Farage & Russell Brand

No; a business has to make money for it's shareholders. Running a country isn't about making a profit but balancing the books in such a way that the poorest people in society aren't the ones who suffer.

Richard Branson has 14 failed business out of 100.

Looks like he is a bit of a failed businessman. [I dont think we should discuss his son, the son is not him].
Does he have any other businesses?

Often business people fail at their first and second business. See Simon Cowell or Richard Branson for that.

Though I do think that running the country does have a lot of similarities to running a business. Something that Labour always fail to appreciate.

durhamjen may I ask who you are voting for?

"Ukip leader Nigel Farage may appear to have the Midas touch when it comes to appealing to voters fed up with the main political parties, but there are questions about his business acumen.

The MEP, whose previous career was in the City as a trader of commodities such as tin and cocoa, has run into trouble with a company called Farage Ltd.

Six weeks before the Revenue lodged a High Court petition to wind up the firm, Mr Farage resigned as company secretary.
Not such a Midas touch: MEP Nigel Farage, whose previous career was in the City as a trader of commodities such as tin and cocoa, has run into trouble with a company called Farage Ltd

Not such a Midas touch: MEP Nigel Farage, whose previous career was in the City as a trader of commodities such as tin and cocoa, has run into trouble with a company called Farage Ltd

His son, Andrew, remains the sole director of the business, which is the subject of a ‘voluntary order’, which is one step from bankruptcy.

The company has liabilities of £135,677 and the taxman is the biggest creditor. It has also failed to file its annual return and accounts on time, which will lead to automatic financial penalties of thousands of pounds.

In his party’s recent by-election address in Eastleigh, Farage explained that UKIP wanted to ‘reduce everyone’s taxes, reintroduce free student grants, increase the size of the military and the police, put more people in prison, and enhance pensions’.

Such policies would cost the State a handsome sum and UKIP’s promises are unrealistic at the best of times — but they depend on all companies paying their taxes.

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2291210/When-Ukip-leader-Nigel-Farages-golden-touch-let-down.html#ixzz3LmMfMn2C
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook"

Daily Mail last year. Farage always talks about being in business for 20 years. More ought to be made of what he did in business. He was a commodities broker, one of the people who make your coffee and sugar cost more than it should.

No need to apologise- some of you may think that because I was born abroad, and now live abroad- I am commenting on UK politics without having any first-hand knowledge of the issues. As said, I was 19 when I first went to live in the UK- and lived there all my adult life until recently- and in one of the most multicultural towns of the UK- with a British OH, family and children, and now grand-children. Still have property there, and visit so regularly- so keep very close contact with the UK- read UK press and watch UK TV. So it makes me smile- how long does one have to live in a country to feel integrated, involved- and earn the right to be passionate about it, and therefore comment? I'd have thought 39 years would do it.

As said, huge part of my and our heart in the UK- and may well be back at some point. We will not however be allowed to vote in the elections, but will be watching with baited breath. No offence taken.

And it is big stuff, lots of money stuff, that we cant trust them on.

Watched this last night. Struck by the amount of audience participation, more than usual I thought.

I think, that whilst the messages and arguments given by F&B are simplistic and ones you would not necessarily support they are reflecting an unease in the country over the way we are being governed and the way those in government are ignoring the population and their wishes. I think it mainly started with Iraq, and the way governments all over the world ignored their population's protest. Ever since this pattern has continued, with instances such as the bankers getting away with fraud and payment on an industrial scale, the phone hacking scandal, and the way the press has seemingly got off with few penalties including one of the main players - Brookes, the expenses scandal, lies over the student loan, and the NHS debacle none of which the voter gave the government mandate for.

This is just a few instances, no wonder people are feeling cheesed off

At least the Labour spokesman said that hell would have to freeze over before they went into a coalition with UKIP.

Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?

For now.

Anyone voting for UKIP has no idea what they are voting for

That is true, but then anyone voting for a relatively new political party does not know what they are voting for. Those who voted for the Labour Party in the 1920s did not know exactly what they were voting for.

In fact, anyone who voted Lib Dem in the last elections must have had rather a shock too!

Politics is not static.

I am not going to definitely vote UKIP yet, by the way.
Dont forget, we are floaters, so by definition, we float!

I suspect he will come a cropper in some way or another before May. And will instantly lose a sizeable chunk of prospective voters. Maybe me included.
But on the other hand, I am soooo fed up with the others, and yes concerned, that a mask slip or something of that nature, may not be enough to sway me. Who knows?

