Welcome To Zelo Street!

This is a blog of liberal stance and independent mind

Monday, 9 December 2024

Reform UK - A Hundred Thousand Mugs

Reform UK’s self-appointed Oberscheissenführer Nigel “Thirsty” Farage last week used his season ticket for BBC Question Time, a show whose currency has been fatally debased under the watchful eye of Robbie Gibb, who should never have been let in the door, and host Fiona Bruce, whose determination to “both sides” anything and everything is tedious in the extreme.


Farage’s appearance was despite his assertion some time earlier that he was boycotting the Beeb, a claim which turned out to be yet another flat-out lie, to go with all the other flat-out Farage lies. But one claim that appears to be true is that Reform UK now has a membership in excess of 100,000. Or perhaps that should be worded “for some value of membership”. Why so?

Ah well. Reform UK is not a political party in the same way that Labour, the Lib Dems, and even the Tories are. It is a limited company, and as a visit to Companies’ House confirms, those with “significant control” are Farage and his deputy Richard Tice (he’s not very nice). You pays your membership fee and you takes … no control whatsoever. No vote. Nothing.

This is despite Mr Thirsty telling anyone not yet asleep that he was going to give up control of Reform UK by divesting himself of his shares. That was at the time of the party’s, sorry, limited company’s, conference back in September. Press and broadcasters alike swallowed the Farage propaganda, with the BBC’s example being particularly good on the grovelling.

Under the headline “I'm giving up ownership of Reform UK, says Nigel Farage”, readers are told “Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has revealed he is giving up ownership of the party ahead of its conference this weekend”. Ownership? Indeed. “Unlike most political parties, Reform was established as a private limited company, with Farage holding the majority of shares”.

There was more. “He said this was done to fast-track the creation of the Brexit Party, now Reform UK, in time for its victory in the 2019 European elections. The company structure also allowed him to ‘to stop the party being hijacked by bad people,’ he told BBC Radio Kent”. Or, as most political parties call such things, representative democracy. But do go on.


The Clacton MP will continue to be Reform UK's leader but said: ‘I no longer need to be in control of Reform so I'm surrendering all of my shares’ … Reform UK is planning a major overhaul of how it is run at its Birmingham conference, with Farage claiming he was ‘giving ownership of the party and the big decisions over to the members’”. Which meant what, exactly?

For the first time, members will be able to vote on policy motions, including to adopt a new constitution, which sets out party rules and the responsibilities of the leadership”. And to that I call bullshit. Why so? Just one question, Sir … how much control has he given up, as at December 9th? Have a guess, Reform UK members. It’s a nice round number. A very round number.

Let’s mosey over to the Companies’ House website, and bring up Reform UK Party Limited. That’s the one with registered number 11694875. Then “People” and “Persons with significant control”. This reveals that there are “2 active persons with significant control”. One is Nige’s deputy Tice, who owns “More than 25% but less than 50%” of shares. And the other?

That would be Farage himself. He owns “More than 50% but less than 75%” of the company’s shares. Which means either he is taking a very long time to surrender that control, or he was just lying back in September, and the media establishment amplified his whoppers accordingly. That’s why I consider him to be a congenital liar, as well as a racist bigot and a con man.

Which leaves those 100,000 plus “members” of Reform UK where? Exactly where they were before: unable to exercise any control over the party’s, er, sorry, limited company’s, leadership, handing their money over for very little in return. And that’s why I conclude that every one of those “members” is just another mug, another mark, being played along by the Farage flannel.

What our free and fearless press chooses not to tell you. No change there.


Enjoy your visit to Zelo Street? You can help this truly independent blog carry on talking truth to power, while retaining its sense of humour, by becoming a Patron on Patreon at

https://www.patreon.com/Timfenton

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reform, the 'party' run by ruthless grifters, for the entertainment of the normal, and supported and voted for by the blissfully ignorant and bigoted.

The worrying thing is though, that the US right and UK right are now increasingly singing from the same hymn sheet. A blatant Faragite plant was on that question time deploring the taking over of our streets by 'illegal immigrant criminals' - the same line (lie?) taken by Trump and his army.

At the same time, Farage, like Trump is worshipped like a God by his fan club. No lie is questioned, all is 'truth'. The 'justifiably concerned' are right to be afraid of the army of illegal immigrants stalking our streets! After all, Nigel and his fellow Reform mps have told them so - so it must be true.

Anonymous said...

Surprised anybody bothers to watch the pile of tenth rate shite that is Bruce and QT. It long ago became Gammon Central. Not worth a carrot.

James said...

QT is BS and Bruce needs to go. Vicky Derbyshire would be so much better.

Anonymous said...

The only "both sides" done by Bruce and co (as decided by far right Gibb) is different blue and red tory factions, occasionally the yellow faction. Not a difficult task, given the gangsters, landlords, thieves and cowards in the uncomplicated far right rubber stamp Parliament.

Anonymous said...

Has been for decades. After I found out the YCs try and pack every single episode, hence so many loaded right wing questions, and its clear Tory, and right wing talking heads were expecting them, my last drop of faith in it ended. Out of interest I found that out directly from the horses (horsey?) mouth. A friend of ours invited us to a party, but neglected to inform us all his former, and current YC members, would be there.

It actually turned into a fascinating evening as they happily informed us of all their dodgy activities. Infiltration of left wing groups, acting as agent provocateurs, disrupting union activity, and of course admitting, sorry, telling us quite openly, how they get on to political shows.

One of our friends asked, 'doesn't it worry you we might take this info to the press'? To which, after much laughter, they replied, 'try it. We'd just deny it - even if it was allowed to get that far'...

Burlington Bertie from Bow said...

Piss Off Nigel Farage. (And Piss Off, Nigel Farage for that matter.)

Parliament is to debate Israel/Palestine on 16th December. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has provided a simple way of maybe actually doing something, however limited, about the situation, by letting your representative know your views on the subject. The link below takes you to a message for your MP, you simply have to give your postcode (to identify your MP) and send it.
It also gives access to the recent Amnesty International report on the genocide.

Nigel wouldn’t like you doing this at all.
So piss off Nigel Farage.
(And piss off, Nigel Farage.)

https://palestinecampaign.eaction.online/armstradedebate

Anonymous said...

If you think that lot are slimeballs wait until you get a load of Matthew Miller, propaganda clerk and main bullshitter for the US State Department. Every time I see and hear the lying slimy prick I feel an urgent need to take a shower to get rid of him. Looks like he's an instructor to the Starmer Quislings.

Anonymous said...

How to understand, measure and refute lying propaganda manufactured by the employees and cowards of far right corporate media:

https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2024/12/11/worthy-and-unworthy/