Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage ( færɑ ː ʒ, born April 3, 1964 in Farnborough ) is a British politician and chairman of the United Kingdom Independence Party ( UKIP ). He is a member of the European Parliament, in which he is ( Independence / Democracy Group former ) co-chairman of the Eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and democracy since 1999. Farage describes himself as Libertarist.
Political career
Farage came during his school years in the British Conservative party a, left this, however, when the Conservative government of John Major in 1992 the Treaty of Maastricht signed. 1993 Farage was a founding member of the United Kingdom Independence Party ( UKIP ), which seeks an outlet of Great Britain from the European Union.
In the European elections in 1999 Farage was elected to the European Parliament, as well as in the 2004 European elections, in which the UKIP could increase its profit from three to ten deputies. Farage became chairman of the Independence / Democracy Group and in 2006 also the chairman of the party after he had announced plans to increase their party leadership by a tighter number of Deputies at local, national and other elections. UKIP should cease to be perceived as a single-issue party, and looking for their goal of the EU exit allies in other parties. However, thrust his campaign Better Off Out ( " Outside better off " ) only on small echo in other parties. In the European elections in 2009 Farage was re-elected and took over together with Francesco Speroni to chair the Europe of Freedom and Democracy ( EFD), the successor of the Independence / Democracy Group.
As Group Chairman Farage fell on by various controversies in which a regulation adopted by an amnesty criminal record on parole of the French EU Commissioner for Transport Jacques Barrot or a sailing vacation of Commission President José Manuel Barroso with a Greek millionaire he made publicly about. In 2010 he challenged the legality of the method by which Herman Van Rompuy had come as President of the European Council into power. This he confirmed the " charisma of a damp rag " and referred to Belgium as " pretty much a non- country ", prompting him to pay a fine of 3,000 euros was imposed.
In preparation for the British general election in 2010 Farage announced in September 2009 to his resignation as Chairman of UKIP to concentrate on his candidacy against the Speaker of the House John Bercow. His successor was Malcolm Pearson, who a year later resigned himself, however again. Farage, whose House candidacy was unsuccessful, then ran again to the party presidency and prevailed in the internal party election against David Campbell Bannerman, Tim Congdon and Winston McKenzie.
As MEPs Farage is in the period from 2009 as Co- Chairman of the Group " Europe of freedom and democracy, " a member of the Conference of Presidents. Otherwise Farage is not active in committees or delegations.
On 6 May 2010 he fell as a passenger on a small plane from which mitzog a UKIP banner ads, and suffered multiple injuries and fainting states.
In the context of the sovereign debt crisis in the euro area and the bailout itself Farage spoke clearly against the bail-out of Greece and called him a maneuver to divert attention from the problems in Spain and Italy.
Family
Farage has been married since 1999 in second marriage with the German Kirsten Mehr, with whom he has two children. He also has two other children from his first marriage.