"Could it be that, like most narcissists, Nigel Farage is actually a bit thin-skinned? Surely not! Not our fearless Nige! The man who is never happier than when he can cast himself as the outsider a lone voice speaking truth to power. When he can control the narrative. A saviour rising from these streets. The politician who only knows he's alive when the cameras are rolling."
"So you'd have thought that Nige would have been thrilled by Keir Starmer's speech to the Labour party conference on Tuesday. A whole hour pretty much devoted to him. The recognition that he was now the real leader of the opposition. The hostility only underlining his sense of importance. That he was now living rent-free in Starmer's head. That he had the government precisely where he wanted it. Let the campaign for the next general election start now."
"Only it didn't quite play out like that. Instead, Nige looked rattled. Angry even. Trying to look prime ministerial in front of a couple of flags as he gave his response on social media, but merely looking slightly unhinged. Confused that Starmer had somehow deviated from Nige's own script. That Keir had drawn a line in the sand between what was and what wasn't racist, between decency and division, and had found Farage to be on the wrong side of it."
Nigel Farage cultivates a persona as an outsider and thrives on controlling narrative and camera attention. He relishes being seen as a lone voice speaking truth to power and positioning himself as a saviour from the streets. Expectations that Keir Starmer's lengthy speech would flatter and energise him were overturned when Farage appeared rattled and angry rather than triumphant. Starmer drew clear boundaries on racism and decency, placing Farage on the wrong side of those lines. Farage frequently attacks opponents but reacts poorly to sustained critique. A measured, coordinated response from Reform was expected but did not materialise.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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