How Nigel Farage Won Brexit

Thank you for being here in Senator Cruiz. I have to thank you for not only being a number one podcaster in America but also apparently a very good booking producer, because you brought your friend Nigel alone. Well, and this was pure happenstance. So Nigel came and joined the Republican conference for lunch, and he was talking to us about Brexit. He was talking about his incredible leadership and bringing that about. It was absolutely fascinating. And so I walked up to

afterwards and said, well, look we're doing this podcast. Can you come join us? And boom hereis. I am so glad that you were able to come because this is going to sound like a very stupid question, but I thought in twenty sixteen, the UK votes for Brexit they're going to leave the EU. Then for some reason it doesn't happen eighteen twenty nineteen now or in twenty twenty it finally happens. What is the Brexit and even what is the European Union? Well, it's a great question, and

thanks guys, it's great to be here. I you know, I spent most of my business life before politics working for American companies. So I know a lot of Americans, a lot of smart, well off Americans, and they've never quite got what the European Union was. It kind of thought it was a bit like NAFTA, but it isn't.

The European Union is a political union, and a member state that joins it gives up its sovereignty, gives up the authority of its supreme court to another court somewhere else, accepts the fact that most of its laws, rules and regulations are made somewhere else, and that the electors in a general election cannot vote to change any of that legislation. You effectively become, we became a satellite of this new

entity called the EU. And of course they've got their own flag, they've got their own anthem, and guess what the people who run it. The commissioners are not voted for but the people and can't be removed by the people. Now, this happens slowly, it evolved over time. It was sold to us as being this is simple, it's trade, it's good for business, just an economic and don't worry your

little heads about it. It'll all be fine. And you know, thirty years ago, thirty years ago, I looked at this and thought, well the hell, I mean, what did what did we fight two World Wars for if it wasn't for us to be free, independent, sovereign people. And that was where my crusade started. So it was a political union and Brexit. I'll tell you what Brexit is in one word, independence, you know, a simple as that verile

as that. There is a kind of parallel over here, I think, because it's not just that there is this fight for sovereignty, this fight for having your own nation, that's going on in the UK, it's happening throughout Europe, and it's it's happening here in the United States. Well it's the same battle, isn't it. It's actually really interesting because you know, the other side call us nationalists. You know, we're all very narrow and hidden and we hate everybody

around the world. And the truth of it is that actually what's going on here is there is a movement, a movement of those of us who believe that the nation state run democratically is the right model by which we should live, and that within that framework we trade with each other, we cooperate with each other, we share defense, intelligence,

and do many other things with each other. And I find it fascinating that it's almost like a family of us coming together who are fighting back against and you know, it is called globalism. And they want to do away with the nation's state. They want us to be ashamed of our countries rather than proud of them, and they want a massive transfer of power from democracy to bureaucracy. And the great thing is, the great thing is, and it started in twenty sixteen. And let me just say this.

We nearly always copy everything you guys do. Anything America does. We follow good things and bad things, but you know, trends, fashions, whatever it is, we always follow you guys. This time you followed us. Brexit came first, the Trump Revolution came afterwards. And the reason we're sitting here talking about this and

the three and a half years went by. It is because the establishment refused to accept the result of the referendum, right, and we have had the most titanic political battle in our country since the seventeenth century to make sure the will of the people actually got obeyed. And you know what, on the thirty first of January at eleven pm, I was there in Parliament Square. There were one hundred thousand

people there. And you know, you guys think the English are very reserved, they weren't at eleven o'clock and people were cheering and going mad. And we've got you're saying, perhaps the pine or two was flowing. I think I was certainly down end of the carpel. But and this is a major historic moment. Yes, I don't think it's just an historic moment for the United Kingdom. Listen, this is the beginning of the end of the European Union.

Do you think this this will lead to other countries leaving? Absolutely, And with the end of the European Union, we get the end of the globalist project. Now, that doesn't mean they won't always keep on fighting. They will because you will always get you through history, mankind, those that want to dominate everybody else. But this, this is a big moment in our history. So let's let's stop for a minute, and let's let's go back to how this came to pass um, When when did the UK join the ear

and how did Brexit start? When when did you arrive in the European Parliament? And take us back to the beginning of the Brexit movement, not today, but where it got started. Okay, in eighteen seventy. The Germans, by the way, I love when I say take us back eighteen seventy, Well, that's almost modern. Were a pretty old country eighteen seventy. In the United States, where we say take us back, it's seven eighteen seventy. The Germans invade across the Rhine.

