I Hate to Say This: What if Nigel Farage Has a Point?

Farage’s anti-elite act rings hollow when he’s only using real grievances to help himself, not change the system.

Photo by Artem R. on Unsplash

Yes, you read that headline right. And no, I haven’t been abducted and replaced by a right-wing version of the Bear “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” style.

So, Brace yourselves, because here’s the hard part to admit: Nigel Farage might actually have a point (take a moment to recover from that shock).

But before you throw your phone, laptop, or tablet out the window, hear me out.

Farage has, for once in his life, stumbled upon something resembling the truth: politics is, indeed, stitched up by the elites. The real twist, though, lies in how he wields this nugget of wisdom about a very real grievance¹ to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. Because, spoiler alert, he’s not here to fix it.

Farage, in his endless pursuit of painting himself as the pint-swilling, man-of-the-people hero, loves to point out how ordinary people in this country are locked out of power. And to some extent, he is right². The reality is that the upper echelons of politics are dominated by people with money, connections, and all the subtlety of a Savile Row suit. Politics has long been a gated community, and to join, you generally need three things: wealth, education, and friends in the right places. It’s about as accessible to the average citizen as a private box at Royal Ascot. And if you happen to be working class, a person of colour, or lack a degree from the “right” university, good luck getting anywhere near the levers of power.

But here’s where Farage’s argument starts to lose steam, and his intentions become all too clear. Rather than offering any real solutions to crack open this exclusive club, Farage is simply riding the wave of justified anger to squeeze himself through the door. Like a bloke at a pub lock-in whispering “revolution” between gulps of bitter³, he has no actual interest in dismantling the system that gave him his platform. Instead, he’s repackaging himself as the anti-elite hero while ever so quietly reinforcing the very system he claims to despise.

Now, in case it’s not abundantly clear already, Farage is no outsider⁴. A former commodities trader with friends in all the right tax havens, he’s more entrenched in the elite than most of us will ever be. Yet he’s managed to weaponise a genuine grievance - that politics has become inaccessible - to manipulate people into cheering him on as if he’s leading a working-class uprising. It’s the political equivalent of a fox giving a lecture on chicken safety.

Let me not pussyfoot around this - if Farage truly wanted to hand power back to the people, we’d be talking about real changes - actual, tangible measures to make politics accessible. How about slashing the exorbitant costs of running for office, which effectively bars anyone without deep pockets from standing⁵? Or breaking up the media monopoly so the likes of Rupert Murdoch don’t get to spoon-feed their agenda to millions? Farage is, of course, not advocating for any of that. No, no - he’s far too busy riling people up against immigrants and the “liberal elite,” as though it’s the migrants working in the NHS, or the slightly left-leaning social media personality who’ve been calling the shots this whole time.

If we really want to make politics accessible, we need to start by tackling the structural barriers that keep people out. Money, as ever, is a prime culprit. Campaigning costs are sky-high, meaning only those with significant resources - or connections to donors with deep pockets - can afford to stand. A bit of state-funded campaigning, maybe? Give people from all backgrounds a genuine shot? Don’t hold your breath waiting for Farage to bring that one up.

Then there’s the media stranglehold. Right now, we live in a world where a handful of powerful outlets shape public opinion, often bending over backwards to prop up people like Farage (if not actively laying out the red carpet). If we were serious about democracy, we’d be breaking up that monopoly, funding public media, and supporting independent journalism. But funnily enough, you won’t hear Farage calling for Murdoch’s empire to be reined in.

And then there’s education - specifically, political literacy⁶. If people are going to hold power to account, they need to understand how power works. But educating people about their rights and the structures they live under? That would risk them seeing through Farage’s populist smoke and mirrors. So, of course, he’s not championing that either.

What about simply changing the culture of politics itself? For too long, it’s been unwelcoming, unkind, and inaccessible for anyone who doesn’t fit a very narrow mould. The corridors of power are lined with people who think diversity means letting in a second Old Etonian, or who think a “strong voice” in politics means “someone who can shout about immigrants.” Farage has absolutely zero interest in making these spaces more inclusive; his brand relies on keeping them as unpleasant as possible for anyone who’s not a card-carrying member of his tribe.

The irony, of course, is that Farage has made his career bemoaning elites while using every privilege available to him to gain influence. He’s not trying to level the playing field; he’s trying to widen the divide, pitting working-class people against each other while he and his ilk carry on doing precisely nothing to change the system. In the end, he’s not offering real empowerment - just outrage dressed up as action, a shiny distraction from the fact that people like him are part of the problem.

Imagine if we actually cracked open the exclusive club that is British politics. Imagine a system where wealth wasn’t a prerequisite for a seat at the table, where political literacy was standard, and where the media actually reflected a diversity of views rather than one narrow slice of society. It would mean empowering the very people Farage claims to represent. But, of course, that’s not on his agenda, because it would mean he’d have to cede some of the spotlight he so desperately craves.

So, yes, Nigel, you’re right⁷ - politics has been held by the elite for too long. But forgive us if we don’t buy your act. You’re not here to dismantle the gates; you’re just here to paint them a different colour. If we want real change, we’ll have to look beyond the Farages of the world - beyond the opportunists who shout about the elites while quietly slipping into their ranks. Because real accessibility in politics will only come when we stop letting charlatans play working-class hero, and start dismantling the structures they hide behind.

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If you found this piece on Farage's elite charade eye-opening (or at least a bit entertaining), my book Bear Necessities of Politics and Power goes even deeper into the world of political power and ideologies. It’s your “delightfully unorthodox” guide to understanding the ideologies and structures that influence our lives every day - and it might just help you spot the next opportunist trying to play “man of the people.”

1. Grievances - Farage has never met one that he can’t weaponise.

2. Urgh.

3. We all know that guy.

4. He can drink as many pints of Stella as he wants and actually go to Clacton once in a while, but the fannywobble about his Coutts account showed him for exactly what he is.

5. Around £11k across all seats, around £120k if you’re a Tory.

6. Political Literacy that may one day be improved by a certain book that’s out there…

7. Urgh.