory counterparts are rubbishing the Prime Minister’s deal one minute, then voting for it the next.
We can say one thing for Mr Farage. Love him or loathe him, at least we know exactly where he stands.