Nineteen fourteen, the Germans invade across the Rhine. Nineteen forty, the Germans invade across sing A Pan. Now there is a very bad joke I'm going to tell you. I asked a restaurant her in Strasbourg once, I said, you get many Germans there? All? We said, you know, they pop by once every twenty five years. But here's the point. Hard to park the tanks, absolutely, but here's the point.

You know, this, this endless battle over territory between France and Germany led to world wars, led to hundreds of millions of deaths, and the thinking post war was we need to get the French and Germans together round the table to break bread. And the truth of it is, the more business, the more trade we do with each other, the less likely we are to hate each other and fight each other. So the original concept that we have

a Europe that comes together was absolutely right. Unfortunately, those innocent beginnings turned into the attempt to build a new state. Right to build, and they wanted their own military, and they now want their own army, they want their own air force and all the rest of it. And so what they've done is the ancient nations of Europe are now being consumed, having their identities taken away. The democracy

is taken away. And missus Thatcher, missus Thatcher, who initially had gone along with the European project believing that it was about she was your version of Ronald Reagan. Sometimes absolutely and you know, I mean, listen, when Margaret took over the United Kingdom, we were a socialist country. We had top rate income tax of eighty three percent. It's almost hard to believe the state we got into well, and she explained, then the problem with socialism is eventually

you run out of other people's money. Absolutely, absolutely, which is a message, by the way, Bernie Sanders and some American politicians could do to learn. Oh I love Bernie Sanders. Why do you love? I want to give some money to his campaign. Listen, if Bernie is the nominee, then you guys are just going to walk it in November fifty seven states. We're gonna win Greenland. But but but but I will say, God help us if he wins

in November. Yeah. But the truth is, and we're seeing this across the whole of the Western world that the left parties are going further left right. They delight their own echo chamber, right, but actually the middle of our country is looks at this stuff and says, do you know what, We're not having this. So I think Bernie would be very very well, you know. I actually this

brings up an interesting point. I want to get to something where I think you agree on most of it, but I think you disagree a little bit on some of the particulars, and that is moving past Brexit to the Huawei controversy. Yeah, okay, let me just finish off, okay. In that day eight Margaret Thatcher sussed what the European project was. She sussed it, yeah, all right, because the European Community was about to change its name to the European Union. And Margaret sussed it. She blew the whistle,

and they got rid of her because of it. They got rid of it because of it because all the big business, all the big banks, and all the big money wanted it to go in that direction. And ever since she was gone, the Conservative Party in Britain ceased to be conservative, ceased to be conservative and gave away your sovereignty. It's a word you used earlier that I think goes really to the heart of what this is about,

which is who's in charge. And the most fundamental notion of the American Constitution begins with the words we the people, because sovereignty belongs to the people. And look as I look at at the ear the sense I make a Brexit is the British people should decide the laws for Britain and not the damn French, and not the Germans and not anybody else. And that's that's basic sovereign. That's

who's in charge, not some anonymous bureaucrat. And of course what we haven't even mentioned is we lost control of our borders as well. So in the early nineties, you know, I joined, I started, I hope to start a rebellion. And the rebellion was against the entire British establishment. It was against the Labor Party, it was against big business, but it was against the Conservative Party. And how far out was it at the time, Like when you started it, how much of with all due respect of a loon

did they think you were? Oh, people used to say, I don't know what you're smoking, Niger, but I'd like some of itzy. I campaigned all through the nineteen nineties, and I think at many times during that period, you know, beginning to look a bit like the patron saint have lost causes. But I first got elected to the EU Chamber in nineteen ninety nine, so nearly twenty one years.

