Nigel Farage Refers to Bitcoin as ‘The Ultimate Freedom’

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(Kitco News) – Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), recently spoke at the Bitcoin Amsterdam conference to throw his support behind cryptocurrencies, and Bitcoin in particular, referring to the supreme crypto as “the ultimate freedom. “

Farage has long been considered a Eurosceptic and has shown no qualms about voicing “anti-establishment” opinions in the past on topics such as condemning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, questioning climate change data and opposing bank bailouts.

The former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) compared his experience as a political outcast to what is currently happening in the Bitcoin movement, saying he was “leading a political rebellion” against the establishment which he criticized for being “angry, bad, and dangerous.”

“What I think is happening with Bitcoin is that I think we’re seeing a similar kind of rebellion. This is an economic rebellion, and it’s being driven and led by people who are concerned about the size and scope of big government,” Farage elaborated.

The former MEP revealed that he first discovered Bitcoin 10 years ago while working in the financial markets industry – before starting his political journey. “I’ve always had a very close ear to the ground when it comes to economic development. So I heard about it very, very early,” he said.

At the time, Farage indicated he had reservations about the new monetary concept, but over the years he warmed to the technology as inflation continued to worsen.

“The disease of money, inflation is now back in the system, as I remember from being a younger person, this story of inflation is once it sets in, it’s there longer than anyone could imagine,” Farage explained. “So the appeal of Bitcoin was pretty much like the gold standard. It’s a fixed number. It can’t be inflated,” he added.

As for the future of Bitcoin adoption in Europe, Farage suggested that the timetable for integration is likely to be affected by how the US approaches crypto regulation.

“What happens in America first happens here too. There’s going to be a very, very big change here in the next two or three years, and that [Bitcoin] will become a reliable medium of exchange.”

Comparing Bitcoin to doing banking transactions, Farage highlighted that the latter is inefficient, costly and very slow, and believes that Bitcoin is a more attractive option compared to the existing infrastructure.

Noting that any radical new idea, whether political, scientific or monetary, is subject to ridicule and opposition, the former party leader urged Bitcoin supporters to talk to friends, “hunt down” political representatives and build a grassroots movement that generates power and influence from numbers.

“Actually, you all have a lot more power than you realize… As I built the Purple Revolution, from literally a few dozen of us in the pub to millions of supporters across the country, the phrase I used to use was, ‘be with the people’s army.'”