Nigel Farage leaves notes from Ukip conference keynote speech on lectern

The scrawled notes were the base for his 34-minute speech in Doncaster

Lizzie Dearden
Saturday 27 September 2014 16:11 BST
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Ukip leader Nigel Farage delivering his speech at Doncaster yesterday in which only one sentence was about the EU
Ukip leader Nigel Farage delivering his speech at Doncaster yesterday in which only one sentence was about the EU

Days after Ed Miliband fluffed his lines at the Labour Party conference, Nigel Farage has offered an insight into his own public speaking technique - by leaving his speech notes on a lectern.

The Ukip leader delivered his speech at his party’s conference in Doncaster on Friday in just 34 minutes and his notes were equally brief.

The two pages of scrawled points and cues were picked up by a Sky News journalist after Mr Farage left the podium.

They revealed key points including “Douglas Carswell (the defected former Tory MP) – brave October” and “whatever policies – immigration no.1 issue”.

Much of the writing was illegible but it did seem to follow the rough outline of Mr Farage’s actual speech, which was greeted with cheers and loud applause from the enthusiastic Ukip supporters gathered at Doncaster Racecourse.

He told activists the party was not about “left and right” but “right and wrong”, outlining policies aimed at traditional Labour voters, including a “luxury goods” tax, removing income tax for minimum wage earners and abolishing inheritance tax.

Mr Farage claimed that Ukip posed a threat “not just to the Conservative Party, as the papers would have you believe, we pose a threat to the entire British political class". "I'll drink to that," he added.

Just hours before delivering the keynote speech, Mr Farage told LBC radio he had not yet written it.

“I've been so busy this week I haven't yet had time to even sit down and write the speech,” he said. “That's going to happen at lunchtime. I'll work it out later.”

Here are some excerpts deciphered from the notes (emphasis by Mr Farage):

CONFERENCE SPEECH

1 YEAR ON VICTORY [ILLEGIBLE] WE DID IT

NOT EASY ESTABLISHMENT CLOSED RANKS

PAUL SYKES CAMPAIGN - STICK WITH US

EXPERTS SAID MELT AWAY - NOT

VOTING CHANGE + NEW BRAND POLITICS

Rejection of failure

DOUGLAS CARSWELL - BRAVE OCTOBER

Labour areas too - HEYWOOD + [ILLEGIBLE] JOHN [ILLEGIBLE]

DONCASTER MILIBAND ONE PARTY-STATE CORRUPTION

Voting system, child abuse - FAILURE

WE WILL BE OPPOSITION NORTH - TARGET SEATS

ROAD TO THE MANIFESTO - NOT A ONE MAN BAND

Tax - minimum wage, NHS, DEFICIT

FOREIGN POLICY FAILURE PAST - NON INTERVENTIONIST

LIBYA, SYRIA, BOMB AGAIN - NO PLAN

CAN’T WIN BOMBING

CAMERON - threat to [illegible] BRITAIN - might reprisal

WAR HOME FRONT - NEED FIGHT

5th column, radicalisation schools + PRISONS

SHARIA LAW

ONE UNITED UP

Second page

HOME FRONT TIME OF CHANGE

Scottish referendum [illegible] change - ENGLAND VOICE

UK IMPOTENT SCHOOLS, hospitals

WHATEVER policies - IMMIGRATION NO. 1 ISSUE

Numbers out of control, [illegible] GDP, Peterborough

This must change - ONLY UKIP ANSWER

We now represent hopes many people country,

UKIP positive political movement - WANT change

[illegible] Clegg - People’s Army - see positive - tomorrow

Polling - just how well we are doing

[illegible] splitting vote

Going to win seat

VOTE UKIP GET UKIP

Hold balance for referendum

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