I was there until January the thirty first, and we just slowly but surely developed momentum and in the end, in the end, in twenty fourteen, in the European elections, I led UKIP. We won the election UKIPS the UK Independent. It was the first times it's nineteen o six that a party had won a national election that wasn't labor or Conservative. It was a shock wave and David Cameron was the Prime Minister and he could see that I was destroying his conservative parson, I mean in the country,

because he wasn't their conservative on anything right. And so in the end, in the end, in an effort to save himself and to save the Conservative Party, he said, we'll give you a referendums. That's how it came to be. As I say, we had the referendum, we won the referendum. I thought it was all done and dusted. I'm all great, fabulous, I can get on with the rest of my life. We then got betrayed again because they didn't give you the Brexit that the people voted. They just didn't want

to deliver it. They didn't want to deliver it. And and say then we had to refight the battle again in twenty nineteen, which I did. I set up the Brexit Party, and within six weeks of founding it, I won the European elections and the Conservative Party got less than ten percent of the vote, their worst result in two hundred years. And the very next morning before the results were out, Theresa May resigned as Prime Minister. So I can say with some you know, it's sort of

quite a boast. I suppose that I have got rid of two British primis, and now we've got and now we've got Boris. And you know, at the moment he's keeping all his promises at the moment the negotiating positions.

So that's good. I couldn't be happier with that. I mean, Nigel, help help help an American understand why Brexit matters to the man in the street, why Brexit matters to a British shopkeeper, What what's different in your life as a result, First and foremost, you know, if you believe in your nation, and if you believe in your flag, and if you believe in your identity, and you believe in your history, and you believe in what your grandparents generation did for

freedom and liberty, not just in your country but in the rest of Europe too, then the desire to be independent, that, the desire to be free is something ted you can't put a price on. You can't put a price on now if I'm running a small business, and don't forget Napoleon called us a nation of shopkeepers. Well, he thought, funny, isn't it, which I consider high praise two hundred years ago the threat the French thought it was an insult

to say the bridge was thought of entrepreneurs. But if I'm running that business, all right, every rule and regulation that affects me, from employment law to health and safety at work, to environmental law, whatever it may be, all of that law has been coming to me from the European Union. And there's no political party I can vote for at elections that will change. There's no accountability that

they can with Brexit. We can have proper fights, proper arguments, proper debates about how many people should come into our country, what we should do with environmental law. So, actually, if I'm that shopkeeper, you mean you actually have democracy? Isn't it amazing? Isn't it remarkable? You know? And to think to think that, you know, Westminster, that amazing palace of Westminster that we and call by so many the Mother of Parliaments, had given all that away. Well, and Nigel, look,

this is a consistent pattern in Britain. In the US, leftists hate democracy because when the people can choose, they don't choose what the leftists want. So they want an institution they can dominate of faceless, soulless bureaucrats ye to govern and rule. This is about power and who has power, but also also about their sort of supposed moral authoris because they think they're better people than us. Yes, they genuinely think they're better people than us. They really better.

They know better how to run our lives than we the peasants. Well, this is that's why it comes down to. When Brexit happened, it was so interesting because Americans loved it. American conservatives were cheering you on. I mean, we were so excited, and I thought, all right, tell us about your farewell speech. Oh yes, So so I've done two farewell speeches, because the first was in twenty sixteen, after the referendum, And that was what I That was what

I got up. I thought, well, maybe today they'll treat me with some respect own. Oh I got up and five hundred people started booing and jeering, And that was what I thought. I'm gonna let it. I'm just going to dad a lot today's And that's when I said. When I came here eighteen years ago, I said to you I would lead a campaign to take Britain out

of the European Union, and you all laughed at me. Well, I said, you're not laughing now, oh yeah, that was But but but the last, the last last speech, which we knew was the end, properly the end. And I thought, look, you know, let's let's let's let's leave. Let's go sort of a little bit cheerfully. So we had our little union jacks and were saying goodbye, and the humorless, faceless, ghastly bureaucratic woman who was in the chair cut my microphone off. So you're waving the British flag and it's

it's it's almost like you're holding a cross up to vampire. Absolutely, yeah, yeah, because they hate the nation state. They want to abonish the nations. Say. Anyway, she cut the microphone off, which has never happened to me in twenty one years there and we will not cut your microphone off, well not yet. And she said, oh, you're leaving anyway, take your flags and go. And you know something, that's what we did.

