He's main argument was we can not continue to have uncontrolled open borders... immigration puts extra burden on our NHS, roads and other services. That doesn't make him a racist
If we could put a reasoned argument against his main view, he would never have won. Unfortunately we couldn't, deep down we know we can not keep going with our immigration policy
I wasn't specifically taking about his views on immigration but here are some of the lies and deliberate misinformation he spouted on live national TV during the campaign.
1) "The US exports more to the EU than the UK without having open borders or a trade deal". No surprise there since the US economy is 625% bigger than the UK's.
2) He quoted Rob Wainwright, British director of the European law enforcement agency Europol as saying that 5,000 Jihadist militants had entered the EU among all the migrants from Syria and Iraq. Wainwright immediately refuted this saying Farage had misquoted him and Farage's claim had "no basis in fact". His actual quote was that 5,000 militants, converted to the cause in Europe, had left Europe to go to Syria and Iraq, not vice versa. Challenged by Andrew Neill the following day Farage just sat there beaming his smug shit eating grin saying "Oh, he's backtracking now". No Nigel. He wasn't backtracking. He was calling you a liar.
3) He mentioned that people were worried about the effect of leaving the EU on British manufactured car exports. Without pausing for breath he said that only 12% of our production is exported. The actual figure for car exports is 80%.
4) When in debate with an audience member about Switzerland's single market trade deal with the EU that requires Switzerland to have open borders he replied that Switzerland had just had a referendum that voted against open borders "As you well know". He then turned away to signal the end of that discussion and moved on. What he didn't add was that a) the EU rejected the Swiss referendum result because it breaches the terms of the single market trade agreement and b) that there's no way that Switzerland, or any other country, can unilaterally change the terms of such an agreement.
5) After all the hype by the Leave campaign that the £350 million a day contribution to the EU (itself misleading because it's not the nett figure) would be spent on the NHS instead, on breakfast TV the morning the result was announced he backtracked saying it wasn't his poster and the Leave campaign had made "a mistake". Strange that he only disowned it after the referendum result was confirmed but not once during the campaign despite having ample oppotunity to do so.
6) After giving the clear impression that leaving the EU would lead to a reduction in immigration he and his chums similarly backtracked by saying they hadn't promised to reduce immigration only "control" it.
7) As for his own immigration poster that embarrassed the rest of the Leave campaign...
