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I
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welcome to Sputnik orbiting the world
with me George Galloway and me gatri not
many rich men put serious money into
politics in Britain and why should they
this is a country where the expenditure
of me thousands can secure a k a
Knighthood and a single million can buy
you a p a per a seat in Parliament and
for Life Aaron Banks is unique not only
has he put many millions of pounds into
British politics he put it into people
parties and courses which the political
class and its media Echo Chambers agreed
were cranks eccentrics and above all had
no chance of winning the rest is history
of course farage ukip and brexit have
changed the course of that history and
none of it could have happened without
Aaron Banks and not just his money
either as others have been slow to grasp
Banks is his own man with his own ideas
and his own ambitions he's even up close
and personal with Donald Trump in a few
days times the president of the United
States of America so who is Aaron Banks
and what does he want we better find out
Aaron welcome to the sputnick how up
close and Hi how are you who would have
thought it I don't like the word up
close and person I to ask how personal
you know we we've been close to him but
certainly not up close to personal but
uh what I mean what's it like you you've
met him most of the people who hate him
have never uh met him uh Pi Morgan who
knows him well thinks he's a fine fellow
was that your impression well we' met
him on several occasions when Nigel went
down to Mississippi and spoke for him
and then obviously we went to Trump
Towers and spent an hour with him
strangely like a lot of people off
camera and in private he was actually a
very different personality much quieter
reflective um and I was actually quite
impressed with him I mean clearly um he
pretty bombastic but in private not that
wasn't our impression at all and what
about the public impression that he
gives of him being very close with his
family very close business di them we've
met a number of the family um because
the interesting thing was going down to
Mississippi and doing that event and
then there there were all the debates as
well so over time we got to know all of
the Trump team and it was really
interesting that if you've seen his
children interviewed they're very
educated very calm very impressive
people so I think I think a lot of PE
lot of successful businessmen he is
quite um Mercurial um so I think he can
you know explode yeah but and that can
be dangerous of course when you're the
most powerful man in the world yeah I
mean and people have legitimate
anxieties about that having said that
he's come under now such Relentless
pressure from this really rather
powerful Coalition of people the
intelligence so-called Community as we
call them nowadays
we used to call them spy agencies in in
earlier times so much intelligence has
going into exctly intelligence is the
one thing they often seem to lack uh but
it is a coalition of uh the military
industrial complex about which general
Eisenhower warned us the intelligence
services and uh a war party inside the
Republican Party John McCain and people
like that and then the entire liberal
class uh that's a very very powerful
array of enemies yet he seems to stand
up to them I mean only in the press
conference this week he didn't give any
quarter but I think he's using the Press
I mean I think he's leared how to turn
th those people and their techniques
against them I think you saw in that
press conference what he was basically
saying was we don't I don't need you
yeah so you know if you're going to be
objectionable Ian we were talking
beforehand that CNN you know otherwise
known in America as the Clinton News
Network um has run some pretty
horrendous stuff and I think he's
learned how to go above them but use
them at the same time the fail in New
York Times um New York Times has got 30
million Twitter followers so even when
you're in an argument with the New York
Times you you're getting your message
directly to the to the people yes no
doubt um now the latest uh Tri of
allegations
insinuations inuendo is uh of a a pretty
unpleasure nature relating to personal
conduct in a hotel in Moscow and so on
that attack was launched and then began
to fall apart within hours uh names were
spelled wrongly dates were used that
couldn't possibly apply uh it really was
fake news but one of the things that
most interested me was that it seems to
have emanated from British sources uh uh
it's alleged that a former British uh
intelligence man he despite a dentice
he's been named in some uh uh social
media circles and a former British
ambassador to mosco uh is the man who
reportedly gave it to John McCain who
then gave it to the uh FBI this is very
embarrassing for the British government
isn't it well I think there's a lot of
angs because uh if you look at uh you
know the British governments kind of
what they said about or British
government trees and Ma AIDS I think one
of them called called Trump the chump um
there were other un flattering comments
I even Boris said that he wouldn't go to
New York City in case bumped you know so
they haven't got off to a a cracking
start and I suppose to hear that British
intelligence leak this story um with
another Russian angle is probably going
down like a sick bag in Washington or
with the Trump people right now I would
have thought so all the more reason why
they might well have utilized the good
officers of your mate njel farage I mean
Trump famously said that uh that he'd
make a good British Ambassador what do
you think of that I think uh I think
Trump is redefining how to communicate
um I don't think the British probably
