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  1. Politics
6 December 2016

Calm down, everyone – of course Nigel Farage is in the running for TIME Person of the Year

The former Ukip leader has been shortlisted for the iconic magazine list.

By Media Mole

(Photo By Getty)

While your mole is no fan of former Ukip leader and triumphalist frog Nigel Farage, it has to scurry to his defence in this instance. There’s been a big brouhaha (ie. some people on Twitter have posted a few half-hearted opinions and crap jokes) about the bonvivant Brexiteer being shortlisted for TIME’s iconic Person of the Year.

He is one of 11 contenders for the position listed by the magazine, alongside the likes of Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg and Beyoncé. (What a dinner party that would be. We hope Zuck puts the photos up on Facebook.)

Why are people surprised by this? Farage is the reason the UK is leaving the European Union, and by doing so has made a big impact on national and global politics. Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin famously won the award, so we know it’s not an endorsement, simply a measure of impact. And others on this year’s list suggest this too: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump – all dubious political figures who have caused controversy.

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So why the big deal about Farage?

Read more about TIME’s shortlist here. The winner is announced tomorrow.

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