You guys all know about Nigel Farage, right? He’s the multi-millionaire pub bore who self-sacrificingly turned down the role of non-woke James Bond to lead Britain’s far-right Reform party. Reform is not technically a “party” in the classic sense, but an “entrepreneurial political start-up” registered as a limited liability company (LLC) with Companies House. Innovative!
Farage owns 53% of Reform LLC, though he promised to change that sometime “soon”—anyone who pays to join that party, meantime, is putting cash into Nigel’s pocket. He was also one of the key frontmen hustling in favour of the Brexit fiasco, and even if you’re not au courant with UK politics you have probably seen him in the news, bellowing away or grinning his ghastly grin:
Whoops, sorry. That’s the Mouth of Sauron. Easy to mix them up, not just because of the physical resemblance, but because both are members of an ancient, degraded ruling class who now speak for a far more powerful lord. Here is Farage at Mar-a-Lago sometime recently, standing beside the man who was, until very very recently, his actual master:
Just this past Friday, at the Reform shareholder meeting party conference, Farage hailed Musk as a “hero,” calling Musk’s plans for DOGE in the US a blueprint for the UK to follow, and also confirming that Musk was thinking of making a major donation to Reform—though possibly not the $100 million that’s been kicked around the press for the last several weeks.
As of today, he’s singing a very different tune.
It started with stuff Musk was tweeting, of course. Along with the rest of the right-wing media, Musk enjoys shrieking about the new Labour government and how it’s tearing the country apart with its wokety-woke-wokeness—you know, things like banning doctors from prescribing puberty blockers to trans teens and cutting winter fuel payments for (some) pensioners. This weekend Musk targeted Labour MP Jess Phillips. Phillips is the MP for Birmingham Yardley* and acts as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls. Musk is accusing her of being a “rape genocide apologist” who belongs in prison.
Some background: in recent years, there have been several high-profile busts of “grooming gangs”, groups of (mostly) men systematically preying on vulnerable teenagers and turning them into sex slaves. The most infamous of these was the Huddersfield sex abuse ring, which was broken up in the 2010s and has seen 41 perpetrators convicted to date. The majority of the men involved in the Huddersfield ring were from South Asia. Other rings have been made up of mostly white people, but the media and loudmouth racists like Farage and others portray “grooming gangs” as an Asian thing.
It came out recently that Jess Philips had been asked by concerned citizens to begin an investigation into alleged grooming gangs in Oldham. Philips quite correctly told them she couldn’t do that, because a local investigation needs to be completed first (her Tory predecessor had said the same thing to a similar request in 2022). This is one of the main things Musk and his lackeys have been screaming about, with Musk adding some support for Tommy Robinson. Tommy Robinson is an out-and-out white supremacist who’s currently in prison for contempt of court after repeatedly libelling a Syrian refugee as one of these abuse-ring types. Musk tweeted “free Tommy Robinson!” and expressed his opinion that Robinson shouldn’t be in prison for telling the truth.
Believe it or not, this appears to have been a bridge too far for Farage. Whether it’s because Nigel is genuinely repulsed by Tommy or sees him as a threat to his position I leave as an exercise to the reader. But he pushed back lightly against his hero, saying that Tommy Robinson isn’t welcome in the Reform Party, LLC. Musk responded as you’d expect he would:
Hmm. It’s not looking great for that big donation, is it? It sounds as if Musk is thinking of making support for Reform contingent on their choosing a new leader.
I hate that we have to think about any of these bellends, but I do love this for Nigel. Since his plucky little startup won all of five seats (out of 650) in last year’s general election, he has been strutting around as if he is the PM-in-waiting, or, you know, James Bond come to save the country. But instead, he’s learning that he’s not James Bond. He’s not even a Bond villain. Instead, he’s one of the Bond villain’s henchmen. And we know what happens to henchmen: they get it in the neck first.