tooko kindly to being told appoint you
know Nigel as the the on Twitter it's
even it's even more of a slap rather the
face isn't it really but the bottom line
is it depends what they want I mean
Nigel's got probably the best
relationship not just with Trump by the
way but with many of the Senate who he's
uh lot of the people on certain side of
the Republican parties see Nigel as a as
a
rockar Liberation hero almost and and so
in America his profile is very very high
um and frankly as well politically you
know what better way to get rid of
farage to make him British Ambassador
and right I never thought of that they
could have buttoned him up in a penguin
for the next four years well but but
also I think you know the political
scene is Shifting here and uh you know
we've continued our PLL in from the
referendum the the operation we've got
we found some very interesting things
that the conservatives may think they're
in a very strong position right now we
seeing the liberal Democrats start to to
rise up in some of the you know the Tory
seats and I think the labor part is
under severe threat from ukip if it ever
got its act together so I think to
package Nigel off to Washington uh would
have been a very smart thing to do the
problem is an ambassador is someone who
is sent to lie abroad for their country
and
May couldn't have counted on on farage
to to tell her lies he might have told
his own but he certainly wouldn't have
been guaranteed to tell her I think by
the way the America the new
Administration would love to do a trade
deal with the British as quickly out of
the blocks as they could and I think
despite the shakiness of the
relationship I think Nigel's been
pushing that very hard and I think you
know that could actually start to
undermine the you in terms of the
leverage they think they've got with
with with all of this we no hard
feelings then on what from from Trump
towards Britain um I think Trump is is
is going to be the president that's got
the warmest feelings to to the UK um
that we've ever had I mean his mother's
Scottish um and apparently is a massive
fan of the queens that might not please
you but um but I you know understand
that she's uh
she's think this week the song Andy
Stewart's famous song Donald warer
truers did flip through my mind this
week it's a but it's a huge experiment
George because what we're seeing with
the people he's appointing uh he's
appoint he's a businessman and he's
appointed some very very clever
billionaires um into his administration
that will ring run circles around the
usual political non- entities probably W
fiddle their expenses because they're
already vastly rich you like to think so
but you hope yeah however you can never
guarantee here's a paradox you've had
all this success y uh you I mean it's
hard to really I know this sounds like
overstating it but since Churchill uh
I'm not sure that anyone other than your
small group have changed Britain uh
changed Britain's future in such a way
since Churchill in
1941 uh and yet you haven't made the
breakthrough you you put enough money
into the brexit campaign to have
purchased seven or eight seats in the
House of Lords whole family your whole
family your whole could have all been in
the House of Lords yeah I po Ship by the
way personally
so but they won't even put farage in in
there is he is he going to give up on on
British politics I think there a pettin
involved around that because you know I
would have thought there's very few
things that you Nigel agree on
politically probably other than you know
the fact that you elect politicians to
do your bidding and then you should be
able to sack them and and replace them
so you know we agreed on that that we
wouldn't want to see you know the sort
of government you would want but we
agree that that was fundamentally what
should happen um but I do think that in
rejecting and the way they've done
they probably have sewn the seeds of
yeah exactly you know a possible Revival
of it and I I do think politically
though you say well we haven't
achieved maybe parliamentary success but
it's very hard to break through in that
with the first part of the post system
but I see signs that you know brexit has
twice and uh and of course you are one
of the people that have actually done
that yeah uh and I can show you my scars
it's uh it's a very very uh difficult
thing to do I'm I'm just wondering if if
he's going to try again in your view
should he try I think it would depend I
think on the circumstances and what's
brewing up because I suppose the the
tragedy of the labor party is that
Corbin and McConnell are without any
shadow of a doubt leave people but yet
because of the situation in the party
and the light they ended up on the wrong
side of the historic argument and that
that must be a big disappointment
because really the labor party should
have been full Square behind leave and
reaping the ual
benefit when the history comes to be
written I think that will be uh as clear
as day and even Corbin's attempt to
relaunched the labor party's position
this week uh Visa V brexit and free
movement of Labor socalled uh well it
let's say it didn't take off uh in the
way that one would have uh hoped we'll
talk about in the second half the uh the
way forward in uh British politics but
I'd also like to talk to you about you
think is going to happen to the EU uh
across the European Union but uh stay
tuned we'll be right
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back welcome back to Sputnik Aaron Banks
is one of the most successful people in
the entire history of British politics
and yet the chances are you've never
seen him interviewed but we're remedying
that here Aaron thanks for uh staying
with us uh brexit was the first breach
in the wall but there are many more uh
on the way uh in Italy uh you've got the
