Nigel Farage vows to support any ‘Irexit’ campaign
The eurosceptic MEP said Sinn Féin is no longer a eurosceptic party and Ireland is now one of the only countries in the union without an anti-EU platform.
Speaking on the future of Europe at Trinity College’s historical society, Mr Farage said he got involved in politics to fight against the EU but that he is now considered a “reincarnation of Adolf Hitler”. He will also speak at a ‘Irexit’ conference today in Dublin, debating if Ireland should leave the EU.
Students were told that 2016 marked the creation of a new political order following the Brexit vote and the election of US president Donald Trump.
Flanked by security, Mr Farage told a packed room there is a massive debate going on about the future of Europe.
British prime minister Theresa May was the first to face criticism from the former Ukip leader.
“We [Britain] have one very big problem with Brexit and she is called Theresa May who I think is the worst prime minister I have ever seen in my lifetime,” he said.
Britain’s EU exit will still go ahead, he predicted, but will damage Ireland.
“I’m also beginning to think it will be on the terms that Ireland won’t like,” said Mr Farage. “The one country that gets the most affected by Brexit, is the Republic of Ireland.”
The EU wants to “punish” Britain for leaving, students were told.
Full house for Nigel Farage speech to TCD where he Qs whether #Brexit and Donald Trump are just a blip #iestaff pic.twitter.com/ghzcAA7jEu
— Juno McEnroe (@Junomaco) February 2, 2018
A deal resulting in tariffs and damage to Ireland’s beef trade would be bad news for Ireland, he said.
Mr Farage said Mr Varadkar is a charming man, a good operator, and akin to an “Irish [Tony] Blair”.
However, Mr Farage, who has been an MEP for South England since 1999, questioned the Taoiseach’s priorities.
“It seems to me that, in these negotiations, he is taking the Brussels side of this against Britain and not the one that is in the most interests of this country,” he said.
He called on Ireland and Britain to jointly seek a special deal from the EU in the event of no new trade deal. This would protect trade and the border, he said.
He called for Mr Varadkar to argue for this at EU level, and said a referendum on Ireland staying in the EU will come here at some point.
Asked if Brexit would go ahead in early 2019, as planned, Mr Farage responded that if a final deal is rejected at Westminster, the issue will be fought again.
Mr Farage has recently called for a second Brexit referendum. He also said he would come to Ireland campaign for Irexit if asked and that Sinn Féin has done a U-turn and is no longer an anti-EU party.
