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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Marina Hyde

Dear Britain, do you worry that Team Farage is just a hot mess in power? Or is everyone too angry to care

A screengrab from the leaked Kent county council meeting of Reform UK councillors.
A screengrab from the leaked Kent county council meeting of Reform UK councillors. Photograph: The Guardian

“I’m meant to be on bloody holiday this week, Paul! I don’t want to be having this meeting!” There is much to enjoy about the patriotic revolution in government promised by the leaked footage obtained by the Guardian of the Reform UK group of councillors running Kent county council. Take council leader Linden Kemkaran speaking for all free speech absolutists when she declares: “Paul! Paul! I’m going to mute you in a minute!” Or consider her repeatedly stated vision of the imperfections of representative democracy: “You’re just going to have to fucking suck it up, OK?”

Even so I think the standout bit is when Kemkaran, who acknowledged Kent’s “flagship” status for the party and its leader Nigel Farage, says: “If we can avoid putting up council tax by the full 5%, that is going to be the best thing that we can do to show that Reform can run something as big as Kent council.”

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