It’s no secret in
Brussels that
Nigel Farage and his merry band of
Brexit Party MEPs are fond of a cringeworthy stunt.
The European Parliament had barely returned in July when the group tried to stir up trouble by turning their backs while the EU’s Anthem to Europe was played.
So it wasn’t exactly a shock when the Brexit Party decided to mark Farage’s final speech as an MEP (which he used to repeatedly slam the EU) by enthusiastically brandishing Union Jack flags.
“We know you’re going to miss us,” Farage told parliament (despite people shouting the exact opposite at him).
“I know you want to ban our national flag, but we’re going to wave you goodbye...,” the Brexit Party leader said, before his mic was cut off. Unsurprisingly, Mairead McGuinness – the first vice-president of European parliament – was pretty unimpressed with this little production.
“Please sit down, resume your seats,” she told Brexit Party MEPs.
“Put your flags away – you’re leaving – and take them with you if you’re leaving now,” McGuinness added, sparking applause from sections of parliament.
But she wasn’t the only one left cringing at Farage and his attempt at a dramatic exit. Dear EU: these embarrassing, awful, blinkered, jingoistic, Little
England arseholes have nothing to do with me https://t.co/XZ2kDZ8lj5— Marina O'Loughlin (@MarinaOLoughlin) January 29, 2020This is embarrassing https://t.co/LQIh7Eqpnz— Ellie Goulding (@elliegoulding) January 29, 2020You had to invent oppression and pretend you’re getting your freedom from an institution by voting your way out of it. Absolute cringe fest!— Lord Redmond Grinchly (@lord_redmond) January 29, 2020i sat in that parliament as a teenager during a school trip, wearing a "LAUGH, LIVE, DANCE, FCUK" t-shirt, and even that wasn't as shaming as this— Hannah Jane Parkinson (@ladyhaja) January 29, 2020You’d swear the EU had imprisoned them. https://t.co/Dv8wAZarly— Louise McSharry (@louisemcsharry) January 29, 2020Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party. Charmless and graceless to the very last. Consistent, I suppose— John Crace (@JohnJCrace) January 29, 2020So embarrassed for us https://t.co/jvmYb5Hhvo— Hadley Freeman (@HadleyFreeman) January 29, 2020If your aim was to embarrass the nation then you’ve succeeded.— Matchdata (@matchdatacouk) January 29, 2020Farage’s speech came on the same day that European parliament ratified Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, making the UK’s exit from the EU on Friday inevitable.
The vote marked the end of Britain’s 47-year-long membership of the bloc.
The moment sparked emotional scenes in the chamber among Remainer MEPs, who sang Auld Lang Syne and held aloft scarves bearing the words “always united”.
But tweets from the Brexit Party’s Martin Daubney suggest that he and his colleagues were already in the party spirit ahead of the Britain’s departure from the EU on January 31.
“It’s a carnival atmosphere for jubilant Brexiteers,” he wrote, posting a video of MEPs at the bar. Say what you like about us Brexiteers but we know how to have a good knees-up!Superb fun at this historic moment with @Nigel_Farage @Michael_Heaver #CheersBrexiteerspic.twitter.com/JQboIjZYm6— Martin Daubney MEP ➡️ (@MartinDaubney) January 29, 2020It’s a carnival atmosphere for jubilant Brexiteers! @brexitparty_uk 👏🏻🇬🇧🥰 pic.twitter.com/nf97v9F8ZV— Martin Daubney MEP ➡️ (@MartinDaubney) January 29, 2020Related... Brexit Officially Unstoppable As European Parliament Ratifies Boris Johnson's Deal The UK's New MEPs Have Arrived In Brussels – And They're Already Causing Carnage