I’m actually slightly hopeful about this infighting providing an opportunity to halt Musk’s hostile takeover of another government. After being depressingly quiet about it over the festive period, Keir Starmer set aside part of a policy speech this morning to forcefully denounce Musk’s lies and misinformation. (He refused to comment on Musk’s suggestion that the US should invade Britain to liberate it from its “tyrannical government”.)
at last Keir Starmer hits back at Musk attacks: “I enjoy the cut and trust of politics, the robust debate that we must have but that has got to be based on facts and truth, not on lies, not on those who are so desperate for attention that they are prepared to debase themselves and their country.”
— Jim Pickard (@pickardje.bsky.social) January 6, 2025 at 10:52 AM
The PM also gave a full-throated defence of his colleague Jess Phillips. It’s probably too much to hope this is the start of a trend, in spite of the fact that Musk is probably the one person who’s less popular in the UK than Starmer at the moment, with 64% of Britons telling a recent YouGov poll they disapprove of him (graphic below). You’d hope that kind of soft underbelly would prevent a target even the PM can’t resist.
Still, long may the far-right fragging continue. Open thread.
*Jess Phillips lives a few neighbourhoods away from me, and I occasionally spot her out and about when visiting one of the funky shopping districts near here. It makes me sad to think she’ll have to curtail popping to the pub or the bakery for a while. Musk’s targeting of her poses a real threat to her safety—we’ve had two MPs murdered by extremists in the last few years.
A Ghost to Most
More Tales of the Selfish and Self-righteous. It must be a day.
Omnes Omnibus
FWIW I doubt that anything is a bridge too far for Farage.
Rose Judson
@Omnes Omnibus: Oh, I’m sure Musk will just dig around behind the sofa cushions and find another $50mm to wave at Nigel. His integrity is made of wet sand.
Princess
And — not entirely off topic with the theme of this post — in Canada, Justin Trudeau just announced his resignation, once a new leader is chosen, and prorogued Parliament. Probably a good thing.
Miss Bianca
Thank you for this precis – I had been seeing things about the Farage/Musk flapdoodle on Reddit, of all places, but it’s nice to get the full scoop here.
Baud
Better or worse than this?
Discuss.
Rose Judson
@Baud: So much worse. I think Reform would consider strange women lying in ponds distributing swords a perfectly legitimate basis for a system of government.
VeniceRiley
James Cartlige is my (Tory) MP. Sounds unpleasantly crunchy. Like pho.
Baud
@Rose Judson:
To be fair, I would prefer that to the Electoral College.
Geo Wilcox
@Princess: Um not really, The Cons in Canada are leading the Libs by 20% …
Kristine
Still SMDH over the shit that’s risen to the top of the political tank here (US) and elsewhere.
Currently seeing a lull in the promised lake effect snow bursts here in NE Illinois. Hoping said lull continues—the advisory expires at 4pm cst.
Steve LaBonne
Actually existing 2024 fascism is grifters and drug addicts all the way down. We can only hope that this limits its effectiveness. (The pessimistic side of my brain tells me that this was also true of the 20th century versions.)
Rose Judson
@Steve LaBonne: Yeah, I have flashes of that kind of hopefulness, too, but then I remember everything I read in Blitzed (controversial as it was) and just get depressed all over again.
The sun set after 4 p.m. today, so there’s that, I guess.
lowtechcyclist
@Baud:
Too bad SCOTUS took care of the “you don’t vote for kings” part.
Raoul Paste
lowtechcyclist
@Steve LaBonne:
Unfortunately, there are people like Russ Vought. Per TPM:
The ‘Christian Nation-ist’ Set To Take Control Of The Federal Government
Origuy
All I know about Jess Phillips is from her appearances on Have I Got News for You. She has a wicked wit and isn’t afraid of speaking her mind. I’d like to see her get more powerful in the Labour Party.
Hilbertsubspace
@Steve LaBonne: I’m hoping for Reichstag Fyre Festival fascism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyre_Festival
Rose Judson
@Origuy: She threw her hat in the ring for leader last time around. She is about as well-disposed toward trans folks as anyone here on TERF island could be; I hope she continues to take on more leadership roles. Angela Rayner is also pretty terrific, from what I’ve seen. Amazing backstory.
