16/09/2016 - Live Nigel Farage Speech UKIP Conference

Ladies and gentlemen, argue already for the second session of the

conference? CHEERING

Are you all ready to hear some more excellent speeches?

CHEERING I think that's guaranteed now.

Ladies and gentlemen, our party is about far more than just one or two

individuals, but it is right that we use this opportunity here in

Bournemouth to say a specific thank you to people who have committed so

much, sacrificed so much, but only for our party, but also for our

country. We're now going to hear an introduction to our outgoing leader,

but a few words as well to a man who I respect Thomas more than anyone

else. My immediate predecessor, who guided our party as chairman for six

years, six very long, difficult year. My tenure as chairman is going

to last possibly six or seven weeks, so I cannot imagine how he feels to

have now given it over. Ladies and gentlemen, he deserves huge praise

and applause for everything he has done. Can I ask you to show your

appreciation for Steven Crowther. APPLAUSE

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. A lovely welcome. Good morning. I have

to say, when Paul first asked me to speak at this conference, I was

quite uneasy, because having the involved in organising a lot of

conferences, I realised I don't fit my own criteria. But he insisted he

wanted me to be here to introduce our next Speaker, so here I am. I

started getting overexcited, and thought, amazing, this is my last

big opportunity to make a ground-breaking speech. Then I

thought, who am I kidding? I've always get a bit of a low profile,

as you know, in my role as chairman. I have so little public profile, at

least one member at the NEC thinks I work for security services. Last

November, I looked at the betting odds for the next leader of Ukip. I

find that gels Brandreth has a greater chance than I do. -- Giles

Brandreth. I just want to say thank you and give a few words of advice,

such as they're worth, on what I think Ukip needs to do next, and

handover to the man you've come to hear. Before it continue, who was at

the Derby conference in July? Hands up? What is it we need to keep

reminding ourselves? That's right, we won! We'll come back to that

later. When I was approached by Nigel to become party chairman in

the unlikely event he would be re-elected as leader, he said, in

the worst job ad ever, I'm going to ruin your life. He in fact give me

the most precious opportunity of my life, the opportunity to contribute

and a very minor way in the momentous events, dated in June 23

and changing the course of our country's history.

APPLAUSE I've been the chairman of Ukip and

its national executive committee now twice as long as any previous

incumbent. I've depended on many people in that time, and I would

like say a special word of to Paul Oakden and others for their

fantastic work in the last two years. Enabling me to enjoy my

summer while they were left holding the dirty end of the baby.

APPLAUSE I'd like to say a quick word about

the NEC, if I may. It has come in for a lot of stick in the last few

months. Some is justified, some isn't. Before you speak away, which

you have, you need to know what you are getting rid of and what you are

getting in its place. The Costa Jewish and we put put in in 2011

deliberately sets up Gary Ballance -- Constitution we put in sets up a

para bounce between... Like the great powers before the first war,

diplomacy is needed before falling into a conflict. We need to avoid a

Balkan tinderbox setting the whole thing off. The NEC is not perfect,

but during the years of my chairmanship, they were a delight to

work with, but changes, collegiate, courteous and dedicated to

supporting the party's progress. Unfortunately, it has been more

about the pressure of personal agendas and factional infighting.

The majority of NEC members have been exasperated by this. Reform is

overdue, and the regional model being talked about may now have

found its time. The most important thing of all is that Ukip, under its

new leader, get its House in order quickly, re-forms the columns of the

People's Army, and is back in battle order without delay.

APPLAUSE Because the country

needs Ukip - stronger, unified, Kiki said and determines, now more than

ever. -- Kiki said and determined. British democracy is on trial for

its life. So what happens on the 23rd of June?

AUDIENCE: WE WON! WE DIDN'T WIN A PR BATTLE, WE DIDN'T FIGHT SIX OTHER

PEOPLE FOR A COUNCIL SEAT, WE WON THE LARGEST POPULAR VOTE IN THE

HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY. APPLAUSE

The 17.4 million votes were way more then Margaret Thatcher got in 1974

or John Major's records in 1992. It was more than the Wrote yes campaign

got in 1975 which kept us in the EU for 70 years. It was the biggest

exercise in popular democracy this country has ever seen. As Tony Benn

said, after being on the losing side in the 1975 referendum, when the

British people speak, everyone, including Members of Parliament,

should tremble before their decision.

APPLAUSE But it was close, wasn't it? Not

really. The margin was 1.27 million, Leave gained 52% of the vote. Known

as had that higher margin since Stanley Baldwin in 1971. If you look

at it on a constituency basis there was a majority of 229.

