Farage's Big Bet on Getting Kids Back Into Real Work

By HOAR Team 8 June, 2025 4 mins read 86 Views

Look, I've been watching politics long enough to know when someone's throwing a Hail Mary. But Nigel Farage's latest pitch? It's got me scratching my head in the best possible way.

The Reform UK guy just dropped his plan to get young people learning actual trades again - welding, robotics, plumbing. You know, jobs that can't be outsourced to some call center in Mumbai.

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Wales: The Forgotten Stepchild

Here's where it gets interesting. Farage is basically calling out Labour for abandoning their own backyard. Twenty-six years of failure, he says. Ouch.

His solution? Regional technical colleges across Wales teaching everything from electrical work to industrial automation. It's like he looked at Germany's apprenticeship system and thought, "Why the hell aren't we doing this?"

The numbers are brutal though - GDP per head in Wales is £10,000 less than the UK average. That's not a rounding error, that's a crisis.

Coal Mines and Climate Wars

Now here's where Farage goes full contrarian (surprise, surprise). While everyone else is racing toward Net Zero, he wants to reopen coal mines.

His logic? Why import coal when we can dig our own to make British steel? It's protectionist economics wrapped in a Union Jack, and honestly... I can see the appeal for anyone who's watched their local factory close down.

Ministers are having none of it, obviously. They're sticking to the "no more coal licenses" line because climate change and all that.

Port Talbot's Ghost Story

But then Farage brings up Port Talbot steelworks - once Europe's biggest steel plant, now a shadow of itself. That hits different when you remember Wales used to export 30 million tons of coal annually.

It's like watching someone wave around old family photos at a funeral.

The Real Question Nobody's Asking

Here's what bugs me about this whole thing: is Farage actually onto something, or is this just nostalgia politics for people who miss the 1970s?

Because teaching kids robotics and welding? That's forward-thinking. Reopening coal mines in 2025? That's... well, that's complicated.

The timing's interesting too - he's making this pitch right before next year's Welsh elections. Coincidence? Please.

Starmer's had a rough first year, no doubt about it. And Farage knows he can't keep blaming the Tories forever (though let's be honest, he probably will anyway).

What strikes me is how this whole plan feels like someone actually talked to working-class parents. You know, the ones watching their kids rack up debt for degrees that lead to unpaid internships while the plumber down the street just bought his second house.

Whether it'll work? That's anyone's guess. But at least someone's finally talking about giving young people a path that doesn't involve a lecture hall and student loans.

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Did you miss our previous article...
https://hellofaread.com/politics/this-new-phone-ban-for-kids-is-missing-the-point-and-im-tired-of-pretending-it-isnt