WB is a cable and satellite TV channel launched by Time Warner and Turner International India Pvt Ltd exclusively for India. The channel is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The channel features a mix of Hollywood movies and TV series from the WB Vault. This Warner pay channel is targeted at the upward mobile class between the age group of 15-44.

History[link]

This is the second English entertainment channel launched by Turner International India Pvt Ltd in India after HBO. While sharing a name with the current TheWB.com online destination in the U.S. and the former The WB Television Network in the U.S., WB in India is a distinct standalone channel (in ownership structure, programming offering and demographic target) unrelated to TheWB.com.^[1]

A timeshift version is available in Pakistan, with local advertisements.

Programming[link]

WB India primarily broadcasts movies but also shows the comedy series Friends late nights.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Official Press Release
• Turner, Warner Brothers to launch channel on March 15

v t e Time Warner Inc. Board of directors Herbert Allison Jim Barksdale Stephen Bollenbach Jeffrey Bewkes Frank Caufield Robert Clark Mathias Döpfner Jessica Einhorn Reuben Mark Michael Miles Ken Novack Richard Parsons Deborah Wright Home Box Office HBO (Multiplex Asia) Cinemax (Multiplex Asia) HBO Films Warner Channel (Latin America Asia India) Time Inc. Magazines All You Coastal Living Cooking Light Entertainment Weekly Essence Fortune Golf Health InStyle Life.com Money People People en Español People StyleWatch Real Simple Southern Living Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated Kids Sunset Time Time for Kids This Old House IPC Media 25 Beautiful Homes Amateur Gardening Amateur Photographer Angler's Mail Beautiful Kitchens Chat Chat - It's Fate Chat passion Country Homes & Interiors Country Life Cycle Sport Cycling Active Cycling Weekly Decanter essentials European Boatbuilder Eventing Golf Monthly Homes & Gardens Horse Horse & Hound IBI Ideal Home InStyle Livingetc Look Marie Claire (UK) Motor Boat & Yachting Motor Boats Monthly Mountain Bike Rider Mousebreaker NME Now Nuts Practical Boat Owner Pick Me Up Rugby World Shooting Times Soaplife Sporting Gun Superyacht Business SuperYacht World The Field Shooting Gazette TrustedReviews TV & Satellite Week TV easy TVTimes Uncut VolksWorld What Digital Camera Wallpaper What's on TV Woman woman&home Woman's Own Woman's Weekly Yachting Monthly Yachting World World Soccer Other Maghound Oxmoor House Sunset Books Turner Broadcasting v t e Turner Broadcasting System (a subsidiary of Time Warner) North American television Boomerang · Cartoon Network (HD/VOD/SAP) · CNN (HD/VOD/SAP) · CNN Airport Network · HLN (HD/SAP) · NBA TV1 · Turner Classic Movies (HD/VOD/SAP) · TBS (HD/VOD/SAP) · TNT (HD/VOD/SAP) · truTV (HD) · WPCH TBS Europe Boomerang Central/Eastern Europe+Europe/Middle East/Africa · France · Germany · Italy · Pan-European · Spain · UK & Ireland Cartoon Network Arab World · Central/Eastern Europe · CN Too · Denmark · Europe/Middle East/Africa · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Italy · Netherlands · Nordic · Norway · Pan-European · Russia/SE Europe · Spain · Sweden · Turkey · UK & Ireland Others Boing France · Boing Italy2  · Cartoonito · CNN Türk · CNN+ · Nuts TV · TCM UK & Ireland · TCM 2 · TCM/Cartoon Network TBS Asia Pacific Boomerang Australia · Southeast Asia Cartoon Network Australia · China (on demand) · India · Japan · Pakistan · Philippines · Southeast Asia · Taiwan HBO HBO Asia · HBO Signature Asia · HBO Family Asia · HBO Hits · MAX Asia · Screen RED Asia Warner Channel WarnerTV Asia · WB Channel India Others China Entertainment Television · CNN-IBN · Imagine TV · Lumiere Movies · Pogo · Real · TCM Asia · truTV Asia TBS Latin America Cartoon Network · Boomerang · Tooncast · Chilevisión · CNN Chile · CNN en Español · Glitz* · HLN · HTV · Infinito · I.Sat · Space · TBS · TCM Classic Entertainment · TNT · truTV International CNN International TV production/distribution Cartoon Network Studios · Turner Entertainment · Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe Internet assets Cartoon Network Video · CNN.com · CNNMoney.com · Crime Library · The Smoking Gun · Super Deluxe · bamzu Former Kids' WB · Toonami · Toonami Jetstream (50% with Viz Media) · Turner South (now SportSouth) · WRET (now WCNC-TV) For computer GameTap ^Note 1 Actually owned by the NBA, but is operated by Turner. ^Note 2 Joint venture with Mediaset. Warner Bros. v t e Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (a subsidiary of Time Warner) Feature film production Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Family Entertainment Warner Bros. Animation New Line Cinema Castle Rock Entertainment Television production and distribution The CW (co-owned with CBS) Toonzai (25%, with 4Kids Entertainment (50%) and CBS (25%)) New Line Television Shed Media (55.75%) Telepictures Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Television (Warner Horizon Television) Warner Bros. Television Distribution Warner Bros. International Television Warner Channel (with HBO Latin America Group) WarnerTV (with HBO Asia) WB Channel (with Turner International India Pvt Ltd) Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Monolith Productions TT Games Snowblind Studios Rocksteady Studios Turbine, Inc. NetherRealm Studios DC Entertainment, Inc. DC Comics imprints DC • DC Archive Editions • Johnny DC • Mad Books • Vertigo • Will Eisner Library Miscellaneous assets DC Direct Home video Warner Home Video Warner Premiere (Raw Feed) Warner Archive Collection Miscellaneous assets The WB Kids' WB! TMZ Momlogic Flixster (Rotten Tomatoes) WaterTower Music Key People Jack Warner Harry Warner Albert Warner Sam Warner Barry Meyer Website: warnerbros.com Miscellaneous MovieTickets.com Annual revenue  USD 43.6 billion (2005) Employees 87,850 (2005) Stock symbol NYSE: TWX Website timewarner.com

