Pictured: Nigel Farage

Image credits: Flickr

A former member of the European Parliament, broadcaster, Reform UK party leader, and media personality, Nigel Farage has his fingers in many pies. In March 2021, after he lost his job as a radio host, he joined Cameo and very quickly added ‘meme’ onto the list of things he is known for. 

Cameo is a platform that allows fans to order personalised video messages from public figures. The site has tens of thousands of celebrities, ranging from actors to footballers to comedians, signed up and ready to send birthday wishes, roasts and skits for varied prices. 

Despite now being an MP on his eighth attempt, and leader of a political party, Farage still does these videos for upwards of £70.47*, is available for 24-hour delivery, and boasts a 4.96 star rating. Fans often request reference to his political views, as well as asking him to use various gaming and internet slang terms. It is this use of slang, which the 61-year-old man clearly doesn’t understand the meaning of, that people find amusing and reshare onto platforms like TikTok, earning millions of views. 

A quick search of ‘Nigel Farage cameos’ on TikTok will result in being bombarded with Among Us references and references to ‘Big Chungus’. Most notably, quite rightfully getting him in hot water on Claire Byrne Live in October 2021, Farage said ‘up the RA’ at the end of a birthday message. While he did apologise for this, it goes to show how he frankly does not know what he is talking about. In his apology, he claimed that he “wouldn’t have even known there was an implication to it”, quite effectively demonstrating his ignorance. 

By now, he surely knows what he is doing, and by continuing to use the aforementioned slang and gaming terms, Farage is deliberately appealing to a younger audience who could help him on his mission to drive British politics to the far right. These Cameo videos, alongside his stint on I’m a Celeb, have transformed one of 21st century Britain’s most divisive and hateful politicians and turned him into a comedic figure for the enjoyment of the younger generations who view this content. 

It is definitely worth bearing in mind that Farage is far from the only politician to be using social media, and more specifically popular memes, to his advantage. In fact, we are coming into an age where social media is an increasingly powerful political device. Throughout the 2024 General Election, political parties across the spectrum were using various meme formats in order to make digs at each other. There are also plenty of other politicians utilising Cameo to earn themselves some extra money and relevance, including former Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, and another big Reform name, Ann Widdecombe. 

There is a definite case to be made that Farage’s comedic persona acts as some image management – the old man act, with bad angles and awkwardly timed pauses, makes it all too easy to forget what disgusting policies this man so regularly puts forward. There is a significant separation between the media and political persona of Nigel Farage, and this comes across as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public by marketing himself in a more positive light to secure support. 

This disparity between Farage’s image and his actual behaviour is clearly highlighted across the internet. With Farage’s reputation, the Clacton constituency that he represents has become somewhat of a hotspot for interviewers to quiz residents on their rather absent MP. In a TikTok video posted by TradesUnionCongress, members of the public are asked about their views on employment rights and are subsequently shocked when they find out Farage is in opposition to proposed policies to protect workers. A common theme is that constituents believed their MP was ‘more for the people… than that’ and that they ‘thought he was working for the public’. One resident in the video spoke about Farage as if he was a close personal friend. All of this proves how Nigel Farage has built a very specific image of himself that has successfully deceived the electorate. 

Of course, this is not the first time we have seen such tactics. The Boris Johnson years were practically a masterclass in trying to garner support by being too funny for people to remember what an awful politician you are. There’s something about a bumbling idiot that is, inexplicably if you ask me, incredibly attractive to voters. 

Ultimately, it is increasingly clear that Nigel Farage’s ongoing dedication to making a meme of himself on the internet is actually a deeply calculated choice. Otherwise, it would be quite strage how devoted to the service he is, despite being simultaneously an MP, a party leader, and showing up to all the TV appearances that the BBC keep giving him. At the time of writing, his Cameo page reveals that the last completed video was sent barely two hours ago. Farage clearly sees value in continuing this service and voters need to be aware of more than just the MP’s comedic side. 

*At the time of writing (06/10 at 9:45pm) this is true, but prices automatically fluctuate based on demand.