Let senator, I want to know from your perspective as an American, as an American senator, what Brexit means for us, because I think we were cheering it on in many ways because so many of the frustrations you're describing we feel here in America. Look, I think it is a powerful statement of sovereignty and of independence. It is shaking off the yokes of a tyrannical government that's not listening to the people. And you know, I think back to when you had the referendum and Barack Obama came over

there and lectured the British people. He condescended and you know what you talk about thinking you're someone's intellectual better. Barack Obama, just like the mandarins that run the EU, believed he was the moral and intellectual better. And I remember thinking, gosh, that can't be good for the forces that want to stay in the EU to have Obama condescending and hectoring the British voters. It was the way

it was. There was a big BBC interview, and it was the way he just looked down his nose at the country has been your closest friend and ally for a hundred years, with whom we've spent much blood and treasure, you know, and been through some tough times and some good times together. It was shocking. It was shocking. We would go to the back of the line if we dared to leave the EU and see it and see I'll admit it. At the time, so I was rooting for Brexit, but I kept my mouth shut at it

because it wasn't my responsibility. What I said at the time is, you know what, this is a determination for the British people. If they choose to leave the EU, that's a decision of national sovereignty. They have the right to make that choice. But who am I to tell them how they should decide this. This is a decision for the British people. And you know what, we wouldn't appreciate Boris Johnson coming over and telling us how to run our country, and so we shouldn't. We should show

you that same respect. It was a big mistake. It was a huge miscalculation. Cameron thought it was the absolute ace card in the pack. In fact, the British people were revolted by Obama and I think he sort of added one about one percent to our scores. They were quite great. I mean, look going on from here, I mean, look, you know, we we're the biggest investor in the USA, with the biggest davisas investor in your country. You're the biggest saversas investor in our country. We share a language,

all right. I know we sound a bit different, but we share a language. Not everyone can have us refined an accent and were quite and we have an amazing shared history. Although there is the complaint from my fair lady of why can't the British teacher children how to speak? We have shared intelligence. We have been You're the big guys. But without the two of us, NATO wouldn't even exist, all right, And going on, there's real work to do on organizations like NATO UM and so there's so many

opportunities now between us. You know, we should be buying Levi's jeans and Harley Davison's without tariffs, and you should be buying Jaguarmodic cars and Scottish whiskey without charlish. I could serious that it's not difficult. You didn't bring any schedule. I do. But but here's the problem. Here's the problem,

and you touched on it earlier. Despite my being joyous at where we are and with Brexit, and I now want to go out around the rest of Europe and spread the rebellion because I know I now want Europe to leave the EU and that's my next. By the way, who's next, Well, that depends, that depends on the economics of it. It could be it could be Italy or Greece the next time we have a serious economic downturn because they're in the wrong currency. The Euro is great

for Germany. Yeah, it's great for Germany. Not so great for Italy because they've got a devalued currency effectively, so it's very good for them, setting motor cars into America and everything else. Well, I'm also sharing the frustrations of the Eastern European. Well I was, and this is so, this is interesting. The West of Europe led culture, but the French has become fanatical about multiculturalism and a whole

series of very very woke type issues. Listen, these Hungarians and these Poles are very traditional countries, very Christian countries, very proud of their identity. I mean, goodness me, these countries have suffered under communism, Nazism, Millions of their people have been extermination, so via tanks are a real memory. Absolutely, and you know it's only thirty years ago, right that

they broke free. And suddenly you've got bureaucrats in Brussels telling them who consider on their High Court that what to do about gay marriage and many other issues. So you know, you've got the economic North South split, You've got the cultural East West split. I don't know who's next. All I do know is that the phenomenal opportunities that we've got to bring back together the English speaking people's

of the world. I mean, this is what Churchill used to talk about, and you know what, he was absolutely right then and it's absolutely right now. But I do fear that Boris Johnson's decision to with our Huawei into our into helping to build our new fibers. Way is this Chinese technology company. Yeah, it's a Chinese technology but here's the point, there's no such thing in China as a private company. You know, this is a communist state, a communist dictatorship. I'd say Boris's decision on Wawi at

the minute has put things on hold. I mean, for example, there is no there is no date in Madari for Boris Johnson to come and visit Trump at the White House. Now this should this should have been happening very very quickly. I even worry that with Huawei on the scene, where the Congress at the moment would even pass because the should be separate. But are they. Yeah, So let me explain this a little bit. Huawei is this giant telecom company that is owned and controlled by the Chinese government.

