Nigel Farage really likes being the underdog. You could say he actually needs to be the underdog.
The thing is, an underdog has to have a fight on its hands in order to have any purpose. Once it wins its defining battle, the underdog can become irrelevant or, worse, actually accountable for stuff. Highly unpleasant.
Like a gap year student, Farage has appeared to have been on a vision quest ever since he won his battle to take Britain out of the EU.
First he sought meaning in Donald Trump but that, inevitably, left him lacking. Then he started another new party (the Brexit Party — remember them?) but it got zero seats in the election. He at least still had a way of ranting to this nation, via his show on LBC, but then he got dumped from that too.
But don’t worry about our Nige, for he has finally found himself a new battle to fight. But rather than waging it via a new political movement or party, or a primetime radio show, he’s going to wage this one via . . . a newsletter! (Thank God not a Substack though.)
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fortune & Freedom (no it’s not a spoof):
On the website, you’re encouraged to watch an introductory video to the project (emphasis ours):
Watch now, or click here to access the full video, and discover why Nigel has founded Fortune & Freedom and what you could gain from this fight.
Farage tells us:
I am not afraid to take on this new fight on your behalf…
I will say what needs to be said (and I don’t care if the woke media attack me for it)…
To help you forge the prosperous financial life you deserve.
I have spent decades fighting for your political freedom.
Now comes the next battle – to get your money and your destiny back in your hands.
As a wise man once said, you have to fight to reach your dreams! (It was Lionel Messi.)
Yes, he might have spent the first two decades of his career in the City, he might be mates with finance tycoon Arron Banks, hell he might even have filmed his introductory video in a classic City haunt (more on that in a bit) but Farage is now taking aim at the City establishment. (He’s a nuanced man, is our Nigel. You might recall that the Brexiteer’s wife is German and that two of his children also have German passports.)
Specifically, Farage seems to want to get the message across to people that they should look after their own finances, and that they should consider buying precious metals. In the video he tells the interviewer Nickolai Hubble (who we are told is the editor of Fortune & Freedom) that:
Another object of this is to get people to think about alternative investments, so get them to think about gold, silver, and if you’re going to buy it, where do you go to buy it?
And later:
I’m very much a buy on dips man on gold.
We were waiting for him to say “be your own bank” and tell everyone to buy bitcoin, but he stopped short of that, for now.
In some bits Farage goes all Jim from The Office Joe Biden and speaks directly to camera, like this bit at the end:
What he’s saying there is (emphasis ours, again):
If like me you’re one of those people who feels he’s been very badly let down by the industry, then give Fortune & Freedom a chance. You will get a daily newsletter. I hope it will containing interesting stuff; it will contain gossipy stuff; it will contain predictive stuff, but it will also contain educational stuff. Stuff about what you can do with your money, how you can do it, that nobody else is ever going to tell you.
To which his simperingly sycophantic interviewer responds:
Nigel I was hoping we’d find something to disagree on, just to show people there is no party line at Fortune & Freedom, but the only thing I can think of is our taste in beer.
Hubble is also the author of a book called “How the euro dies”. No party line there!
Certain members of Alphaville with an intricate knowledge of the City restaurant scene have identified the location of the video as Boisdale, an old City haunt, though there were some question marks over whether it could actually be Simpson’s Tavern, another old City haunt (readers do feel free to give us your verdict on this hot debate below). Either way, taking the fight to the City establishment in a City establishment makes a lot of sense.
There’s also an interesting disclaimer running along the bottom of the main page on the website:
Fortune & Freedom is an unregulated product published by Southbank Investment Research Limited. Its content is general only and should not be relied upon by investors in making (or not making) specific investment decisions.
From time to time we may tell you about regulated products issued by Southbank Investment Research Limited. With these products your capital is at risk. You can lose some or all of your investment, so never risk more than you can afford to lose. Seek independent advice if you are unsure of the suitability of any investment. Southbank Investment Research Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA No 706697. https://register.fca.org.uk. © 2020 Southbank Investment Research Ltd. Registered in England and Wales No 9539630. VAT No GB629 7287 94.
Yeah. Southbank Investment Research Limited. They publish various newsletters, including one called “Gold Stock Fortunes”, another called “Short the World”, another called “New Drug Speculator” and another called . . . wait for it . . . “Crypto Profits Extreme”!
You can rest assured that Alphaville has signed up to Farage’s daily newsletter and will be sharing its content with you periodically. We hope it will provide all of us with some levity during these difficult times.