Kero One
Kero One Playing Fender Rhodes at a concert in 2009.
Background information
Also known as	Kero Uno
Origin	San Francisco, California
Genres	Hip hop, Rap, R&B, Electro
Occupations	Rapper, Composer/Producer, DJ
Instruments	Vocals, Keyboard, Bass Guitar, Drums
Years active	2003 - present
Labels	Plug Label / P-Vine / M.net
Associated acts	DJ King Most, Ohmega Watts, Epik High

Kero One is a Korean-American hip hop MC and producer from San Francisco, California.

History[link]

Kero One originally worked as a web designer, making 50 copies of his first single with home equipment and personal credit cards. One of the copies was purchased at a record shop in Tokyo by a Japanese DJ, who generated interest for Kero One by playing it at a club. A Japanese record label then requested 3000 copies of the single, which led to performances throughout Japan. In 2005, Kero One released the self-produced album, "Windmills of the Soul," which was named the "Best Hip Hop Album of 2006" by Remix Magazine. In 2005, he opened the office for his own label, named Plug Label. In 2009, he released his second album, "Early Believers."

Kero One's style, "has been compared to Common, Q-tip, and Kanye West, but Kero One's music is very positive and upbeat..."^[1]

Highlights[link]

1. 5th Best Indie hiphop of 2004 on MSN music.^[2]
2. 4th Most Downloaded artist on Cnet's Download.com.^[2]
3. 2nd Selling underground hiphop album on HMV and Tower Records Japan.^[2]
4. 2nd most downloaded album on iTunes Japan.^[2]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Collaborative Works[link]

References[link]

• KERO ONE - BIOGRAPHY

External images
	WMP screenshot
	cnet screenshot
	Firefox screenshot of HMV site (Underground Best Sellers)
	iTunes screenshot (Windmills of the Soul)

• Reviews of Windmills of the Soul
• Windmills of the Soul : rapnews.co.uk
• Windmills of the Soul : RapReviews.com
• Kinetic World : Lesson Six
• DJ Deckstream - Soundtrack 1.5
• Nomak Re-Calm

1. ^ Garcia, Cathy Rose A. (2009-06-15) "Rapper-DJ Kero One Makes Waves in US" Korea Times. Accessed 2009-11-05.
2. ^ ^{a b c d} [1], additional text.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kero One

• Kero One on Myspace
• Plug Label on Myspace
• Allhiphop.com review (February 26, 2006)
• Platform8470 interview April 12, 2009
• Vinas, Len; John Coyne (photos) (March 10, 2007). "KEEP IT ALIVE: An Interview with Kero One". Oh Dang!. http://www.ohdangmag.com/archive/features/keep_it_alive_an_interview_wit.html. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 

Michael Paynter (born 29 January 1986), is an Australian singer-songwriter. Paynter has released four singles, "Closer", "A Victim Song", "Love the Fall" and "How Sweet It Is", from his upcoming debut studio album, This Welcome Diversion is set for a release in 2011.

Early life[link]

Paynter began playing instruments from a young age, playing the piano at the age of seven, and learning guitar and drums by the time he was 15.^[1] At the age of 16, he began playing in touring bands across Australia. Regarding music, Paynter says that it "was always something I was going to do, because it fires up my soul like nothing else". He studied law for a year, but returned to music.^[2] Although Paynter liked law school and intends to return, he says the choice was either "tour the country and play guitar or study books", and the decision "was a no-brainer". Paynter says that playing drums makes him a better guitarist, playing guitar makes him a better keyboardist, and playing all three makes him a better singer.^[3]

Career[link]

Critics have praised Michael Paynter's voice, often comparing him to John Farnham. Paynter says the title of his debut album, This Welcome Diversion, was inspired by an advertisement in an in-flight magazine; his music career is a diversion from his original path, law.^[3] Paynter wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks on This Welcome Diversion.^[1] To record the album, Paynter traveled to Los Angeles, where he worked with producer Matt Wallace and mixer Brian Paturalski.^[4] This Welcome Diversion features performances by Josh Freese, Dorian Crozer, David Ryan Harris and John Fields.^[1]

The first single, "Closer", was described as "a soaring, hook-filled track about striving for better". Paynter wrote "Closer" in collaboration with Gary Clark, and said that he fell in love with the song instantly. He said that "it works because the chords and rhythms are so simple. It's how people are, in their heads, never where they want to be whether it's a relationship or in a career. They're always wanting to be closer to the ideal." For the album, Paynter underwent a global four month writing session, during which he also worked with Wally Gagel, Phil Buckle and Julian Hamilton of The Presets.^[1] The album's second single, "A Victim Song", was released on 15 November 2008 in Australia.^[4]

This Welcome Diversion was initially set to be released in 2008, but despite a set release date, was delayed until 2011. After the average performance of singles "Closer" and "A Victim Song", which Paynter felt "didn't have the support of radio or a strong online presence", he and label Sony agreed to delay the album's release. Paynter began touring, serving as a supporting act for Vanessa Amorosi, Newton Faulkner, Seal and The Veronicas on their Revenge Is Sweeter tour.^[5] In between tours, Sony (his label), had paid for songwriting trips to London and Los Angeles.^[5]

In June 2010, Paynter released the single "Love the Fall", which became the most added song to Australian radio in the first week of July and his first top-20 single on the ARIA Singles Chart. The single features background vocals from The Veronicas, who also appear in the single's music video. The physical release of the single, is a five track EP, which includes the single "Are You Alive?", that was used to promote the final episode of Lost. In July, Paynter returned to Los Angeles to finish his album, with a tentative 2011 release date. Paynter said of his career, "It's been a really blessing for me. I don't think many artists get to make their debut record twice. I think if most artists got the chance to do it again, they'd take it."^[5] In October 2010 Paynter supported alternative rock band The Script for their two shows in Australia.^[6]

