Nigel Farage, the new leader of the Reform UK Party, which is involved in a formal pact with Jim Allister’s Traditional Unionist Voice, is on record as saying that a united Ireland is eventually inevitable.
It is far from the only striking contradiction during Mr Farage’s colourful career but it helps to demonstrate the curious history of Brexit-supporting figures in British politics when they attempt to intervene on Irish issues.
Less than two weeks ago, Mr Farage, who has unsuccessfully tried to become an MP on seven previous occasions, announced definitively that he would not contest next month’s UK general election, and his only role would be as honorary president of Reform.
On Monday, he called a press conference in London to declare that he had completely changed his mind, and not only was he was going to run for a seat at Clacton in Essex, but was also taking over as Reform’s leader for the next five years without any form of internal vote.
It was quite a U-turn for someone who made his name by loudly complaining about a lack of democracy in the European Union, but Mr Farage, as the old saying goes, has never allowed himself to be governed by the tyranny of consistency.
Back in March, Mr Allister told the TUV’s annual conference that he had signed a “memorandum of understanding” with Reform, and the two parties would run agreed candidates across Northern Ireland in the general election, although the plan was subsequently dropped when it emerged that Reform had not completed the registration process before the required deadline.
The TUV made little mention of an interview given by Mr Farage to The Irish Times last year when he said: “One day there will be a united Ireland. But it’s not on the horizon immediately. Just for practical reasons.”
When Lord Reg Empey of the Ulster Unionist Party criticised his comments, Mr Farage said it was not his problem if he had been “slightly misquoted”, and insisted he was actually both a committed unionist and a friend of the Paisley family.
The TUV made little mention of an interview given by Mr Farage to The Irish Times last year when he said: ‘One day there will be a united Ireland. But it’s not on the horizon immediately. Just for practical reasons’
Lord Empey undoubtedly summed up the true position when he said that Mr Farage was an English nationalist who was much more committed to Brexit than any concept of maintaining the union.
There are many other high profile individuals associated with the campaign to remove the UK from the EU, most notably Boris Johnson, who could be described in very similar terms.
The wider debate has reached a stage where most Irish nationalists will look at the damage caused to unionism by the contributions of Mr Farage, and fervently hope that he plays as prominent a part as possible in the forthcoming UK election.