Chris
@Steve LaBonne:
Pretty much like the OG fascism, then. The grifting was through the roof for sure. As far as the drugs go, I seem to recall there was quite a bit of that in Nazi Germany as well.
Betty Cracker
@Hilbertsubspace:
I am SO stealing that! The boxed lunches will be sad.
kindness
I wonder if Bookies are offering an over/under on the date Musk (eventually) gets assassinated? I’m not advocating this, please bare with me. It’s just that with Musk cozying up to every Reichtwingnut group in every western country, at some point he’s going to fry someone’s circuits. I guess a side bet in this would be which country does it. I know this is ugly and dark musings, but I’m thinking it’s more and more likely and Musk doesn’t seem to see it.
LeftCoastYankee
I’m still laughing at Musk’s idea the US should invade the UK.
scav
Adding to the pile with “foreign”, “involves king” and “mocking US future intentions” cards: Danish king changes coat of arms amid row with Trump over Greenland (King could be multitasking though, Greenland and Denmark aren’t entirely cozy either for good reasons).
MazeDancer
Having just binged Seasons 1-3 of “Slow Horses” over free Apple weekend, can feel British accents still ringing in my ears.
Agree that we couldn’t be happier for Farage losing his Musk Moola.
When do we start hoping for the Thiel-Musk infight? After all, JD supposed to be VP – and Prez soon – not EM.
(BTW – to those who, like me, thought “Slow Horses” was too, well, slow on first attempt and turned it off after 10 minutes – Wrong! Start over, embrace the story, and wait. It’s wonderful.
Happy to hear Seasons 5 & 6 are on their way.)
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@kindness: I’m not advocating for violence either, but Musk is really making himself the out of control oligarchy poster child.
Josie
@kindness:
I had the same thought yesterday and found myself wondering how strong his protection detail is. I don’t remember what brought it to mind, but it bothered me that the idea was not as distasteful as it should have been.
Baud
@scav:
The change in the two dudes is interesting and not explained in the story.
Thor Heyerdahl
@kindness: Or when Musk is found in a compromising position after he ODs.
Mai Naem mobile ¹
@kindness: oh, Muskrat gets it. Thats the reason he carries his toddler son/human shield everywhere he goes.
I’m just so done with men with daddy issues. If we have an election in 2028 I will be looking out for any male electoral prospects with daddy issues so I can avoid voting for them.
scav
@Baud: Noticed their hair color change too. Lines generally simplified overall. Now my rabbit hole includes finding the earlier changes — Queen Margrethe also fiddled with things, so that bit’s not so unexpected. Poor old Kalmar Union dropping off. Didn’t know old George III was the one that finally ditched the lilies on the English one.
rikyrah
Thank you for this post. Love to hear the viewpoint from someone on the ground.
rikyrah
Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) posted at 7:30 AM on Mon, Jan 06, 2025:
![]()
NEW: Lib Dem leader Ed Davey says the US ambassador should be summoned to be asked why an incoming US official – Elon Musk – is suggesting the UK Government should be overthrown https://t.co/iXZNeJBfJQ
(https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1876260131186372646?t=dj28Eptw84m6b4phUhLPyg&s=03)
Ruckus
@Rose Judson:
His integrity is made of wet sand.
I believe that the possibility exists that you are too nice a human being to say it properly but to me it seems as we see more and more of him his integrity is made of something that is yes likely damp and starts with an S, is a four letter word, but is an entirely different substance and comes from animals, mostly/hopefully on a daily basis.
(I don’t like to swear online…… And I’ve got something to sell or something like that)
The Pale Scot
Tosser
hueyplong
@Ruckus: There is a poster here who will be happy to bear your unspoken burden.
kalakal
Fun thing is Musk supporting Tommy Robinson – a convicted drug dealer and fraudster who was also convicted of attempting to enter the US illegally
NeenerNeener
@Mai Naem mobile ¹: Since American gun nuts declared open season on small children about 10+ years ago, carrying that kid around is more likely to make Musk a target in this country.
Ruckus
@kindness:
Musk doesn’t seem to see it.
Is it because he doesn’t want to or because he’s incapable/refusing to seeing it?