uh defeat of the um prime minister in
the referendum you've got the five star
movement uh looking like it may come to
power in France either a very
euroskeptic president Fong will be
elected or an ultra uh skeptic indeed
hostile Euro phobe uh Marine Leen uh
will will be the next president in
Germany Merkel is under pressure in the
Netherlands the government's Under
Pressure people are talking openly about
the Euro uh being abandoned and so on do
you think it's possible that that in 5
years maybe 10 years time there won't be
a European Union like the one that we've
left I mean my uh business partner
um the the bank were're involved in
firmly believe that the Euro will cease
to exist within the next 3 to 5 years
that doesn't mean that something akin to
a kind of a smaller kind of Benelux
version of it will carry on but it's
clear to all to see that if these
countries don't exit the Euro they are
just going down the road of Destruction
I I find find it very interesting the
whole what you just laid out there
because if you look at European Union we
kind of compare it to like the Titanic
that's hit the iceberg and the the
people at the top are still drinking
their martinis well the basement's
filling up with water and the things
going to sink but they're still in a
total viol the violin are
player me kicking off but but the the
interesting thing is that the European
Union itself seems impervious to the
signs I mean if you I mean I I compare
you see look at Marie Le Pen I really
don't like the politics of um you know
the front National which is almost kind
of almost a
remainder of almost a fascist party
Nigel's the sort of guy that you take to
tea with your grandma um Marie Leen are
you know these are people whose
political views are are really sort of
you know pretty extreme and G vilder you
know probably might even Trump her so
and in Italy as you know it's more
coming from the left um so there's a
whole cocktail of things going on here
but for the EU to remain unbending in
this
um just merely says to me that it has to
end but but the the factors that cause
it to end of course are you know
completely unknown well the the Titanic
is a very good metaphor another would be
the last days of Pompei yes uh this
Empire that's even better one actually
well I know you like European bureaucrat
sort of Frozen in I know you're a man
for the classics and the the Roman
Empire learn learn with that and I've
always followed that
# yeah maybe we should do a double act
on that um but the that the uh Italian
example that you mentioned is of great
interest to me because we've spoken
before on radio and uh you did have this
view of a five star movement uh in
Britain I think that would do very well
I I myself would be happy to participate
in that if it was a broadly based
Coalition like our campaign for brexit
which had Communists and both Communist
party that were the old yes the new
Communists and the old Communists and me
uh so you you know that kind of a
movement should necessarily stand in
elections though it could might uh but
which uh exists as a pressure uh on the
political class in Italy that has worked
really quite effectively but it's
interesting as well because uh you know
the the whole ukip journey
the the way the left tried to demonize
you or the views they held which in a
lot of cases were not unreasonable views
I mean immigration was affecting
workingclass voters more than anybody
else but black and Asian British war
they were the first victims in fact I
would love to see an analysis of it but
I would say that the The Immigrant
Community probably you know the existing
one may well have voted out as a
collection of people I'm certain of
despite my campaign was quite often
concentrated on that that demonization
even to the point where if you look at
the the breakdown of the ukip um
parliamentary candidates they fed more
ethnic minority candidates than any
other party but as in all things you do
have an element of it that is um you
know it's like the labor party that's
holy unacceptable you know and so what
happens when you got a
party that is true that's true and
that's why I'm appealed to it appeals to
me because I think you could put this
Coalition together but the thing I've
learned it's easier for people to engage
engage and the social media skills we've
learned and the whole way you can
actually do it and you see Trump trump
farage is really interesting because
it's not really about Trump he is the
the mouthpiece if you like for a
movement and I think a lot of the Bernie
Sanders supporters went and supported
Trump because they wanted change they
wanted to break the establishment and
they saw Trump as a an instrument from
which to smash it I I think it's true
here I mean we look at we you know we
sack one Ambassador sir Ivan replac him
with s Tim know you Shuffle the knights
around the around the table and actually
nothing ever changes and so you know we
were debating earlier before weren't we
saying that uh actually I would
nationalize Industries I would have
government focused on doing a very
narrow limited number of things which is
almost quite libertarian but what they
do they do really well like the Health
Service education you focus on what you
can do well rather than trying to be you
know trying to get involved in
everybody's life well neither of us
would have as elegant a suit if it had
been made by a state run tayor nor would
we have lunched so well if we lunched in
a state restaurant but there are some
things that are natural monopolies yeah
that the state should run shouldn't it I
completely agree with that because if
you take the state if you take power
companies and infrastructure these are
merely U monopolies handed over to
Private Industry to extract money and