I dont think that UKIP is a protest vote party.
More a make, or force, specifically Labour and the Tories to change their policies. Which actually has already happened to an extent.

I dont know how selfish Farage is. I havent decided yet on that one.

He went down the Europe route, to get us out of Europe. That was the reason he started the party in the first place, I think.

We dont not vote, we shift.

Anyone voting for UKIP has no idea what they are voting for

Probably true to an extent.

But look at the endless threads even on gransnet complaining about the other parties.
A sizeable minority, probably made up of the floating voters, are fed up.
And it is the floating voters who actually get to decide who has power in this country, and how much.

I'd like some sort of reassurance that any power the SNP have after the election will be used to help the country as a whole and not just Scotland, but I'm, sadly, very suspicious of them as well.

So doesn't that apply to UKIP as much as the other parties [possibly more so?]. Farage isn't doing what he's doing for us but to further his political ambitions..having gone down the Europe route [and made quite a lot of money for himself in the process]. He's hodwinked people into thinking a vote for UKIP is a protest vote and a vote for change, but it is, in fact a vote for Farage [and his ever changing party members].

I think that any party would hook up with another party to be in Government and have power.
They may not think so now, but come 8th May, it will be a different story.

I think that the trouble with politics in the country at the moment, is that there doesnt appear to be someone who will put the long term interests of this country, above their own agenda of trying to increase their own wealth, and short term gains ie votes for their party.

Things like energy, and transport for example need long term thinking, but that does not suit our 21st century politicians.
And to be fair, probably the majority of voters dont like and think that way either.

Oh dear, I think granjura posted afterwards and we had reached an understanding. Sorry if some of you are getting hot under the collar on her behalf.
Having been the subject of 'name-calling' for expressing opinions I was not aware of the etiquette of never criticising another poster. Learning still.

However, if you have been upset by anything I said on this thread, granjura I apologise.

Obviously anyone on Gransnet is entitled to add a comment to any thread if they want to, regardless of the subject or where they live unless they break guidelines about abuse etc. I am in the interesting position of being a British taxpayer who is denied a vote because I live abroad. I am also interested in British politics (as well as international politics), having lived in the UK for just under 63 years and still am a British citizen.

I don't like the way granjura is criticised every time she comments on any UK social or political issue.

I'm sure UK-based Gransnetters have commented on other countries' policies in the past - America's gun laws, India's space programme, etc. I have myself posted about the plight of the Australian aborigines. Surely you don't have to live in a country to have an opinion as to what is happening there. If your opinion is based on incorrect information, no doubt someone will soon put the record straight!

I really do worry about the state of politics in this country. We have Penny Mordaunt making silly speeches in parliament with the aim of saying the word "cock" as many times as she could without people noticing. Then we have another MP playing a computer game for over two hours when he was supposed to be listening to a debate on pensions. Some people say it's just a bit of fun but I wonder how many of the people living in poverty in this country find this sort of behaviour amusing.

And Caroline Lucas on Newsnight the other night also said that the Greens would definitely not enter into any sort of arrangement with the Conservatives.

At least the Labour spokesman said that hell would have to freeze over before they went into a coalition with UKIP.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2832627/Farage-caught-camera-saying-abolishing-NHS-says-won-t-rule-forming-coalition-Labour-Miliband-s-party-fail-win-Election.html#v-3889831321001

"Nigel Farage has come under fire after calling for corporations to be allowed to "run the National Health Service and streamline it".

The Ukip leader told the Telegraph that the NHS should also be opened up to public spending cuts, saying: “I genuinely do think, when you... occasionally hear of a big businessman that says he’d like to run the National Health Service and streamline it, and get better value for money, I think that’s the approach we’ve got to take.”

"If you're going to cut government spending," he made clear as he hosted a phone-in with the newspaper's readers. "You have to decide where those cuts are going to come."

Farage previously told the Telegraph that it would be "ridiculous" to protect the NHS from spending cuts.

Tory MEP Sajjad Karim told the Huffington Post UK: "Sadly Nigel Farage will say anything to anyone on anything. They have no coherent policy and much of it is opportunistic and decided upon which way the wind is blowing. Whether it is on the NHS or attending votes in the European Parliament, it is clear they cannot be trusted.""

Nigel Farage on the NHS two months ago. I agree with you, granjura.