Effectively the same result but from 2 different directions.
Ruckus
@Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:
poster
childinfant.He’ll have to grow up a bit to be a child…… Not giving him credit for having learned and regressing.
hueyplong
@Ruckus: He doesn’t want to, so he can’t. Sort of a triumph of the will, if you know what I mean.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
I always love a good LOTR reference.
Back during Dubya’s (mis)administration, I usta call Dana Perino the Mouth Of Sauron in the comments section of Julie Mason’s “blog” when she was the WH reporter for the Houston Chron.
Jules was never amused with the reference but it would always get a couple of “likes” from fellow, libtard, Tolkien geeks.
Professor Bigfoot
@MazeDancer: It IS Gary Oldman, ain’t it?
That man is absolutely BRILLIANT in everything.
TBone
They’re getting what all thirsty narcissists want, attention, clicks, eyeballs, and adulation. Fuck those fucking guys.
Yes, I know we need to keep an eye on these fucks, but the louder they become, the more I want to know what the quiet ones are doing.
Ruckus
@hueyplong:
OK now you’ve woken me up. (Retired – sleep when I want/how long I want. Also in the west coast time zone….)
rikyrah
Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) posted at 10:25 AM on Mon, Jan 06, 2025:
“The ugly truth is that Trump and MAGA wanted the New Orleans attacker to be an immigrant, and now that they know he isn’t, they’re shameless enough to just to forge ahead with pretending that he is.” https://t.co/JnfU0XliAg
(https://x.com/atrupar/status/1876304075051966820?t=-c_1P8fBce9V9d_xMM0F0A&s=03)
rikyrah
Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) posted at 6:00 AM on Mon, Jan 06, 2025:
BREAKING:
French President Macron says Elon Musk is directly intervening in elections, including Germany. https://t.co/oRxMSYnZWb
(https://x.com/GlobeEyeNews/status/1876237489339605402?t=uqZOK7UQq50FA3LCfsEqQA&s=03)
Ruckus
@hueyplong:
I thought it was a triumph of the unwilling – but that may just be me…..
rikyrah
BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) posted at 4:46 AM on Mon, Jan 06, 2025:
“When the poison of the far-right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, then in my book a line has been crossed”
PM Keir Starmer responds to Elon Musk’s attack on the UK government’s response to grooming gangs
Follow live: https://t.co/OXYEAVJA6r https://t.co/CnjRN4zO9E
(https://x.com/BBCPolitics/status/1876218718507675866?t=ltYnLnavTpcyY4ptJSVphg&s=03)
Ruckus
@rikyrah:
See what happens when the highest tax rates get lowered?
The uber rich have one less thing to complain about. Now that doesn’t mean their complaining level will go down – ever, it means that they become richer and not just in money, also in pomposity and arrogance.
Never forget that a lot of money can make humans pompous and arrogant to a much higher level.
Anyway
I went with Betty Cracker’s reco and am now caught up on Shrinking. I liked it – it was perfect for a lazy weekend. Thank you AppleTV!
Hesitant to watch Slow Horses as I loved the books — one of those people.
Chris T.
In my head his name is Nigel Farrago.
catclub
Only because Putin is in another class of oligarch.
Any day he wants, Putin owns all the other oligarchs in Russia.
Ruckus
@hueyplong:
I agree. I asked the question as a lead in to the concept of “If he even can/could.”
mrmoshpotato
Wish I didn’t.
Ruckus
@Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:
Musk is really making himself the out of control oligarchy poster child
Way too late, it’s “Musk has really made himself the out of control oligarchy poster child.” Past tense, not present tense.
greenergood
@Rose Judson: as someone in the w of Scotland, yes, 4 pm sunset was a gift today … Happy New Year! As for Farage, the more recent photies of him w/ Musk were infuriating – now I’m in ‘wipe that effing smile off your effing face, varlet’ mode. And can’t wait till ‘Musk, the richest man in the world’ description suddenly tanks – dunno when, but I’m guessing it will – soon. His disregard for the rest of humankind will have SOME consequences somewhere …
Parfigliano
@Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: Wishing violence against Musk is the correct position.
