UKIP fruit loops (an occasional series): No.1 Godfrey Bloom (video)

UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom has been caught on camera demanding Britain stops sending money to “Bongo Bongo Land”.

His comments are now being “discussed at the very highest level of UKIP” nonetheless he has appeared on the BBC R4 Today Programme this morning where he was interviewed by Jim Naughtie  – listen to this extraordinary interview (Length: 5.20)

UKIP Fruit Loops – Sun Politics Headline

JN: Mr Bloom joins us now, good morning.

GB: Good morning to you.

JN: Now, where is Bongo Bongo Land do you think?

GB: I don’t know the BBC and the Guardian have got themselves in quite a state about it, I don’t know

JN: I read about it in the Daily Mail actually…

GB: Oh did you? I don’t know where Ruritania is either. There is no such place of course. Like the 3rd world. Where is the 3rd world?

JN: Yes but I mean we see what’s interesting here is that you say the money that goes to “Bongo Bongo Land”, to use your own language, goes on sunglasses and Ferraris. Just looking up the most recent money put out by the department for international development is £50 million to help eradicate a very, very serious polio outbreak in Sudan and east Africa which could spread a great distance. I take it you’re not suggesting that these children who’ve got polio are buying Rayban sunglasses with the money and going to Paris?

GB: No. What I’m suggesting is, when a country has a trillion pounds of debt and we’re cutting our hospitals, our police force, and we’re destroying our defence services that the money should stay at home and people who want to give money to worthwhile charities and I’m very glad where the money’s going in that particular instance but what I would argue is that is for individual citizen and it’s not for the likes of David Cameron to pick our pockets and to send money to charities of his choice. If I want to send money to charity I’ll do it of my own accord thank you.

JN: Well you say he’s “picking our pockets” of course he was elected.

GB: Yes so am I.

JN: Yes… erm …But I mean you know the government is elected to take decisions about how the pot is spent. Successive governments of all parties, and the coalition has made a commitment to international aid, believe that it is justified on two principal grounds one that it is a human response to various crises in the world which are things that should be of concern in their view to everyone and the second is that much of this money is spent in interests which are in our national interest, internationally.

GB: Well, there are people in this country who can’t get treatment for cancer. You know there are people who are waiting in the queue for dialysis machines. All I’m saying is and I think you’ll find most of your listeners will agree with me rather than the Guardian that money should stay at home. Charity begins at home.

JN: And not in Bongo Bongo Land. Why do you think UKIP are taking , well, are concerned about your language?

GB: Well I don’t know that they are I’ve only heard that this morning.

JN: Well, what they’ve said, they’ve issued a statement. Saying that “these comments are being discussed right at the very highest level of the party”. What would you do if UKIP said to you mind your language?

GB: I’d say “Right-O! Sorry, sorry everybody if I’ve offended anybody in Bongo Bongo Land I shall write to the ambassador at the Court of St. James and apologize to him personally.”

JN: You can’t stop really can you?

GB: Hahahaha. Look, my job is to upset the Guardian and the BBC. I love it! I love it!

JN: You’re not upsetting anybody here. It’s quite entertaining in fact. But look seriously Mr Bloom, I mean, you understand that a lot of people listening  to you will say that we give a great deal of international aid to people who are dying and you stand up and say: “there they are in bongo bongo land feeding off the British taxpayer” Don’t you think that there might be some people, somewhere, who might find that a little offensive?

GB: No I think I’m standing up for ordinary people at the pub, the cricket club, the rugby club, the sort of people who remain completely unrepresented under the political system that we have.

JN: Well what do you say to colleagues of yours in the party, who might feel rather as they felt last week, when there was a councillor reported to favour thieves having their arms cut off that you’re embarrassing them and a lot of people might prefer to vote for a party where people didn’t refer to Bongo Bongo Land? What would your response be to that if they said that to you?

GB: Well, we live in a free country, I’m a libertarian, please don’t vote for me if you don’t agree with me. I wouldn’t expect you to. But if you’re fed up with one billion pounds a month going abroad with no audit trail, when we’re cutting our police and hospitals vote for me. If you don’t believe that’s treason, treason I use the word advisedly, um you know, that’s how I feel. That’s it!

JN: Just to reiterate the point ‘cos you made it in your characteristically crisp way earlier on, that you think most people listening to this programme agree with you?

GB: I think they probably do, yeah.

JN: Godfrey Bloom MEP, thank you very much.

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• Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom criticises aid to ‘bongo bongo land’ (theguardian.com)
• MEP Godfrey Bloom: I don’t do political correctness (itv.com)