The Chinese government is investing billions in building a global surveillance network, and they come to countries all over the world and and and they offer incredibly cheap telecom equipment. And it's a little bit like the drug dealer that shows up at a junior high and says, just try. That's what Huawei is doing. Wow. And the the reason they're doing it, they're not doing it to make money.

They're doing it to install surveillance equipment. Britain unfortunately, just announced that they're going to install Wahwei equipment on some of their telecom infrastructure. One of the big problems with that. So there is this thing called five Eyes. What is five Eyes means? Five Eyes is an alliance of five countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

And we share the most sensitive intelligence and security. So if we intercept communications between the Russians and the Chinese, we share that amongst ourselves. Now here's the problem. From from from US national security perspective. If Wahwei equipment is installed in the UK, we've got a serious problem sharing our intelligence with the UK. And listen, we are strong friends of the British. We will remain strong friends of

the British. But but if, if, if I hope the British government reverses its decisions on Huawei, and if they don't, I think we will have to reevaluate the five eyes relationship. And I'll tell you right now, four eyes are better than six eyes, right right, you don't want that six eyes. That's a great quote. And I'm going to take that home with me. I'm going to make sure three British media and British conservative politicians understanding hear that message loud

and clear. This is a mistake. It needs to be reversed. We love and trust the British. Yeah, but we were not interested in having our most sensitive intelligence intercepted by the Chinese and read by the Chinese communist governments. You know, we have just about a minute left, and I'm sorry we haven't even gotten to the most important issue. I know. This is the one we've been on the edge of our seats about. We've talked about Brexit. We have to

talk about Mexo. Meghan Marco breaking up your royal fan. Look, you know, Harry, he's not the easiest of lives, you know, and some tough things happening. He found his way in the world. He joined the arm He loved the army. He did two tours of Afghanistan. He held some very distinguished positions, Captain General of our raw Marines and many other things. And then he married Megan. I'm sorry. If you're born into wealth and privilege in the royal family,

you're also born into duty. And they told the Queen they wanted to keep the royal titles, go to the West coast, to la and make money, not do any royal engagements. They wanted to, as we say in England, have their cake and eat it. And the Queen, at nearly ninety four years old, has put her foot down and said God save the Queen, and said, you no longer can call yourselves he isn't her Royal Highness. You no longer effectively are members of the royal family. You

are private citizens. Now get on an aeroplane and go off to the West coast, go off to Vancouver Island. Go off to La because we don't want you here anymore. Isn't the Queen truly wonderful? She is so wonderful. I was wonderful because we couldn't have we couldn't have our monarchy being devalued like and becomes so primiss on a personal level, How genuinely pissed do you think they are

at each other? Oh? Listen, the Queen is old enough to have lived through our disastrous short reign of Edward the Eighth, who, of course, as we found out later, was a Nazi sympathizer and many other things, and the Royal family got rid of him, banished him. He lived in Paris for the rest of his life. And I think she takes the view that Harry and Megan, if they stayed in the United Kingdom, would do the Royal

family immense damage. And for anyone that's watched The Crown in a couple of years time, this will be the best episode ever. Yeah. Well, I will say though, seeing them power around with with with with Hollywood liberals, I apologize for the impact of our country. You're welcome to him, all right. Well, now that we've at least touched down the most important topic, I think we have got to let you go. Thank you, Nigel Farage, Thank you so

much for being here, Senator. Thank you for having such illustrious friends and giving the vantage of a US senator to the man who just broke the European Union. We'll have to cause a little bit more trouble on future episodes. That is our show on Michael Knowles. This is Verdict with Ted Cruz. This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz is being brought to you by Jobs, Freedom and Security Pack, a political action committee dedicated to supporting conservative causes, organizations,

and candidates across the country. In twenty twenty two, Jobs Freedom and Security Pack plans to donate to conservative candidates running for Congress and help the Republican Party across the nation.