Michael also appeared on the Gypsy Heart Tour with Miley Cyrus as special guest in Australia. He debuted his new single called "How Sweet It Is" on the tour.^[7] Michael music video will be out later this month. Michael has also said on his Facebook account that he will be going on tour later this year. "Had an amazing meeting with my agent today about a tour coming up.. Not going to say too much just yet, but there may ALSO be a whole bunch of u18's shows on the cards... PARTY!"

In late September 2011, announcements on Facebook advised that Michael was joining the Icehouse line-up for a tour supporting the band's release of the greatest hits album White Heat: 30 Hits.^[8][9]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Michael also appeared on CBBC's Prank Patrol Down Under: Magic Guitar which was aired in 2011

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Michael Paynter at Myspace
• Michael Paynter at Facebook
• Michael Paynter at Twitter

Nigel Farage MEP
Leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 November 2010
Preceded by	Jeffrey Titford
In office 27 September 2006 – 27 November 2009
Preceded by	Roger Knapman
Succeeded by	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
Member of the European Parliament for South East England
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 July 1999
Personal details
Born	(1964-04-03) 3 April 1964 (age 48) Kent, England, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Political party	UK Independence Party
Spouse(s)	Gráinne Hayes (1988-1997, divorced) Kirsten Mehr (1999-present)
Children	4
Alma mater	Dulwich College
Religion	Church of England
Website	Nigel Farage MEP

Nigel Paul Farage ( /ˈfærɑːʒ/, FARR-ahzh;^[1] born 3 April 1964, Farnborough, Kent), is a British politician and is the Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP),^[2] a position he also held from September 2006 to November 2009. He is a Member of the European Parliament for South East England and co-chairs the Eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group.

Farage is a founding member of the UKIP, having left the Conservative Party in 1992 after they signed the Maastricht Treaty. Having unsuccessfully campaigned in European and Westminster parliamentary elections for UKIP since 1994, he gained a seat as an MEP for South East England in the 1999 European Parliament Election — the first year the regional list system was used — and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009. Farage describes himself as a libertarian and rejects the notion that he is a conservative.

In September 2006, Farage became the UKIP Leader and led the party through the 2009 European Parliament Election in which it received the second highest share of the popular vote, defeating Labour and the Liberal Democrats with over two million votes. However he stepped down in November 2009 to concentrate on contesting the Speaker John Bercow's seat of Buckingham in the 2010 general election.

At the 2010 General Election, Farage failed to unseat John Bercow and received only the third highest share of the vote in the constituency. Shortly after the polls opened on 6 May 2010, Nigel Farage was injured in an aircraft crash in Northamptonshire. The two-seated PZL-104 Wilga 35A had been towing a pro-UKIP banner when it flipped over and crashed shortly after takeoff. Both Farage and the pilot were hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries.^[3]

In November 2010, Farage successfully stood in the 2010 UKIP leadership contest,^[4] following the resignation of its leader, Lord Pearson of Rannoch. Farage was also ranked 41st (out of 100) in The Daily Telegraph's Top 100 most influential right-wingers poll in October 2009, citing his media savvy and his success with UKIP in the European Elections.^[5] Farage was ranked 58th in the 2010 list compiled by Iain Dale and Brian Brivati for the Daily Telegraph.

Background[link]

Farage was educated at Dulwich College before joining a commodity brokerage firm in London. He ran his own brokerage business from the early 1990s until 2002. In his early 20s Farage was diagnosed with testicular cancer but made a full recovery.^[6]

Farage has been married twice. He married Gráinne Hayes in 1988, with whom he had two children: Samuel (1989) and Thomas (1991). In 1999 he married Kirsten Mehr, a German national, by whom he has two more children, Victoria (born 2000) and Isabelle (born 2005).^[7]

Farage has also penned his own memoirs, entitled "Fighting Bull." It outlines the founding of UKIP and his personal and political life so far.

