Football fans have hailed Neville Southall’s performance after the Everton legend took Nigel Farage to task on the former UKIP and Brexit Party leader’s live GB News show.
Southall was widely-regarded as being the world’s best goalkeeper at the peak of his powers and won more trophies with Everton than any other player. He also made the last of his record 751 appearances for the Blues 25 years ago this week – an occasion marked by a special edition of the ECHO’s Royal Blue podcast.
Speaking in his home town of Llandudno on Thursday evening, the 64-year-old former Wales international joined other guests such as Robin Millar, MP for Aberconwy and Sam Rowlands, North Wales MS.
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Southall told Farage: “I’ve sat here all night and I’ve disagreed with 99.9% of it.” The host replied: “Now here’s the chance, we’ve had a couple of Tories on tonight, we’ve had an independent on tonight, you are, Neville, a strong supporter of the Labour Party.”
Southall said: “Yeah, I believe in looking after the most vulnerable and I think that’s what any good country should be doing and we don’t seem to be doing it, we seem to be loading it on the top. We should be looking at the bottom of the rung and the most vulnerable people of our society should be treated with the greatest respect and dignity and helped so we don’t have that society.”
Farage asked: “Don’t you think, with the benefits system and everything else, we do enough as a country for those at the lower end of the income range?” Southall replied: “No, nowhere near.”
Farage countered: “Really?” Southall added: “Why should we keep loading the top up? The gap between the rich and the poor has got wider and wider.”
Farage agreed: “That’s true.” Southall asked: “Why is that?” Farage claimed: “Well Mr Blair started all that didn’t he?”
Southall said: “It doesn’t matter who was in power, the way we should be looking at society is how we treat the most vulnerable and at the moment we don’t treat them very well do we? The electric has gone up, everything has gone up and what are they going to do for them?
“Nothing. There’s going to be people dying this winter and there’ll be people in power that won’t give a monkey’s.”
Responding on Twitter to Southall’s speech, Peter Reid tagged in his former Everton team-mate and said: “Love you.” Julie Makin said: “My hero” while Rhys Davies called for a statue at Everton’s new stadium for him.
Mark Woodhall added: “Get Big Nev in parliament now” while Kate McSmith declared: “Big Nev for PM.”
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