‘Out of the Trump playbook’: Nigel Farage branded a ‘wannabe politician’ after Russia remarks

‘Out of the Trump playbook’: Nigel Farage branded a ‘wannabe politician’ after Russia remarks

now um Nigel farage is making a lot of headlines today after that interview with Nick Robinson that saw him once again serve as an apologist for Vladimir Putin um many uh politicians James clev to name but one lined up to to to slate farage for his comments air Vice Marshal Shawn Bell joins me to discuss a former fighter pilot now military analyst and co-host of the red Matrix podcast good morning to you Shawn good morning to you Matthew now what do you make of what Mr farage was saying last night yeah I mean firstly I normally keep myself confined to military matters and don’t strander politics and this is less about reform more about some principles farage said he you know basically said the West provoked the war in Ukraine and and by doing that he effectively justifies Russia’s decision to invade yes undermines the unity of the West efforts to support Ukraine trivializes 1 million casualties and growing of R Russia’s brutal Invasion millions of civilians displaced and the devastation sort of wed on Ukrainian communities he also described Putin as the world leader he most admired because of the way he controls Russia well the way he controls Russia is he kills his opponents he’s brutal control of the military and and political Personnel uses the nation’s wealth for his own personal gain and he’s sacrificed hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers to achieve his own place in history I I don’t quite get and of course the real issue here as you and I both know it’s it’s about an election here in the UK it’s attracting a publicity you know reform is a startup he’s using the prump Trump Playbook of just playing saying outrageous things gaining headlines which he has as now the trouble is on these sorts of issues Western Security relies on political alliances across the West that’s the foundations of Ukraine’s ability to withstand Putin the strength these statements shake the very Foundation of that support and there are not the actions of a leader destined for high office they simply expose the M motivations of a sort of wannabe politician prepared to do anything selfishly self- serving in a pursuit of power and I think that’s a really worrying trend for our nation the really worrying trend is the number of people that that lap it all up without criticism or or assuming any historical base I was listening to people phoning in LBC early this morning saying that NATO was involved in the attacks on Iraq just I mean there let’s try try to see it from farage’s point of view I suppose the argument of EU expansionism and NATO expansionism there there is a geographical proximity to Russia but Putin himself had talked about regaining the territory uh seeded after Katherine great had had taken moved into Ukraine and Crimea yeah but Matthew we’ve got to be very careful here because the danger is we suddenly start to play Putin’s tune if if he’s worried about NATO approaching the borders of Russia by invading Ukraine he is moving Russia’s borders NATO so let let’s let’s not beat about the bush here you know um this was all about Russia establishing greatness again reclaiming lands with a whole load of lies that he’s spun to his local population he hasn’t told them the cost of this adventure into Ukraine and basically this is all about him and and I think part of this the reason it’s really interesting my perspective is the leaders will claim all sorts of wild claims about what going to do about taxes and health care and whatever frankly that’s for the public to decide but I think the military I’ve come from a life of service you know where you put service in the country before yourself and it’s hard to watch people trampling on those principles frankly on their own personal Ambitions particularly when these wild claims around Russia you know this compromises our national security undermines our efforts to stop Putin he admires the very dictator who’s making the world more dangerous and it’s for others to decide but as a season military analysts it’s very hard to see that these are attributes that our nation wants to for anybody serving in our I know you as a seasoned military analyst but the farage supporters out there now see you as a sort of left-wing conspiracy theorist M I’m literally reading that literally calling it we found a left-wing military analyst that’s what people are saying it’s extraordinary Matthew you and I both live in a world where you know there’s a lot of loud people who shout loudly and by just by peering on this show with you offering a view I will get pillared but the fact is people have to stand up and talk for what this country stands for and when people just shout and make Wild outrageous claims like this most of the time you know they’ll say they’re going to double the size the Health Service or do that it’s for others to judge whether they can actually do that but as soon as they start actually messing with our national security where they make statements that are clearly undermining our whole Regional stability the whole process that keeps us safe that is really really worrying and our nation needs to have a debate about that here here and I can’t help but wonder if it was anybody from the labor party making such bizarre and outrageous assertions what the uh the farage commentators would be saying about that they’ll probably be calling for him to put in him or her to be put in prison a vice Mar sha Bell indebted you giving up your time this Saturday morning

Military analyst Sean Bell condemns Nigel Farage’s ‘justification’ for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and says his comments are straight out of the ‘Trump playbook of saying outrageous things’.

Farage is facing a growing backlash after he said the West had provoked Russia into invading Ukraine.

The Reform UK Leader said the “ever-eastward expansion” of NATO and the European Union had given the Kremlin “an excuse” to move troops across the border.

On Friday, the Home Secretary, James Cleverly, accused Farage of “echoing Putin”, while Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, said the Reform UK Leader was a “pub bore” over the comments.

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