APPLAUSE That is 50 more then Tony Blair had

in the 1997 landslide will stop in England and Wales, over 70% of seats

voted Leave. That's settled then, isn't it? Well, you'd certainly

think so. Then we hear that some people have decided it isn't. The

man trying currently to make Jeremy Corbyn look like the competent

leader of the Labour Party, Owen Smith, says it he gets the Prime

Minister, he won't allow Brexit. Or maybe he'll applied to rejoin the EU

and the euro. For Troy, the chances of Mr Smith becoming premise are

vanishingly small, despite his glittering career as a BBC producer,

adviser to Ed Miliband and board member of pharmaceutical companies.

Then we hear someone called Tim Farron, who apparently read the

Liberal Democrats, demands, fully sick of democracy, we need to have a

second referendum on the terms of the negotiation. -- for the sake of

the mock receipt. Do you agree with the terms of Brexit, place a cross

in the box if you agree with the terms of Brexit, yes, no, some of

them, please write in Europe ideas in a essay of no more than 3000

words. APPLAUSE

Dear oh dear. But it's not just politicians on the make banging this

drum. But I would like to pay tribute to most politicians on the

Remain side, who recommends, like Tony Benn, everyone should tremble

before the decision of the British public. The gilded elite of this

country has signalled it is not prepared to let the uneducated plebs

with taking away its pet project for wild loveliness.

APPLAUSE The standard bearer for this legion

of the intellectual elite. The baroness used to edit the Wall

Street Journal Europe, has redefined British democracy and announced that

what is needed is a rebellion to kick out the Brexit bill when it

comes to the House of Lords. I am generally a mild-mannered, polite,

respectful sort of chap. I believe in the monarchy, the house of Lords,

our tradition of individual and civil rights, law and order,

parliamentary democracy and respect for our institutions. Baroness, I

have to tell you, not only is it a suicide note for the House of Lords,

it is a blueprint for the destruction of democracy in this

country. The plebs voted for something you do not like and you

propose to tell them they cannot have it. The fact is senior

Conservative peer could possibly advance this view shows that Ukip

oft heard cry that the elite stealing democracy from the people

is bang on the money. APPLAUSE

That is why Ukip continuing strength is so vital. How long have I got? A

minute to go. All right. OK. I will carry on then. The interesting thing

about the baroness's title, of Blackheath, is black Heath is where

all the revolting peasants gather when the come and march on London.

The Kentish men in 1450, the Cornish rebels in 1497 all gathered on

Blackheath to make London tremble. Although I am happily withdrawing

from day-to-day politics, if baroness, after the good folk of

this country have given their view, if you and your chums attempt to

overturn the will of the people as expressed in the largest exercise of

direct democracy ever held in this country, I would be happy to join

the peasants from every county in the country, especially the Welsh,

and Lee on her doorstep with flaming torches before she can call it taxi

to escape it. -- and be on her doorstep.

As William Shakespeare wrote in 12th night, some are born great, some

achieve greatness. The rest of us, hand on hope to be two have the

opportunity to serve the great man or woman. In the Labour Party, it is

unlikely to be women. According to new research, working-class voters

are repelled by posh MPs. It has been hell areas the battling to all

politicians in other parties that the son of a stockbroker, who worked

in the city, has shiny shoes, immaculate high addresses for every

occasion like an advert from the Tatler magazine, can be appealing to

the working man and women of this country. What the voters saw in

Nigel and Ukip, was not politics, but the truth.

APPLAUSE .

One of his biggest laws as a politician and greatest strength is

his Tourette's like an urge to see what he thinks on all occasions.

Until recently, people in the media we played what ever they considered

his gaffes to the public, in the belief they were putting people off

of him. It took them years to understand that is what it made

ordinary people want to vote for him.

APPLAUSE By then it was too late. Nigel said

what he thought and is huge number of ordinary people were thinking of

themselves and were fed up being made to feel guilty about. Who

wouldn't vote for a party leader who described George Osborne as a

despicable pasty faced bustard and a weasel. I would like to thank Nigel

for recruiting me to this cause. It was over a wine at the east India

club. He did me the privilege of assisting him and serving you on the

last stage of this. The message the party is giving as one may have

never heard before. I do not think the referendum is an

answer. You are bullying, acting undemocratic. You are a complete

shambles. The question I want to ask, is who are you? Nobody in

Europe has ever heard of you. No one in Europe voted for you.

Please welcome our great man, Nigel Farage.

APPLAUSE Thank you all for coming. Thank you.

You gave me hope. Fantastic, thank you.

