Cal wrote:Lucien wrote:Cal wrote:Parksey wrote:Cal wrote:Grumpy David wrote:I'm okay with this.
Yep, me too. UKIP need Farage. Suzanne Evans would have been my preferred alternative in the absence of Mr Farage. 'Nige should go off and have a nice long break over the summer. He'll have plenty to do later on in the year!
Would you had been okay with it had one of the other leaders pledged to resign and still ended up as leader a few days later? If it had been Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg or, hypothetically, Natalie Bennett? I suspect you are and David are okay with it, as the broken pledge strengthens a party you both like, so Farage avoids being called a hypocrite and a liar.
No problem at all. That's their call. Personally, I was sad to see Nick Clegg take the fall. I liked the man (hated his politics). Miliband I never liked (but I hold nothing against him personally), but it would have been churlish to object to his staying on as Leader if that is what he wanted. I was genuinely surprised when all the Leaders began falling over like tenpins on Friday.
It's not about them wanting to stay on as leader: it's about them saying they'll quit if 'x' happens, then changing their mind half a week later.
After the votes were counted and announced Nigel Farage did
exactly what he promised he would do, prior to the election: he tended his resignation as Leader of UKIP when he failed to win Thanet. It is then for UKIP as a body politic to decide whether or not to accept, defer or reject his resignation. They were quite within their rights to refuse it. He is quite within his rights to accept their decision.
So what is your problem?
He is within his rights to accept their decision, but you must admit that it looks bad. This is what he has previously said about his bid to become an MP and the 2015 elections:
Nigel Farage has vowed to resign as party leader if UKIP fails to achieve a general election breakthrough next year.
The UKIP leader said there was ‘not one ounce of complacency from me’ after he was selected last night to stand in the South Thanet seat for UKIP at next year's general election.
His nomination was overshadowed by Boris Johnson’s decision to throw his hat into the ring to be the next MP for Uxbridge in west London.
But Mr Farage said he confident that the Tories would lose votes to UKIP at the next election.
He said: ‘I'm not pretending for one moment that it's going to be easy, but Ukip is offering something different and distinctive.
‘If we'd failed in the European elections I would have stood down, if we fail next year the party will pick someone better than me, but do you know what? That ain't going to happen.’
http://www.dailyfail.co.uk/news/article ... ction.html
They had a good number of votes, but Farage failed and UKIP also failed (down to 1 MP from 2).
Nigel Farage dramatically raised the stakes in Ukip's quest for political power by vowing to resign as leader if his party fails to get any seats in the 2015 general election.
Farage made the pledge on the day he told the anti-EU party's spring conference: "This is our moment.
After speaking in Torquay of "ruthless targeting" to win seats at the general election, Farage put his own future on the line.
"I said in my speech we could get several MPs, or a good number of MPs, in Westminster in 2015 provided, and I made it absolutely clear, that would not happen unless we clear this hurdle effectively on May 22 [the local and European elections this year].
"I stand by that. This is the election Ukip has waited 20 years for."
When asked if he would stand down in the event of the party not returning any MPs to the House, he said: "I would have thought so, good lord yes. I would be out the door before you could say Jack Robinson."
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/nigel-farage-v ... ts-1438430
I guess that one seat means he is not breaking his word there, but it looks like grasping at straws.
However in his book he says: “The consequences of me failing to secure a seat for myself in the Commons would be significant for both myself and the party.
“It is frankly just not credible for me to continue to lead the party without a Westminster seat.
“What credibility would Ukip have in the Commons if others had to enunciate party policy in Parliament and the party leader was only allowed in as a guest?
“Was I supposed to brief Ukip policy from the Westminster Arms? No – if I fail to win South Thanet, it is curtains for me. I will have to step down.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... -time.html
So as the man himself says it, he is now without credibility.