Political career[link]

Conservative Party[link]

Active in the Conservative Party from his school days, Farage left the party in 1992 when John Major's government signed the Treaty on European Union at Maastricht.

UKIP and the European Parliament[link]

Farage became a founding member of UKIP in 1993.

He was elected to the European Parliament in 1999 and re-elected in 2004 and 2009. Farage is presently the leader of the thirteen-member UKIP contingent in the European Parliament, and co-leader of the multinational eurosceptic group, Europe of Freedom and Democracy.

UKIP party leadership[link]

On 12 September 2006, Farage was elected leader of UKIP with 45% of the vote, 20% ahead of his nearest rival.^[8] He pledged to bring discipline to the party and to maximise UKIP's representation in local, parliamentary and other elections.^{[citation needed]} In a PM programme interview on BBC Radio 4 that day he pledged to end the public perception of UKIP as a single-issue party and to work with allied politicians in the Better Off Out campaign, committing himself not to stand against the MPs who have signed up to that campaign (ten in all at this moment).

At his maiden speech to the UKIP conference on 8 October 2006, he told delegates that the party was "at the centre-ground of British public opinion" and the "real voice of opposition". Farage said: "We've got three social democratic parties in Britain — Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative are virtually indistinguishable from each other on nearly all the main issues" and "you can't put a cigarette paper between them and that is why there are nine million people who don't vote now in general elections that did back in 1992."^[9]

At 10pm on 19 October 2006, Farage took part in a three-hour live interview and phone-in with James Whale on national radio station talkSPORT. Four days later, Whale announced on his show his intention to stand as UKIP's candidate in the 2008 London Mayoral Election. Farage said that Whale "not only has guts, but an understanding of what real people think". However Whale later decided not to stand and UKIP was represented by Gerard Batten.^[10] He stood again for UKIP leadership in 2010 after his successor Lord Pearson stood down.^[4] On the 5th November 2010 it was announced Farage had won the leadership contest.^[11]

Westminster elections[link]

Farage had unsuccessfully contested UK parliamentary elections for UKIP five times, both before and after his election as an MEP in 1999. Under the 2002 European Union decision to forbid MEPs from holding a dual mandate, if he was ever elected to the House of Commons, he would have to resign his seat as an MEP.

When he contested the Bromley & Chislehurst constituency in a May 2006 by-election, organised after the sitting MP representing it, eurosceptic Conservative Eric Forth, died, Farage came third, winning 8% of the vote, beating the Labour Party candidate. This was the second-best by-election result recorded by UKIP out of 25 results, and the first time since the Liverpool Walton by-election in 1991 that a party in government had been pushed into fourth place in a parliamentary by-election on mainland Britain.

2010 UK General election[link]

On 4 September 2009 Farage resigned as leader of UKIP to concentrate on his campaign to become Member of Parliament for Buckingham at Westminster in the 2010 general election.^[12] He later told Times journalist Camilla Long that UKIP internal fights took up too much time.^[13]

He stood against Buckingham MP John Bercow, the newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons, despite a convention that the speaker, as a political neutral, is not normally challenged in his or her bid for re-election by any of the major parties.^[14]

On 6 May, on the morning the polls opened in the election, just before eight o'clock Farage was involved in a light aircraft crash, suffering injuries described as non-life-threatening. A spokesperson told the BBC that "it was unlikely Mr Farage would be discharged from hospital today [6 May]^[15] Although his injuries were originally described as minor, his sternum and ribs were broken, and his lung punctured.^[16] The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said that the aeroplane was towing a banner, which caught in the tailplane, forcing the nose down.^[17]