Ruckus
@hueyplong:
Yep and exactly my point.
Although in this case I call it a triumph of the bullshit.
Chief Oshkosh
@MazeDancer:
That happened a long time ago and Thiel came out on top. To put it on their level, Musk will always be the beta to Thiel’s alpha.
And Musk knows it.
TBone
@The Pale Scot: exactly
RaflW
Granted there’s other news today, but an ‘official’ of a ‘department’ in Trump’s pending maladministration just urged invading a sovereign nation and putative ally, and it’s sure not front page news at the NY Times.
The Pale Scot
The term in German is “Backpfeifengesicht”
TBone
@rikyrah: Elno has a dacha next to Pooty or mebbe has just a pod on the property like he does at Mar-A-Lardass.
Ruckus
@Chief Oshkosh:
Money don’t buy everything….
It will buy a lot, likely most anything – but not everything.
Some things do actually go beyond having a financial price. Such as a higher level of humanity. It can’t be bought at any price, but it is very much earned. And easily thrown away.
Miss Bianca
@kalakal:
Like calls to like, I suppose…
Uncle Cosmo
@Chris T.: Niggling Falange in mine. One of my two favorite names among whackaloon Brits. (The other: Jagoff Greas-Smaug.)
Baud
Hey Rose, just saw this on Blue sky.
Chris Johnson
@catclub: No. Musk’s got way more wealth, and in some ways, even power.
Putin’s got the edge on him in scariness. That’s all. This certainly applies to other oligarchs in Russia: especially when they live in London they get killed by Putin lots. This also explains a lot about Republicans. Putin’s roughly equal to other oligarchs in wealth, probably with an edge on physical jewelry and such, but he’s scarier.
He is scarier to someone like Musk than he is to Ukraine. Russia struggles to conquer anything, but Putin only has to personally kill you once, and a lot of rightwingers are cowards and completely believe he’s got their number. Notable exception: McConnell, who is obviously not scared of Putin.
Central Planning
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Sometimes I would accidentally stop on the POTUS channel when she was the host. She was always a both-sider and would laugh at the horrible stuff Rs were doing. And you could always hear her breathing into the mic. Ugh!
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@Baud: Here’s hoping they eXit X.
Melancholy Jaques
I am sorry to say I have not followed up with any reading on Brexit’s consequences & repercussions in a long time. Do people in the UK regard Brexit as a fiasco?
Rose Judson
@Melancholy Jaques: I’m not sure when the tipping point was, but a majority of voters in polls now regard it as a mistake, regardless of how they reported voting before.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@Parfigliano: No, it isn’t. Wishing him a humiliating bankruptcy, infertility, and the hatred of his spawn is the correct position.
montanareddog
@Baud: thank you, Baud. I was thinking of writing to WaterGirl asking her to front page this.
For those who see this post, any UK citizen, regardless of residence, or UK resident, regardless of nationality, can sign the petition (off the top of my head thinking of Rose, Venice, maybe Kalakal, Tony Jay if he is lurking). And the link can be forwarded to anyone you know who is eligible.
It needs one more signature for it to be published on the Parliamentary petitions website. 10K signatures and the Government has to publish a response; 100K and it can be considered for Parliamentary debate.
sab
@Rose Judson: My junior year abroad was in Durham, and the winter sun setting shortly after it rose was the thing that surprised me most about the UK. A reminder that NYC is at the same latitude as Rome.
Kayla Rudbek
@Chris: yeah, the Germans were good at chemistry even after WW1
kalakal
@Baud:
@montanareddog:
signed
montanareddog
@kalakal: Thanks, man. I think you put it over the top in terms of the number of sponsors needed. I received an email with this:
kalakal
@montanareddog: Here’s hoping, thanks for bringing it to my attention
YY_Sima Qian
Ivo Daalder, former US Ambassador to NATO, recently said that (I am paraphrasing) he had always fill his speeches w/ the threats to international order posed by Russia & the PRC, but the greatest threat has turned out to be the US. It does not get more “Blobby” FP orthodoxy than Daalder.
The Lodger
@Ruckus: Soup?