APPLAUSE ladies and gentlemen, thank you for

that fantastic welcome. We did it. We got our country back. We would

not have done it without you. The people's army of Ukip and I am very,

very proud of every single one of you will stop thank you. The events

of June the 23rd at three o'clock in the morning and we knew we were

going to win, it felt to me like a fairy tale that had come true. This

has been a very long journey indeed. 25 years ago I joined the

anti-Federalist league. Not many people can say that. There weren't

many of us. In 1993, it became Ukip. I said to myself, it does not matter

that all my friends, family and business colleagues think I have

gone man. It does not matter that history says it is impossible to get

a new put cup idea of the ground in this country. -- mad. It was simple

all those years ago, it was a matter of principle. I believed we should

govern our own country. APPLAUSE

. Six weeks after the party had been formed, the Conservative member of

Parliament died overnight and there was a by-election. I thought, in for

a penny and in for a pound and I volunteered. I was the first ever

adopted candidate of the Ukip party. I went out there and I campaigned

and I did my best and I can tell you that on the night of the result, by

a crushing clear margin of 164 boats, I beat the Lord and did not

come last. It was difficult to get more than about 1% in a by-election

for us in those days. Things changed in 1989 with the advent of

proportional representation for the European elections. No one thought

that we had a chance. I always did. I will never forget that night that

three of us were elected and Ukip was just beginning to get on in real

terms. On the puttable map. I will not forget that amazing feeling. My

first ever live interview was by Phil, I had no media training or

anything like that. It was a live interview at 130 in the morning and

he said to me, congratulations, Nigel, you said you were going to do

it and you have. Next week, he said, you will be off to the European

Parliament and you will find in never ending round of invitations to

receptions. Do you think you will become erupted by the lifestyle? I

replied, no, I have always lived like that. -- become corrupted?

APPLAUSE At least it was true.

LAUGHTER It went on year after year. Being

part of Ukip is like a big roller-coaster life. All of the

things that happened within any political party. We first really got

on to be political big-time early in 2013. When suddenly the British

public realised that what we had to say about the taboos subjects, the

subject that we are not supposed to discuss impolite company. The

subject that new Labour raised even raising it you are committing a

criminal offence. We were not frightened to talk honestly and

openly about the need for a sensible immigration into this country. We

talked about it. And we talked about it, and it was

rapidly becoming the number one issue in British politics, and

nobody else would even touch the subject. They couldn't touch the

subject, because they were all committed to subject to European

Union, which meant the free movement of up to 500 million people. So we

got a big score at the Eastleigh by-election. We went into the county

elections that year. I remember, I was due at number four Milbank,

where all the broadcasters are, to do some interviews about Ukip

getting 23% of the national vote. As a got 100 yards from the entrance, I

saw a throng of cameramen and photographers. I thought, crikey,

something really big must have happened! And I really was quite

oblivious to just what we'd done. We won the European elections in 2014.

APPLAUSE The first party that wasn't labour

or Tory to win a national election since 1906. That's, without us there

would have been no referendum. APPLAUSE

Without you and the People's Army, there would have been no ground

campaign. Together, we've changed the course of British history.

APPLAUSE And we've brought down the Prime

Minister. CHEERING

And we've got rid of the Chancellor. CHEERING

I forget what I called him now. And we've got rid of a European

Commissioner. CHEERING

I said four years ago, I predicted that Ukip would cause an earthquake

in British politics. Well, we have. We have.

APPLAUSE So the question is, what now? We

have a new Prime Minister who has said that Brexit means Brexit. A new

Prime Minister, who, when she started, looked to be very

sure-footed on this issue. But I have a feeling that things are

beginning to change. When I saw horror at the T20, making a speech

afterwards, she said that the British Beagle voted in the

irreverent for some control of emigration from the European Union.

No, Prime Minister, we voted to take back control of our borders, simple

as. APPLAUSE

And we have Cabinet ministers like the Home Secretary, still fighting

the referendum, suggesting last weekend it might cost us 50 quid to

get a visa to go on a booze cruise to Calais. Half his Cabinet did not

only fail to support the winning side of the referendum, but it seems

to me they want to do their utmost to keep us part of the single

market. There is going to be a great political battle ahead will stop my

concern would be theirs, with Labour in the mess it's an, and boy, it's

NMS, isn't it? A leadership election going on, there's no conversation

with the Labour voters who voted for Brexit. With Labour in trouble,

either Conservatives perhaps heading towards 2020 in a comfortable and

easy possession. The temptation on the Prime Minister will be to go for

a soft Brexit rather than a hard Brexit. We can be very proud of the

fact that we won the war, but we must now win the peace. And the only

mechanism to put pressure on the Government to keep the debate live

and to make sure that those 17.4 million people get what they voted

for is for Ukip to be healthy and Ukip to be strong.

