'I think he’s a total snake '
A resident in Clacton-on-Sea has offered a brutal takedown of Nigel Farage, accusing the politician of using the townspeople as “political fodder”.
Nigel Farage made the surprise announcement this week that he will stand as the Reform UK candidate in Clacton in the general election in a dramatic U-turn, while also declaring he would take over as leader of the Reform Party.
The former UKIP leader received a mixed reception in the seaside town on his first visit, receiving a crowd to watch his speech, whilst also getting covered in milkshake.
Residents have been sharing their opinions with the media about his bid for Parliament in their constituency, with one resident interviewed by Novara Media ripping into the politician about his intentions in their area.
When asked what she thought about Farage, the resident described the populist politician as “a total snake” and blasted his targeting of their town.
“I think he’s a total snake and he’s got nothing to do with Clacton,” she told the media channel.
“I think we the townspeople are sick of being used as political fodder, really, for people that just want to get a seat in power.”
When asked whether she thought he cared about the people of Clacton she replied: “Not at all, he couldn’t care less.”
She said what Clacton needed was its own local people who could deal with local issues, adding “at the end of the day, we don’t need anyone else to speak for us”.
Commenting on the problems that the area faces, the resident listed social welfare, deprivation, poverty, mental health and substance abuse issues.
She continued: “A lot of land is brought up by developers as well that are just building houses to be rented by landlords or people for second homes to make money off them.
“The town centre is basically empty because business people are struggling to pay their business rates.”
The resident also laughed off the question of whether her life had got any better over the last 14 years, responding “not at all” and added that people were “absolutely desperate” and that she herself as a working woman has had to use a food bank.
Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward
(Image credit: The Times / YouTube screenshot)
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