UK Edition
When negotiating in a tricky separation one needs to keep calm, but when Nigel Farage spoke in the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week it was as if a herd of bulls had been driven straight through the china shop. He is certainly not being a friend to the UK negotiators.
The morning had been set aside for an exchange on Brexit negotiations and over 60 MEPs from all across Europe were scheduled to take part. Speaking time is strictly limited and many more of us would have liked to have given our view. The debate started off with serious issues. Colleagues raised questions on citizens rights for both UK and EU citizens, and on Northern Ireland and its land border with Ireland. They asked about future cooperation with Europol on security matters, and the scientific collaboration between great British universities and their counterparts across Europe. These are all important for both the UK and the EU.
As a group leader Farage always gets called. He took to the floor and accused MEPs of behaving like the Mafia. When rebuked by the Italian President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, he jibed back saying that he understood national sensitivities and offered up "gangsters" as an alternative. The crowd of Ukip members behind him started baying and jeering at those across the floor. MEPs from other countries usually keep their cool but were provoked to retaliate. As a British Conservative I sat stuck in the crossfire.
Of course I am not surprised by his tone, Mr Farage’s regular interjections in debates are often sprinkled with inappropriate comments. He gives the excuse that he is "speaking plain English, on behalf of the everyday working man". That’s his pitch but why has he been allowed to get away with it for so long?
Brexit is happening. For better or worse the British people voted to leave the European Union last June. Article 50 has been triggered, the Prime Minister kept her promise and started the process of the UK leaving by the end of March. In the European Parliament debate on Brexit resolution, EU negotiator Michel Barnier has called for amicable agreement on exit terms, so trust can be built for future relationship.
So why is Mr Farage making mischief? Bandying about flagrantly offensive comments about his colleagues will not woo them into agreeing a better deal. The question therefore is whether Mr Farage even wants these negotiations to succeed. Is he that wedded to the idea that only the World Trade Organisation model will work that he is trying to scupper any other form of deal? It certainly appears so.
When it comes to the interactions that David Davis and his team have with Michel Barnier, of course there will be times when negotiators disagree. However, I think that everyone in that room will understand that chucking indiscriminate insults at those on either side of the channel will not help either the UK or the EU.
We have a lot of work to do in order to achieve a specific and deep future relationship between the UK and EU. However, we already have the makings of something that can truly work for both sides. The UK and EU have already agreed that the issue of citizens rights has to be sorted as soon as possible. Both sides agree that the money to be paid will only represent the contributions that the UK has already signed up to. And nobody wants to see the return of a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Throughout the next two years we all have to keep our eye on the prize, which is achievable; we cannot get distracted by those who simply seek to disrupt and distract in order to create drama. Mr Farage does not speak for the UK Government, he does not represent Theresa May or the vast majority of people in the UK who want amicable and sensible negotiations. If we are to ensure that Brexit truly does work for Britain the messages going across the channel need, increasingly, to be forward thinking, positive and good-natured in tone. Let’s start here.
Vicky Ford is Conservative MEP for the East of England and Chairman of the Internal Market Committee
Britain needs to be positive, not belligerent, to get the Brexit it wants