Transcript for Who are you Mr President? Nigel Farage asks Van Rompuy

European Parliament, Brussels, 24 February 2010

Nigel Farage MEP (UKIP), President of the EFD Group

Debate: EU 2020 -- Follow-up of the informal European Council of 2010

We were told that, when we had a President, we'd see a giant global political figure:

the man that would be the political leader for five hundred million people;

the man that would represent all of us on the world stage;

the man whose job was so important that of course you're paid more than President Obama.

Well, I'm afraid what we got was you.

And I am sorry, but after that performance earlier that you gave…

And I don't want to be rude, but... but you know,

really, you have the charisma of a damp rag

and the appearance of a low-grade bank clerk.

And the question that I wanna ask...

...the question that I wanna ask... that we're all gonna ask is:

who are you?

I've never heard of you;

nobody in Europe had ever heard of you.

I would like to ask you, President:

who voted for you?

And what mechanism?

I know democracy is not popular with you lot.

What mechanism do the peoples of Europe have to remove you?

Is this European democracy?

Well I... I sense... I sense, though, that you're competent and capable and dangerous,

and I have no doubt that it's your intention

to be the quiet assassin of European democracy

and of the European nation states.

You appear to have a loathing

for the very concept of the existence of nation states;

perhaps that's because you come from Belgium,

which of course is pretty much a non-country.

But since you took over,

we've seen Greece reduced to nothing more than a protectorate.

Sir, you have no legitimacy in this job at all,

and I can say with confidence

that I can speak on behalf of the majority of the British people in saying:

we don't know you, we don't want you,

and the sooner you're put out to grass, the better.

Buzek: Well, as you said, Mr President, you wouldn't like to be rude

and I... well... I prefer to... to... to... to go ahead with the statement.

Martin Schulz, President of the 'Socialists & Democrats' group

I'm very disappointed with you, President Buzek.

It is not acceptable that in this Parliament

a group chairman not only criticise a President of the Council

but calls him a wet rag.

And I expect you, President, to call this person to order.

It is not right that this man should be able to trample over dignity of this House

and, Joseph Daul, it's not just a case of allowing the UK lo leave the EU

it'd be better for Mr Farage to resign

if the European Union and the European Parliament are such bad things in his eyes!

Thank you, President.

Just as I have said to President Farage previously, two months ago,

and today I repeat this.

This type of addresses which are character assassinations of individuals

are inadmittable in the European Parliament and

I spoke to Mr Farage about it and I pointed his attention to it.

Mr Schulz, I'd like to say that this is how I work and that's my way of going about it.

Is it personal statement?

The floor is yours.

You may not like what I say, but just consider your behaviour.

You, after the Irish people in a referendum voted ‘no’, said that

our group had opened, by supporting the ‘no’ vote, that we opened the door to fascism;

you said that we had behaved as a group in the Parliament

like Hitler and the Nazis in the Reichstag.

We've been called by Danny Cohn-Bendit mentally weak.

You know, it has to be... It can't be one way...

It is not personal statement. Mr President Farage, it is not personal statement.

I am very sorry, it was not personal statement.

We must keep order and order regulations of our Parliament.