Saturday, February 27, 2010



"Damp rag" incorrect??

One of Britain's most outspoken conservative politicians criticized:
"Nigel Farage compounded a vitriolic attack on the EU’s new President yesterday by refusing a request by a “sweet and rather pretty” Belgian MEP that he apologise for his criticism of her country and its most senior statesman.

The former leader of the UK Independence Party came under widespread criticism for calling Herman Van Rompuy a “damp rag” and dismissing the EU President’s native Belgium as a non-country in a tirade in the European Parliament.

He has been summoned to see the European Parliament President, Jerzy Buzek, about his outburst on Tuesday and is reportedly considering wearing shorts and a schoolboy cap as if for a dressing-down from the headmaster. Asked whether he was trying to get himself banned, Mr Farage told The Times: “You make your own mind up, mate.”

The BBC was drawn into the row after it played the clip of Mr Farage’s attack repeatedly and was accused of using it to drum up viewing figures for Question Time, on which the UKIP MEP was due to appear last night.

Mr Van Rompuy said that he would not respond to the attack but the Belgian press was outraged and the Prime Minister, Yves Leterme, wrote a letter of complaint to Mr Buzek. Like others of Mr Farage’s proudest moments, it was placed on YouTube and has become an internet hit.

Véronique De Keyser, a Belgian Socialist MEP, demanded a formal apology for Mr Farage’s claim that Belgium was a non-country. Mr Farage said: “She is very sweet and rather pretty but I cannot apologise for the fact that Belgium is a completely artificial construction and a mistake.”

Source

My favourite speech by Mr. Farage is here (Video).

The French-speaking and Dutch-speaking halves of Belgium are governed almost independently -- which is what Farage was referring to.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Getting rather touchy, aren't they.

Anonymous said...

This guy threw the Liberal, Socialist Euroweenies into a melt-down.

I LOVED IT!

Three cheers for Nigel.

The Finn said...

Britain is famous of it's class division and it stands even today. If you come from or want to associate yourself with the lower classes you need to act like a bloke, i.e. like an unsophisticated ass. The worse thing you can do then is to be what you really are: an independent school educated (that's a private school to all you Americans) privileged member of the upper class.

It never seizes to amaze me that some people are willing to defend these people. It's not cool to wear a baseball cap in a white house dinner. It's not OK to make a speech in the EP insulting whole nations. It's not fun to be a bully. That might get you the votes of assholes but it also makes you one.

Politicians should learn to stand on their merits and stop using these stupid gimmicks to attract voters. And voters should stop being such sheep and start demanding actions from their representatives instead of settling for "outrageous" one liners in the daily tabloids.

Anonymous said...

Well said bogs!

Anonymous said...

Belgium is indeed an artificial country constantly trying to hold together its two opposing parts - the french-speaking and the flemish-speaking, with their corresponding cultures and mentalities. But rather than split into yet more micro states, one half should be absorbed into France and the other into the Netherlands.

Anonymous said...

Damp rag is definitely incorrect. Rompuy is soaking wet!

Geoffrey Sturdy said...

What this article doesn't mention is that Nigel Farage was originally invited to the Question time show last week at teeside in NE England .
The local steelworks there was closed down and the jobs transferred to Orissa, India as part of the EU "carbon credits" scheme (bte don't laugh yanks, your Mr Obams has signed up to the whole scam as well) .Mr Farages's invite was withdrawn at the last minute - as the head of the party that wants britain out of the EU he was bound to highlight this fact - to be replaced with this weeks showing and it seems that the (hostile) audience was specially invited for the purpose .
Sadly , unlike the US we don't have the equivilent of Fox News here - even Sky news (also Newscorp owned) favours the centre left

Anonymous said...

I just googled Véronique De Keyser and I have to say while she may be sweet she ain't pretty.
I quite like Belgium, they seem so inoffensive - how can anyone dislike them?

Anonymous said...

"It's Tuesday so it must be Belgium" (American tourist)