Not like the rest at all ?

[french frank]

Apparently he could go to jail for this. What a shame, such a promising political career nipped cruelly in the bud.

Certainly sounds disingenuous - it was used for as an MEP's office, so, of course, it was reported to the European Parliament ... he will need to show that it wasn't being used for general UKIP business as well, since he's been UKIP leader at the same time. That would certainly have to be reported to the Electoral Commission. Not sure why he wouldn't do it, though - it's only a donation in kind, not a backhander. I presume.

[Beef Oven!]

Yes, you've said that several times now, clearly we aren't going to agree on it although I think that not looking outside the borders of the UK provides an incomplete picture of the trends I'm talking about, but I've also asked you several times what about my and other contributors' other points, which you're studiously ignoring, sorry to be tiresome but in particular:

(a) if the UK were to leave the European Union it would still be almost as strongly affected by EU legislation but would no longer have even a small influence over it.
(b) immigration doesn't add to unemployment and 75% of "our" laws aren't "made in Brussels" - so what exactly is it about basing an entire political programme on lies told by a rich man in a suit that makes UKIP "different" from other parties?

Your 'questions' actually contain your own answers. Why ask me to respond, when you've already provided your answers?

Your points all seem rhetorical, to me.

[MrGongGong]

You're just gutted coz his jokes are better than yours.

He is a joke
and a lying bastard
how refreshingly different

[Beef Oven!]

He is a joke
and a lying bastard
how refreshingly different

He's an honest bloke, a breath of fresh air in this foul-smelling political system that we have to endure, especially given this perfidious coalition government that you voted for.

[jean]

He's an honest bloke, a breath of fresh air in this foul-smelling political system that we have to endure...

Oh really?

Nigel Farage is facing fresh questions over his European expenses after he admitted that an office for which he claimed more than £205,000 from the taxpayer was provided to him free of charge by a Ukip supporter...

[MrGongGong]

He's an honest bloke,

I'll just leave you to think about that one for a moment

[Beef Oven!]

I'll just leave you to think about that one for a moment

I've thought about it, and he's an honest bloke. Thanks for the opportunity, btw.

[Beef Oven!]

Oh really?

Nigel Farage is facing fresh questions over his European expenses after he admitted that an office for which he claimed more than £205,000 from the taxpayer was provided to him free of charge by a Ukip supporter...

That's just the establishment and fellow-travelling liberals and socialists looking for ways to shut-out any threat to their cozy little world. You know the man's onto something when Greens, Tories and LibDems, march together with their torchlights!

[jean]

Well, either he accepted the £205,000 for something already paid for, or they're all lying.

Is that what you're suggesting?

(Sometimes when Greens, Tories and LibDems agree about something, it's because it's so blindingly obvious there's no alternative version. Remember how Berlusconi presented himself as a breath of fresh air when he entered Italian politics? He was new to politics, but he turned out to be just as corrupt as the rest of them, or even more so.)

[Beef Oven!]

Well, either he accepted the £205,000 for something already paid for, or they're all lying.

Is that what you're suggesting?

(Sometimes when Greens, Tories and LibDems agree about something, it's because it's so blindingly obvious there's no alternative version. Remember how Berlusconi presented himself as a breath of fresh air when he entered Italian politics? He was new to politics, but he turned out to be just as corrupt as the rest of them, or even more so.)

Berlusconi was bad, so Nigel must be too?

[jean]

No, that is not my point.

My point is that coming from outside the political establishment is not a sufficient guarantee of goodness.

[Beef Oven!]

No, that is not my point.

My point is that coming from outside the political establishment is not a sufficient guarantee of goodness.

Just say that then. All the references we've had on this subject to Hitler, Mussolini, The Third Reich, etc is tedious.

[jean]

Just say that then...

It's exactly what I said.

Compare

Remember how Berlusconi presented himself as a breath of fresh air when he entered Italian politics? He was new to politics, but he turned out to be just as corrupt as the rest of them, or even more so.

and

...coming from outside the political establishment is not a sufficient guarantee of goodness.

[Beef Oven!]

It's exactly what I said.

No it isn't. I don't agree. You wanted to rope Berlusconi into it. And you did.

[jean]

Berlusconi is an example pf the phenomenon I am talking about.

If there were no evidence of corrupt behaviour on the part of Farage, I would agree that Berlusconi would not be a good comparison.

But I am afraid the evidence exists, and to claim that it has been invented by the current political establishment (just as Berlusconi did) is disingenuous.