Would Nigel Farage's Boozy Image Affect His Chances Of Becoming Deputy Pm?

[Gromit]

People are talking of UKIP as a junior partner in a coalition making Farage Deputy Prime Minister. Would he have to curb his drinking to take office? He admits to being a boozer, others say he is an alcoholic. Would he be a fit person to run the Country when the PM was away?

[retrocop]

Gromit
An apology not necessary but thanks for clearing up the confusion in the muddy waters being stirred.

[ludwig]

// Would he be a fit person to run the Country when the PM was away? //

He wouldn't be 'running the country'. Parliament does that. As regards his fitness to deputise, if Prescott and Clegg can do it, I'd say he's capable.

[retrocop]

Punchy Prescott preferred to stay at Dorney Wood playing croquet and never set foot in the London whilst the prime minister was away dealing with crisis talks and we had Kinnock the clown and boozy Brown. I'm sure Mr Farage would be more than capable of deputising for the Prime Minister. At least Mr Farage dresses the part of a serious politician and takes politics seriously unlike the aforementioned trio of misfits.

[mikey4444]

Farages's boozy image is the least of his problems surely ? He is the Leader of a Party that has a history of having "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists" as Members and Candidates. I'm not sure if the fact that he is a smoker and a drinker can make much difference either way.

How much worse can it get ?

[Retrochic]

How much more worse can it get? labour getting in at the next election....

[retrocop]

As previously mentioned. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill served his country proudly. I don't think a few glasses of brandy and his trademark cigar affected his ability to run the country and no one seemed to bother remarking at the time that he did indeed indulge in these habits.

[Retrochic]

Nick Farage is what you get - no 'image', that's him, that's why his uncontrolled 'mouth' sometimes gets him into trouble. His down to earth glass of beer in hand, sometimes 'loose cannon' attitude is what will endear him to those voters sick of greasy, insincere, politicians who say what the spin-doctors tell them to. And a lot of those voters will be ex Labour.

[mikey4444]

Retrochic...Labour may get in at the next Election...indeed its looks increasingly likely that they will. Farage may win himself a seat at Westminster but he won't win power, and that is all the difference.

[Retrochic]

mikey not even I am under the illusion nick farage will be the next prime minister or even deputy pm.

[retrocop]

Whoa Whoa. Isn't somebody wandering off the thread here. Something that somebody is constantly rebuking other ABers for doing the very same??

[retrocop]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It is,after all as we have been already reminded, a hypothetical question :+)

[mikey4444]

Retrochic...with you all the way there.

[youngmafbog]

// "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists"//

good to see the New Year has not changed the name calling.

You forgot 'Ghastly', 'swivel eyed' and a few others though.

Would his boozy image affect his ability. If ever given the chance, no I dont think so

[ToraToraTora]

He's in good company, TGL herself had a large gold watch before bed each night and Winnie, was no stranger to the hard stuff. Even George "large one" kennedy liked the old sauce bottle. Nige only has a few pints of quaffing ale, hardly an alky!

[ichkeria]

No he would completely unfit.
He's an idiot. Or at least, a populist control freak.
He has shown a complete lack of any sort of insight into what it takes to be a serious politician.
I watched him yesterday grandstanding about sacking NHS employees who did not speak English properly, and then trying to justify his position by making the much more valid point that it is a disgrace that we don't train enough English-speaking health workers.
Unfortunately I suspect the first sound bite is what matters most to him, but unless he stops playing the xenophobic card his party will never make the breakthrough it needs. Playing to a small gallery won't wash I'm afraid

[ChillDoubt]

I'm often intrigued by the term 'alcoholic' in these instances.
When I hear colleagues in work fretting and discussing the amount they drink they always refer to themselves as having become an alcoholic.
If that's the case, roughly 80% of my colleagues are alcoholic!
As Ed says, I daresay they all like a drink, Farage is just happy for people to see that he does, whilst the others wouldn't be seen dead with a glass in their hands.

[Svejk]

I don't see why speaking English should be considered an imposition, ichi? Hope you can make yourself understood if you're unwell.

[ichkeria]

Not sure if you're being deliberately obtuse there svejk but my point is that Farage continually makes eye - or ear-catching statements such as dismissing health workers whose English is not up to scratch, clearing the motorways of immigrants etc etc and only backs it up with more serious stuff as an afterthought. The exact opposite of that he should be doing. Of course in the unlikely event he ever got the chance he would not start sacking health workers before addressing the issue of that the hell do you do after you've done it. And therefore he shows himself to be a complete fraud

His drinking habits are a complete irrelevance. Didn't Churchill win the war while pickled/high/wreathed in cigar smoke?