A quote with an original transcript
“you’re not laughing now, are you?”
On 28 June 2016, Farage addressed the European Parliament after the UK’s EU referendum. Read the official proceedings for 28 June 2016 for the complete speech and surrounding debate.
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Archive of attributed statements
A historical collection of statements attributed to Nigel Farage. Source quality varies: use the transcript links below before citing an entry.
"We want our country back."
"This will be a victory for real people, a victory for ordinary people, a victory for decent people."
"There is no Left and Right any more. We need big change. We've got to get back control of our country."
"Rather than bring peace and harmony, the EU will cause insurgency and violence."
"The banking collapse was caused, more than anything, by bad government policy."
"I have never claimed to be a man of the people. But I do understand the people."
"The euro Titanic has now hit the iceberg and sadly there simply aren't enough lifeboats."
"Who the hell do you think you people are?"
"You have the charisma of a damp rag and the appearance of a low-grade bank clerk."
"I'd rather be a free citizen than a comfortable slave."
"The genie is out of the bottle and will not be put back."
"Immigration is the number one issue. It's not just about the economy, it's about the quality of life."
"We will get our country back, we will get our borders back, we will get our pride and self-respect back."
"The political class has let the people of this country down."
"They used to say UKIP was a protest vote. Well, the protest is now becoming the mainstream."
"I feel like I've come home. Reform UK is my political home now."
"The Conservatives have completely betrayed their voters. That party is finished."
"Net zero is the biggest act of self-harm any country has ever inflicted upon itself."
"We are the real opposition now. Labour is failing, the Tories are irrelevant."
"The establishment thought they could ignore us. They were wrong."
"When I came here 17 years ago and said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain out of the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well, you're not laughing now."
"The EU is dying. It's a failing project."
"I'm not against immigration. I'm against uncontrolled immigration."
"The people have spoken. The politicians had better listen."
"This is bigger than me. This is about the future of our nation."
"I've been called a racist so many times, it's lost all meaning."
"The working class have been abandoned by the Labour Party."
"Politics is about conviction, not consensus."
"I don't do political correctness."
"The British people are waking up to what the EU really is."
"Democracy means the people are in charge, not unelected bureaucrats."
"They can't stop us now. The movement is too big."
"I will never give up fighting for this country."
"The establishment media hates us because we represent change."
"Small boats are an invasion. There's no other word for it."
"If you believe in Britain, if you believe in democracy, join us."
"The two-party system is broken beyond repair."
"I've spent my whole life being told I'm wrong. And I've spent my whole life being proved right."
"Brexit was just the beginning. Now we need to reform Britain."
"The NHS is being used as a political football. It needs real reform."
"We're not far-right. We're common sense."
"Globalism has failed ordinary people."
"Trump showed the world that the establishment can be beaten."
"I'd rather lose fighting for what I believe in than win by compromising everything."
"The European Union is the continuation of Germany by other means."
"Free speech is the foundation of democracy. Without it, we have nothing."
"The silent majority is silent no more."
"I don't want to destroy the Conservative Party. I want to replace it."
"Britain can be the greatest country in the world. We just need leaders who believe in it."
"The Channel is not that wide. We can control our borders if we have the will."
"Every prediction I made about the euro has come true."
"Westminster is a bubble. Real Britain exists outside the M25."
"UKIP was my baby. Brexit was my dream. Reform UK is my legacy."
"The next election will be a revolution at the ballot box."
"I've been fighting this battle for 30 years. I'm not stopping now."
"The European project was always about politics, never about trade."
"We need an Australian-style points system. It works."
"The pound falling was Project Fear nonsense. Look at the economy now."
"I'm not a career politician. I'm a businessman who went into politics."
"The British people voted to leave. That means leave. No ifs, no buts."
"The EU has never been about economics. It was always about politics."
"I did not get into politics to make money. I got into politics to change my country."
"The Conservatives conserve nothing."
"We are building a genuine mass movement."
"Open borders mean the death of the nation state."
"I believe in nation states and democracy. The EU believes in neither."
"They want to silence us because they fear us."
"The people are not stupid. They know when they are being lied to."
"Sovereignty means the ability to make your own laws and control your own destiny."
"Reform UK is the only party that tells the truth about immigration."
"The fishing industry was betrayed. We must take back our waters."
"Net zero will destroy British industry and jobs."
"The BBC is hopelessly biased against people like me."
"I have never been a quitter. I never will be."
"The House of Lords is an undemocratic anachronism."
"We need a bonfire of regulations."
"The civil service has too much power."
"Energy prices are killing this country. We need cheap energy."
"The ECHR must go. It is not compatible with sovereignty."
"Legal immigration is too high as well as illegal immigration."
"Universities have become madrassas for the woke religion."
"The climate zealots want to control how you live."
"Every vote for Reform is a vote for change."
"The political class live in a bubble. We live in the real world."
"I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees."
"The pound is a symbol of our nationhood."
"Davos man is the enemy of ordinary people."
"Britain could be Singapore on steroids."
"The BBC license fee should be abolished."
"I am not extreme. I am mainstream."
"The EU is a German racket designed to take over the whole of Europe."
"The European Union is the new communism."
"The EU has no intention of respecting this democratic vote."
"Merkels open door policy was the worst decision by a European leader since 1945."
"We in UKIP have doubled our vote in every election for 15 years."
"The Tories have betrayed everyone who voted for Brexit."
"The British bulldog spirit can never be crushed."
"Europe needs us more than we need them."
"The EU is fundamentally anti-democratic."
"Weve gone from four MPs to holding the government to account."
"The establishment fears us because we tell the truth."
"Mass immigration has changed our country beyond recognition."
"We must take back control of our borders, our laws, and our money."
"The euro is a burning building with no exits."
"I didnt come into politics to be liked, I came to make a difference."
"The political class has contempt for ordinary voters."
"We are witnessing the death of the Conservative Party."
"Labour has abandoned the working class."
"Reform UK is the party of common sense."
"The silent majority is finally speaking up."
"We need to make Britain the best place in the world to do business."
"The NHS is drowning in bureaucracy."
"Energy independence is national security."
"We should be drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea."
"Wind farms are a blight on our countryside."
"The green agenda is destroying British industry."
"We need a bonfire of regulations."
"The civil service has become too powerful."
"The House of Lords is an anachronism."
"FPTP is denying Reform UK fair representation."
"We got Brexit done. Now we need to make it work."
"The fishing industry was sold out."
"Our farmers are being crushed by regulations."
"The BBC licence fee should be abolished."
"I have been proven right time and time again."
"The next election will reshape British politics forever."
"We are building a genuine mass movement."
"The people are crying out for change."
"I have been fighting this fight for thirty years."
"Our moment has finally arrived."
"The two-party system is finished."
"We offer a genuine alternative."
"The European project has failed."
"Sovereignty is not a dirty word."
"We must protect our borders."
"The establishment is terrified of Reform UK."
"We speak for forgotten Britain."
"The metropolitan elite doesnt understand real Britain."
"Democracy means the will of the people."
"I will never stop fighting for this country."
"The Channel crossings must be stopped."
"We need an Australian-style points system."
"Legal immigration is also too high."
"The ECHR must go."
"Britain could be so much more."
"We are the real opposition."
"The Tories have conserved nothing."
"Our membership is growing every day."
"We will win the next election."
"The future belongs to Reform UK."
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