they're they're just as inefficient as
their state uh you know and getting much
more uh uh subsidy and getting huge
amounts of subsidy and actually really
it's it's been a blind alley from which
we've gone down but that's the political
problem of left and right um and I think
what we've got to Aspire to be as
radical you actually pick the ideas that
work from both sides of the equation
well left and right is definitely being
redrawn as you speak I realize that uh
although
nobody would have guessed it before
watching this interview we actually have
a lot of common ground let me test you
on one I I I believe that banks are the
same as uh utility companies Bank
banking is just a utility well for for I
think we probably would agree with this
that the financial crisis was caused by
exuberance of banks getting outside what
they should be doing which is lending to
Consumers and lending to business for
real Enterprise rather than
gambling and and and doing stuff that is
outside their remit so I would actually
have a state run bank and the other
Banks uh are being given a huge
Advantage with the funding they're
getting from the bank of England and and
other things you know to actually not do
banking but to to you know basically
manipulate whatever they're doing so if
it's a utility and I would regard core
banking as a utility business yes it
should be in state hands and it should
be tightly controlled so that the crisis
we had never happens again and if
Goldman Sachs can go and get a load of
investors that want to you know have a
go sure fine let them do that but they
should never be in a position where
deposit our money that we deposit I mean
who does who does it hurt when there's a
banking crisis not people like me I mean
I do well out of it because you know the
the volatility shares crash you buy it
back cheap it's it's normal people that
see they you know they say under
pressure and all the rest of it I mean
the government's reduced interest rates
to
0% it's prudent modest people that have
had their life savings basically
obliterated it's not that they're using
our money Aon uh we are guaranteeing
their underwriting their business yeah
because if they fail well underwriting
their failure as it yes we we can't
allow them to fail so so I would
wholeheartedly agree with that that you
a bank is either a normal institution
that just does banking um and I I
wouldn't be averse to you know seeing
that in public ownership well you as a a
father example Donald Trump this week
denounced big Pharma and it's super
profiteering on its uh effective
Monopoly of producing the medicines that
people need to corre live and yet people
say he's on the right uh Hillary Clinton
would never have challenged big Pharma
they were probably filling her uh
coffers with the Prof well I think uh Mr
Trump's only problem is that bit like
the number of people wanting to get rid
of JFK were lined up around the corner
they couldn't work out who it was um as
you said I think at the beginning
there's a whole industrial complex
around um corruption and the like in the
stat if you see him tell him this from
uh from me he should avoid grassy
nors never drive I think he knows
that open
because uh I have never seen a more
virulent and I've been in politics well
over 40 years now uh I have never seen a
more virulent collection of people and
the Liberals are the most virulent of
all all these nice Liberals are almost
literally forming at the mouth well I
think they've they just can't believe
what's happened but you make a good
point with the farma because actually as
a big business person they know where to
go looking to to to attack the problem
and some of the people he's hired in are
clever businessmen so we will see it's
an experiment I'll grant you that we're
going to see you know where where this
all takes us but as a first stab to say
well you know actually we're going to
take on the pharmaceutical companies
that's pretty pretty bold stuff very
much so it's going to be a roller
coaster it's going to be great and uh
it's going to be huge it's never going
to be boring and you know what I think
he's going to build the wall it's going
to be big it's going to be beautiful and
the Mexicans are going to pay for
it you must come back and review
that at a lat day Aaron Banks been a
real pleasure pleasure well thanks very
much for joining
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us and now it's your turn to tell us
what you think through the portals of
social media what's ratling gri so we
discussed with Aon and the five star
movement in Italy and the prospects of
it here in Britain and master of reality
replied is uh yes Britain needs it as
well the status quo is not
representative of the electorate who
reject the liberal Elite PC politics
yeah I'm quite excited about it actually
I think I volunteered myself for it
today and uh I I intend to play a role
in that it would be very interesting and
this hysteria uh about Russia inter
intervening is it all based on fact or
fiction Simon goodle Says fiction
politics of fear is to justify armed
sales and NATO policy of poking the
Russian Bear to create a self-fulfilling
prophecy and Salman Khan says they claim
Corbin would take us back to 1980s
politics but the current establishment
is taking us to 1950s Cold War politics
I couldn't put those ideas better myself
that's absolutely correct we'll see if
the British Cold War attitude survives a
Donald Trump presidency and much else
exactly well that's all the tweets we
have time for today which alas means
that's the end of the show stay in touch
with us though on social media Twitter
rtor Sputnik or Facebook Sputnik on
Russia today it's goodbye from me gri
and from me George Galloway it's been
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marvelous