“Maybe, just maybe, I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum…”
Scene: The airy exposed-brick, professional-yet-comfortable studio in which participants of The Wright Stuff recline on ergonomic chairs to air their views into the televisual ether. Nigel Farage has, with fingers criss-crossed forming a thoughtful teepee that pundits adopt when they ruminate importantly, announced that he might support a second EU referendum.
“On… on what?” interrupted Matthew Wright, the host and namesake of the show’s pun, in absolute disbelief.
“On EU membership” declared Nigel.
“The whole thing?!”
“Yes of course, of course!”
This single interaction is perhaps one that might yet turn the tide of Brexit. Its founder, leader, agitator, and biggest fan has seemingly changed tack. He reckons now, supposedly, that there should be a second referendum.
EXCLUSIVE – Nigel Farage says "just maybe I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership".@Nigel_Farage | @Matthew_Wright | #wrightstuff pic.twitter.com/T0fROToskr
— Jeremy Vine On 5 (@JeremyVineOn5) January 11, 2018
“The Cleggs, the Blairs, the Adonises,” Nigel began his apparently inexplicable epiphany by saying, “will never ever ever give up. They will go on whinging and whining and moaning all the way through this process.”
So, in the way your dad does when he’s just started his second pint, Nigel apparently decided right there on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff that:
I think if we had a second referendum on EU membership, we’d kill it off for a generation. The percentage that would vote to leave next time would be very much bigger than it was last time round.
What is going on? First Brexit, then Trump, and now Brexit again? The world really is topsy turvy!
Could it be that our social media echo-chambers are so effective and so self-reinforcing that Nigel honestly believes that a pro-Brexit vote would achieve a bigger majority than it did last time? Is he really that deluded?
Probably not.
Could it simply be that a man who only recently admitted to being skint, and who quite clearly cannot stand to be out of the limelight for more than two seconds, is simply trying to drum up more work for himself by prolonging the Brexit argument?
Maybe, just maybe, the man who so obviously adored the idolatry of transforming himself into an ex-stockbroker voice of the working class is simply trying to try and relive his victory all over again – whilst conveniently doubling the money and attention that came with it.
Whatever the truth is, Nigel did say he’d leave Britain if Brexit was a failure. I guess it’s time to get the dictionaries out.
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