UKIP leader says he's no career politician. So why stay on as an MEP?
‘I have never been, and I have never wanted to be, a career politician.’
So said Nigel Farage this morning as he resigned as leader of the UKIP. As with everything Farage says, it bears a little scrutiny.
For one thing, he’s been an MEP since 1999, after becoming UKIP party chairman the year before. Seventeen-plus years in post looks a lot like a career to most people.
But there’s more. Farage said he and other Ukippers will stay on as members of the European Parliament until Britain formally leaves the EU, which he says could be around two years.
In other words, he intends to keep picking up the juicy salary of being in a job he doesn’t think should exist, for a party he no longer wants to lead, having essentially given up on full-time politics.
That salary amounts to at least £76,000 – nearly three times the UK average – plus around £40,000 in expenses.
Some ‘man of the people‘!
Meanwhile, Farage has the second worst voting attendance of any MEP, turning up for only 40 per cent of votes on the EU laws he claims to oppose.
So he picks up the cheque, but skips out the work.
Has there ever been a more hypocritical political figure in British public life?
Adam Barnett is staff writer for Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBarnett13
See: Nigel Farage is no enemy of ‘the elites’ – as his record shows
9 Responses to “Nigel Farage resigns – but will keep taking £76,000 from the taxpayer”
CR
It could be that, whatever you think of him, he’s an elected member of the European Parliament and is due his pay and pension as per his terms of employment very much as any other worker.
Are you really suggesting that we can now discriminate against people because we don’t like their viewpoint (just change viewpoint to ‘colour of their skin’ and you see what I mean).
Delia Koczwara
Employees aren’t usually sacked for their personal opinions but can face disciplinary or capability procedures if they fail to carry out their duties.
Bill Crompton
CR, how can you possibly compare “viewpoint” and “skin colour”? Forage spent 17 years slagging off EU bureaucrats for having their noses firmly ensconced in the Eurotrough whilst pigging himself in the same trough with an enthusiasm which would have been admirable if he’d shown the same for the job he was being paid for. And now he’ll be getting a substantial pension from the same trough
His voting record is second to lowest, the lowest being an Irish MEP who is paraplegic and has spent a lot of time in hospital!
Carey
so first Johnson and now Farage ….abandoning the sinking ship very much comes to mind. How dare these people. Its takes some nerve to want to carry on being a salaried member of an organisation you have rubbished and called for the UK to leave. Just go right ahead – leave us to the corporate whims of the City of London financial services and Wall Street et al who will be preparing to “cleaning up” as we speak!
Andy
Farage was never my cup of tea to coin a phrase but this article is utter biased rubbish!
Just remember Miliband gave up the leadership of his party but remained an MP, Cameron is giving up the leadership of his party and is remaining an MP, Clegg equally gave up the LibDem leadersıp but stıll serves as a member ın the house. Why then shouldn’t Farage give up the leadership of his party yet still remain an elected MEP serving the South East of England?
No, this is just a nasty attempt to demean the man and serves no constructive purpose. I see that Vox Political has copied it with some equally unjustifiable remarks but, having previously corrected the author on a number of parliamentary procedural points, the toys have long since gone out of his pram and I am blocked from doing so.