APPLAUSE We will find out at 1:30pm who are

new leader is. And I wish them, I'm guessing it's going to be a higher,

but we will see - I wish them the best of luck, and my job is not a

meddle or influence, my job will be, if that we don't want any help and

advise, then make no mistake about it, I am a crystal foursquare behind

this party and its aims. APPLAUSE

Steven Crowther has stood beside me for six years as chairman of the

party, and if you think being leader of Ukip is difficult, you want to

try being chairman of Ukip. I have to say, if at some point in time

Ukip do get recognised for their contribution to British political

life, and bearing in mind the Liberal Democrats have over 100

light years in the House of Lords... At anything like that was to come

our way, then I think, Steve, you really ought to be top of our list

everything you'd done for this party.

APPLAUSE Steve talked about reform. He talked

about change. Remember this - Ukip was a grassroots political party.

Ukip didn't have, in the 1990s, any well-known national figures. It

didn't even have any elective representatives until 99. It was a

grassroots party and we chose to manage ourselves through a national

executive committee of willing volunteers. That was fine then, but

we've mid-on, haven't we? We are the third biggest political party in

this country, we have to change our management structures and we have to

guard - because one of the problems of success is that it brings people

into the party who perhaps don't do it for all to restrict aims for the

country or its people -- Altavista games but to promote their own

professional careers in politics. APPLAUSE

So that our things that need to change. But in essence, I know from

that referendum campaign and sense, I know this party is united. I know

this party is strong. You only need to look at the by-elections week

after week in Kent that, since the referendum, Ukip is winning, and

there are millions of people out there who know identify as Ukip

voters. They believe in us, they trust us, they believe we're

speaking for them. And the might we've changed the centre of gravity

for British politics, the fact that things we campaigned on - whether it

is RAM schools of foreign aid, whatever it may be - the fact that

others are talking about it, it doesn't mean they are going to

deliver it. And it is but -- us the need to keep pushing. I don't think

the harvest of vote that we could potentially get from the Labour

Party has really even started yet. APPLAUSE

In many ways, Jeremy Corbyn is a very decent and principled man. But

he doesn't believe in Britain. He doesn't even want to sing the

national anthem! He flubbed it, when it came to the referendum. I think

we've got fantastic potential in Wales, the Midlands and the North to

pick up votes and elsewhere. It Brexit doesn't mean Brexit, then I

think there will be a very large number of conservatives who say

there is only one party we can support. We will judge whether

Brexit means Brexit, for me, on three simple measures - by the time

the next general election comes along, will they have back our

territorial fishing waters around the coast of the UK?

APPLAUSE Will we be outside the single

market? So that 90% of businesses that don't trade with Europe don't

get regulated by Europe. And above all, the acid test of Brexit, the

only time we will no - you might have seen this before, actually...

LAUGHTER The only time we will note that

Brexit means Brexit as when that has been put in the Ben and we get back

a British passports. APPLAUSE

I have a feeling that they're not going to deliver all of that. And

I'm certain they won't deliver it unless you keep strong and fighting

hard in every single constituency in this country. As I say - we'd won

the war, we must now win the peace. From my part, today closes the

chapter on what has been a pretty extraordinary few yes. I honestly,

looking back, but never really have dreamt that we would achieve what we

have. I have put absolutely all of me into this.

APPLAUSE I literally couldn't have worked any

harder all been more determined. In a sense, I guess it's been my life's

work to get this party to this point. I frankly don't think I could

do any more. I think, folks, I'd done my bit.

APPLAUSE But I'm not giving up on politics

completely. As I say, I will support the new leader. I will continue to

lead a group in the European Parliament.

APPLAUSE Sitting next to Mr Juncker... And

making my constructive contributions SPEAKS IRISH And I intend this

autumn to travel around some other European capitals to try and speak

to the democracy movement in those countries too.

APPLAUSE And, who knows, I may even go back

to the United States of America at some point between now... Sir I'm

going to be engaged in political life without reading a political

party. And it's going to lead me freer, less constrained...

LAUGHTER From now on, I'm really going to

speak my mind. APPLAUSE

I said as I toured the country on that wonderful open top bus and met

thousands of you out there, I said I want my country back, and now,

folks, I want my life back. I thank everybody for their massive

contribution of so many thousands of you to helping me do this job, to

helping us change the course of British history. Thank you.

APPLAUSE MUSIC PLAYS

HEROES BY Ladies and gentlemen, a cheer for

Nigel Farage. Hip hip hooray! Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very

much. Thank you very much. We will now break for lunch. Please be back

at 1:30pm, at which point we will announce the new leader of our

party. Thank you very much.