Nigel Farage: An EU Army to face Russia?

“...if you look at Afghanistan, if you look at Iraq, if you look at Libya, and you look at the attempt to back the rebels in Syria, many of whom have now morphed into Isis, we see that our recent foreign military interventions have made things worse not better.” Debate: Preparations for the European Council meeting (19-20 March 2015)

Council and Commission statements [2014/2941(RSP)] European Parliament, Strasbourg, 11 March 2015 Source: UKIP MEPs YouTube channel.

Transcript:

Martin Schulz:

On behalf of the EFDD, Mr. Farage.

Nigel Farage:

I've been wondering why David Cameron has been slashing our (British) armed forces and won't to commit to 2%, is happy for us not to be able to defend our islands.

I think Mr Juncker has given the answer. We're going to do it at EU level. We're going to have a European army.

Now, when I raised this last year with British Deputy Prime Minister Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, he said it was a dangerous fantasy to even talk about an EU army. I hope every liberal democrat voter has heard Mr. Verhofstadt today, the leader of the European Liberals, crying out for militarisation at an EU level. Of course the truth is it is already happening. We already have a European Defence Agency. We already have EU battle groups on active service all over the world. We already have an EU navy active against the Somali pirates, and who can forget Euro Corps here in Strasbourg last year virtually goose stepping that ghastly flag around the courtyard outside.

And of course the Lisbon treaty article 28 provides for all of this. Tony Blair was right. He said: "The European Union is not a project about peace, it's a project about power." And I think Mr Juncker is trying to seize on an opportunity. We ourselves in the European Union provoked the conflict through our territorial expansionism in the Ukraine. We poked the Russian bear with a stick, and unsurprisingly Putin reacted. But this now is to be used as an opportunity to build a European army.

Mr, Verhofstadt, I know that by heckling yo increase your hits on YouTube, because otherwise nobody in Europe wants to listen to you.

Martin Schulz:

Just a moment please. Mr. Farage, just a moment please. Mr Verhofstadt, I turn to you. I have to ask you, please to calm down. You may not like this speech, but we are democrats and we listen to you too. So please do not interrupt.

Nigel Farage:

Well, we certainly are democrats, and we never shouted you down. But you always try to shout us down. The point I was making is this: the opportunity is being seized. And Mr Juncker said we must convey to Russia that we are serious. Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Juncker? We do not want any part of an EU army and I doubt the rest of the peoples of Europe do either. Thank you.

Martin Schulz:

Thank you Mr. Farage. You've exhausted your speaking time. We extended it even. Now Mr. Verhofstadt. Have we brought him back to reason? However. Well. Reason is the question of definition, I suppose. But anyway. I'm not necessarily saying that you are the expert when it comes to defining reason, but, what I can tell you is that I ask Mr. Verhofstadt to please listen to you. I hope you will continue to do so in the future. And to all of you, I would ask you also to make sure that you respect flags of what ever nature. Mr.Frunzulica, I believe you had a question. Is that right? Will Mr. Farage take it?

Doru-Claudian Frunzulica:

In fact, I would like to ask Mr. Farage, what do you think that we should have to do Mr. Farage, when Russia for example is supporting with the most modern armaments, you know, the separatists. Do we as European Union have to do something to support Ukraine. To fight in the Eastern Ukraine. Or do you think that we should have to wait to fight on the Western Ukraine, for the stability of Europe. Don't you think that we together have to send a clear message of solidarity and unity of the European Union, considering this important subject? Thank you.

Nigel Farage:

As I alreadz said in mz speech, we through our territorial ambitions provoked the overthrow of an albeit corrupt but democratically-elected leader in the Ukraine. We have provoked this crisis. Now, the question you ask is, "What do we do from here?"

I was in this chamber at the time when Libya was attacked. I heard the Liberals and the Greens scream, frothing at the mouth, for us to bomb Libya, for us to become militarily involved because we believed that would make things better.

My view, Sir, is that if you look at Afghanistan, if you look at Iraq, if you look at Libya, and you look at the attempt to back the rebels in Syria, many of whom have now morphed into Isis, we see that our recent foreign military interventions have made things worse not better.