Nigel Farage racism claims have not harmed his reputation, poll finds
Claims that Nigel Farage was a racist bully during his school days appear to have not damaged his reputation among voters, according to a new poll.
A survey by JL Partners Independent It shows that one in two voters have a negative view of the Reform leader, while a third have a positive view.
But it shows that the allegations against him, which date back to his career at Dulwich College in London in the 1970s, have not damaged his overall reputation.
In fact, they suggest his approval rating has increased, albeit by just 1 percent. Four per cent of voters (one in 25) say they oppose Farage as a result of the allegations. By contrast, 5 percent (one in 20) say it changed their opinion of him from negative to positive.
JL Partners’ James Johnson compared the findings to polling conducted in America following previous allegations of personal misconduct against Farage’s right-wing ally Donald Trump.
Mr Johnson said the US president’s ratings had risen only slightly because most people formed “harsh” views of him and his supporters had “shrugged” the allegations as “overly political”. Independent.
He added that Mr Farage could benefit from a similar event.
When asked in the poll whether the allegations against Mr Farage had changed their view of him, for better or worse, 47 per cent said they already had a negative view of him and it had made no difference.
A total of 28 percent said the opposite: They already had a positive view and had not changed their minds.
Four per cent said their opinion of Mr Farage had changed from positive to negative; 5 percent said the situation had changed from negative to positive. A total of 16 percent had no opinion.
More than 20 former students of Dulwich College accused Mr Farage of holding “racist, antisemitic and fascist views” as a student.
Former Dulwich College teacher Chloe Deakin tried to stop Mr Farage, 17, from becoming headmaster in 1981 because of his “publicly racist and neo-fascist” views and this week said she stood by his actions.
He left school after his objection was ignored.
“Of course Farage directly exploited students,” Ms Deakin said. “His was the only name I remember men mentioning to me.”
He said Mr Farage’s name came up in a discussion in a class of 11- and 12-year-old pupils. “There was something about bullying and he was specifically referred to as a bully.”
Ms Deakin rejected Mr Farage’s claim that his comments at the school were nothing more than a “joke”.
He said: “The word ‘joke’ usually carries the meaning of a playful, sarcastic or good-natured exchange of ideas, but there was nothing playful, sarcastic, good-natured or reciprocal about Farage’s attacks, as former students who were subjected to them reported.”
Mr Farage has claimed responsibility for the allegations, which were first reported. GuardIt is an attempt to “smear” him. While he acknowledged that he “probably” “misspoke in my younger days”, he said he never made “malicious or malicious” statements.
He rejected demands for an apology and denied targeting anyone “directly” or with the “intent” to hurt.
Mr Farage hit back by blaming broadcasters who opposed him over allegations of double standards, and suggested programs shown by the BBC during school days in the 1970s would now be considered racist.
Mr Johnson of JL Partners said: Independent“Attacks on Nigel Farage’s past do not seem to sit well with voters. One reason for this is that views of Farage have already hardened in both directions. But it may also be that voters are simply shrugging off accusations that date back 50 years.”
“The fact that people are being more positive towards him reminds me of similar controversies in the US involving Donald Trump.
“These initiatives actually marginally improved views of Trump because voters thought it was an overly political move. Perhaps something similar is happening here with Farage.”
JL Partners surveyed 1,562 adults on December 13 and 14.
