Nigel Farage cries persecution, nobody wants to be his banker after ties to Russia

I don’t really care whether you do or not, (the truth is out there, don’t blame me if you are afraid to look it up) basically what I take from the tenor and content of your comment to my initial post on this thread is basically you saying “how dare you post something that I disagree with” the very essence of someone who lives in an echo chamber. Btw your excessive use of hyperbole to make your argument just proves how weak your argument actually is.

On GB News, they are a breath of fresh air to the increasingly biased and preachy reporting of the BBC, when they have a panel discussion they always have guests that represent both sides of the political divide. (right and left) and sometimes I find myself wanting to kick in the Tv because I’m listening to some lefty liberal talk nonsense (not always but most of the time) , but guess what, that’s what a good news channel does, gives you both sides of the issue, so you are able to decide for yourself. The alternative is to live in an echo chamber where you are only listening to people who agree with you.

Just watching Farage at Large broadcasting live from Newport, great show with audience members speaking about issues that affect them in their everyday working lives, challenge yourself my friend and dare to listen to other viewpoints.

Anyway, seeing as you feel I have nothing but snarky comments to add to this particular thread, I’ll leave you to it.

Unless we see the report, of which some was redacted, we won't know.

But if elements of it were just links to opinion pieces in The Guardian, as Farage has stated, then that hardly constitutes hard evidence.

Which is why it wasn't the reason to close the account.

However, as a private company providing private services, should they be allowed make an opinion on who they serve as a customer or not?

GB news tonight

Farage is a dickhead, but everyone should be worried about banks thinking it's okay to close a clients account because they don't like their politics.

Doesn't it make a mockery of his 'man of the people' spiel with a pint of beer in his hand? The overwhelming majority of Britons couldn't afford an account at Coutts.

Led By Donkeys - Who is Nigel Farage?

Serious question: is this a principle that should be applied only to banks? Should other service-providers also be prohibited from refusing you service because you hold political views to which they object, or is it just banks?

We already have general equality legislation, in which businesses cannot refuse you service because they object to your gender, sexual orientation, marital status, race, disability, religious belief, etc. At the time this legislation was being considered in the UK, there was some discussion as to whether political belief should also be one of the protected grounds. There was almost unanimous — and certainly cross-party — support for the view that it should not. I think you are now suggesting that this should be reconsidered.

But, if it should be reconsidered, should it be reconsidered for banks only? And, if for banks only, why?

Arguably, the need to reconsider it in relation to banks is less than in relation to other businesses. Thanks ironically to the EU, the UK already has in place legislation ensuring that everyone has access to a "basic bank account", which can only be refused on grounds related to money-laundering or the financing of terrorism. Thus it's already the law that nobody can be cut off from banking services simply because they hold unpopular political opinions.

Given that, what is the argument for saying that banks in particular should be obliged to provide their full range of services to everyone, regardless of the political opinions that they hold?

What depresses me is what this says about the UK population that loves this grifter so much, they are either ignorant (in the truest sense of the word), stupid or equally fascistic in their beliefs. I can say, been British by birth, that it is my opinion the later - rascism is endemic to a large part of the population and I speak from the experience of my own family which has a 50/50 split in support of Farage and Johnson. Its no longer "polite" to be openly racist but it simmers below the surface everywhere you look.

What makes you think the UK population loves him?

YouGov track the fame and popularity of various public figures over time. As of quarter 2/2023, Farage had a "like" rating of 26%, which ranks him between Denis Skinner (25%) and Angela Rayner (26%). By contrast, 52% of respondents disliked Farage, while only 12% disliked Denis Skinner and 29% disliked Angela Rayner. Farage, however, was better known than either of them; 96% of respondents knew who Farage was as opposed to 60% for Skinner and 72% for Rayner.

Here's how Farage compares with higher profile figures:

Fame

• Farage: 96%
• Sunak: 96%
• Starmer: 93%
• Corbyn: 95%

Like:

• Farage: 26%
• Sunak: 28%
• Starmer: 29%
• Corbyn: 30%

Dislike

• Farage: 52%
• Sunak: 43%
• Starmer: 37%
• Corbyn: 48%

(I've included Corbyn in the comparison not because he's terribly politically relevant these days but because he's a popular hate figure. But he's still better-liked than Farage.)

Basically, Farage is very well-known, but this does not result in him being well-liked. If anything, the opposite.

Is it not like the baker and the gay wedding cake?

Most right wingers felt the baker was correct as it’s their business how they run it, yet here we are, with the shoe on the other foot and most right wingers are now saying the opposite.

What also need to be reinforced constantly was that Coutts offered him a Nat West account, they didn’t deny him ALL the services.