Farage came third with 8,401 votes. Bercow was re-elected, and in second place with 10,331 votes was John Stevens, a former Conservative MEP who campaigned as an independent accompanied by "Flipper the Dolphin" (a reference to MPs flipping second homes).^[18]

On 1 December 2010, the pilot of the aircraft involved in the accident was charged with threatening to kill Farage. He was also charged with threatening to kill an AAIB official involved in the investigation into the accident.^[19] In April 2011, Justin Adams was found guilty of making death threats. The judge said the defendant was "clearly extremely disturbed" at the time the offences happened adding "He is a man who does need help. If I can find a way of giving him help I will."^[20]

Alternative Vote referendum, May 2011[link]

Farage declared himself personally in favour of the Alternative Vote system of May 2011, saying first-past-the-post is a "nightmare" for UKIP. However, the party's stance has to be decided by its central policy making committee.^[21]

May 2012 London Mayor & Local elections[link]

In a "bizarre cock-up," UKIP forgot to put their party name on their candidate's ballot paper for the London mayoral election, 2012^[22], Laurence Webb appearing as "A fresh choice for London." Farage admitted the mistake describing it as an internal error.^[22]
Interviewed by the following Sunday by Andrew Neil and asked about "the game plan", Farage welcomed the "average 13% vote" across the country, and stated that the party was preparing for County council in 2013, European elections in 2014 and a general election in 2015.^[23] The party was no longer just a protest vote, it would have a full manifesto with policies including selective schools, help to small businesses by "getting rid of excessive labour practices" and an energy policy not based on wind turbines.^[23] UKIP was here to stay ..frankly the Tory Eurosceptics were in the wrong party and would be better off joining UKIP. Asked what would happen to UKIP if the Tories made a Manifesto commitment to a European referendum, Farage said they had already failed to honour a "cast iron" commitment for a referendum on the Lisbon treaty.^[23]

Challenging Farange's viewpoint, Neil said UKIP aspired to come top of the European elections but whilst UKIP wanted to join the big time, they were still seen as "unprofessional, amateur and even unacceptable" after their press officer called Baroness Warsi "a bitch".^[23] Farage regretted "the wrong choice of words" but further described Warsi as "the lowest grade chairman the Tory party has ever had."^[23] Neil then mocked the so called internal error which had made Farage "a joke".^[23] "The blunt truth is" UKIP "didn't win any more seats, the performance in London was terrible and they were still a one man band."^[23] Farage conceded London was a failure but they had won council seats elsewhere. He invited Tories who couldn't stand Cameron to help him.^[23]

Controversies and whistleblowing[link]

Copyright infringement[link]

In 1999 the BBC spent four months filming a documentary about his European elections campaign but didn't show it. Farage, then head of UKIP's South East office, asked for a video and got friends to make illegal copies which were sold for £5 through the UKIP magazine. Surrey Trading Standards investigated and Farage has admitted the offence.^[24]

Expenses disclosure[link]

In May 2009, The Guardian reported that Farage had said in a speech to the Foreign Press Association that over ten years as a member of the European Parliament he received £2 million of taxpayers' money in staff, travel, and other expenses on top of his £64,000 a year salary.^[25]

The former Europe Minister, Denis MacShane, said that this showed that Farage was "happy to line his pockets with gold". Farage called this a "misrepresentation",^[26] pointing out that the money had been used to promote UKIP's message and staff salaries, not his own salary, but he welcomed the focus on the issue of MEP expenses, claiming that "[o]ver a five year term each and every one of Britain's 78 MEPs gets about £1 million. It is used to employ administrative staff, run their offices and to travel back and forth between their home, Brussels and Strasbourg."^[27]

Jacques Barrot[link]

On 18 November 2004, Farage announced in the European Parliament that Jacques Barrot, the French Commissioner designate, had been barred from elected office in France for 2 years, after being convicted in 2000 of embezzling £2 million from government funds and diverting it into the coffers of his party. He claimed that French President Jacques Chirac had granted Barrot amnesty. Although initial BBC reports claimed that, under French law, it was illegal even to mention the conviction,^[28] the prohibition in question only applies to French officials in the course of their duties.^[29] The president of the Parliament, Josep Borrell, enjoined him to retract his comments under threat of "legal consequences".^[30] However, the following day it was confirmed that Barrot had received an 8 month suspended jail sentence in the case, and that this had been quickly expunged by the amnesty decided by Chirac and his parliamentary majority. The Commission's president, Jose Manuel Barroso admitted that he had not known of Barrot's criminal record when appointing him as a Commission vice-president.^{[citation needed]} The Socialist and Liberal groups in the European Parliament then joined UKIP in demanding the resignation of Barrot for failing to disclose the conviction during his confirmation hearings.

José Manuel Barroso[link]

During the spring of 2005, Farage requested that the European Commission disclose where the individual Commissioners had spent their holidays. The Commission did not provide the information requested, on the basis that the Commissioners had a right of privacy. The German newspaper Die Welt reported that the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso had spent a week on the yacht of the Greek shipping billionaire Spiro Latsis. It emerged soon afterwards that this had occurred a month before the Commission under Barroso's predecessor Romano Prodi approved 10.3 million euro of Greek state aid for Latsis' shipping company.^[31] It also became known that Peter Mandelson, then a member of the Commission, had accepted a trip to Jamaica from an unrevealed source.

Farage persuaded around 75 MEPs from across the political divide to back a motion of no confidence in Barroso, which would be sufficient to compel Barroso to appear before the European Parliament to be questioned on the issue.^[32] The motion was successfully tabled on 12 May 2005, and Barroso appeared before Parliament^[33] at a debate on 26 May 2005. The motion was heavily defeated. A Conservative MEP, Roger Helmer, was expelled from his group, the European People's Party - European Democrats (EPP-ED) in the middle of the debate by that group's leader Hans-Gert Poettering as a result of his support for Farage's motion.

Joseph Daul[link]

In January 2007, the French farmers' leader Joseph Daul was elected the new leader of the European People's Party–European Democrats (EPP-ED), the European Parliamentary grouping which then included the British Conservatives. The UK Independence Party almost immediately revealed that Daul had been under judicial investigation in France since 2004 as part of an inquiry into the alleged misuse of public funds worth €16 million (£10.6 million) by French farming unions."^[34] It was not suggested that Daul had personally benefited, but was accused of "complicity and concealment of the abuse of public funds." Daul accused Farage of publicising the investigation for political reasons and threatened to sue Farage, but did not do so though the court dropped all charges against him.

Prince Charles[link]

Prince Charles gave a speech to the European Parliament on 14 February 2008, in which he called for EU leadership in the war against climate change. During the standing ovation that followed, Farage was the only MEP to remain seated and went on to describe the Prince's advisers as "naïve and foolish at best."^[35] Farage continued: "How can somebody like Prince Charles be allowed to come to the European Parliament at this time to announce he thinks it should have more powers? It would have been better for the country he wants to rule one day if he had stayed home and tried to persuade Gordon Brown to give the people the promised referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon." The leader of the UK Labour Party's MEPs, Gary Titley, accused Farage of anti-Royalism. Titley said: "I was embarrassed and disgusted when the Leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, remained firmly seated during the lengthy standing ovation Prince Charles received. I had not realised Mr Farage's blind adherence to right wing politics involved disloyalty and discourtesy to the Royal Family. He should be thoroughly ashamed of himself and should apologise to the British people he represents."^[35]

Herman Van Rompuy[link]

After the speech of Herman Van Rompuy on 24 February 2010 in the European parliament, Farage—to protests from other MEPs—addressed the first long-term President of the European Council saying that he has the "charisma of a damp rag and the appearance of low grade bank clerk".^[36] Farage questioned the legitimacy of Van Rompuy's appointment asking "Who are you? I'd never heard of you, nobody in Europe had ever heard of you", he also asserted that Van Rompuy's "intention is to be the quiet assassin of European democracy and of European nation states."^[36] In the same speech he also referred to Belgium, the home of Van Rompuy, as "pretty much a non-country".^[37] Van Rompuy commented afterwards, "There was one contribution that I can only hold in contempt, but I'm not going to comment further."^[36] After refusing to apologise for behaviour that was, in the words of the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, "inappropriate, unparliamentary and insulting to the dignity of the House", Farage was reprimanded and had his right to ten days' allowance (expenses) rescinded.^{[38] [39]}

The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, said after his meeting with Farage:

I defend absolutely Mr Farage's right to disagree about the policy or institutions of the Union, but not to personally insult our guests in the European Parliament or the country from which they may come. [. . .] I myself fought for free speech as the absolute cornerstone of a democratic society. But with freedom comes responsibility - in this case, to respect the dignity of others and of our institutions. I am disappointed by Mr Farage's behaviour, which sits ill with the great parliamentary tradition of his own country. I cannot accept this sort of behaviour in the European Parliament. I invited him to apologise, but he declined to do so. I have therefore - as an expression of the seriousness of the matter - rescinded his right to ten days' daily allowance as a Member.^[39]

Questioned by Camilla Long, Farage declared of his speech "it wasn't abusive, it was right."^[13]

European economic governance[link]

He spoke of the EU being "German-dominated" in a speech at the European-Parliament on 18 November 2011.^[40]

Views on the euro[link]

From taking office as a UKIP MEP in 1999, Farage has often voiced opposition to the "euro project". His argument is that "a one size fits all interest rate" cannot work for countries with structurally different economies, often using the example of Greece and Germany to emphasise contrast. He predicted the need for 'bailouts' before European Commission and European Central Bank officials admitted that these steps would be necessary. Specifically, Farage predicted that Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain would all require such assistance. To date, Spain is the only predicted country that has not asked for a 'bailout'. Although Spain and Italy have both had indirect assistance from the ECB, whereby secondary government bonds are bought by the central bank, they are prohibited from purchasing new bonds. Farage warns: "You can ignore the markets if you want to, but in time the markets will not ignore you". Farage also reinforces Germany's argument that Italy "should never have joined the euro".

Farage predicts that if the situation continues it will lead to violence due to the people's inability to "determine their own futures through the ballot box" as it will become the only "logical" tool to enable them to escape from their "economic prison" i.e. the Eurozone. He proclaims "I can only hope and pray that the euro project is destroyed by the markets before that really happens."

Farage strongly opposes the use of 'bailouts' and claims that "buying your own debt with tax payers money" will not solve the problem and that, "if we do, the next debt crisis won't be a country", "it will be the European Central Bank itself".^[41][42]

Electoral performance[link]

Nigel Farage has contested several elections under the United Kingdom Independence Party banner:

• Itchen, Test and Avon, European Parliament Election 1994 - 12,423 votes, representing 5.2% of total votes cast
• Eastleigh by-election, 1994 - 952, 1.4%
• Salisbury, 1997 general election - 3,332, 5.7%
• European Parliament election, 1999 - elected member for South East England from party list
• Bexhill and Battle, 2001 general election - 3,474, 7.8%
• European Parliament election, 2004 - elected member for South East England from party list
• South Thanet, 2005 general election - 2,079, 5.0%
• Bromley and Chislehurst by-election, 2006 - 2,307, 8.0%
• European Parliament election, 2009 - elected member for South East England from party list.
• Buckingham, 2010 general election - 8,410, 17.4%

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

• 2002 Amnesty law
• Penal Code, articles L133-9, L133-10, L133-11

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nigel Farage

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nigel Farage

• Nigel Farage MEP Official website
• Nigel Farage on Twitter
• Nigel Farage Profile at European Parliament website
• UKIP MEPs Official website of the UK Independence Party in the European Parliament
• Europe of Freedom and Democracy Political group in the European Parliament