In a move that combines crypto theatre with local government chaos, Nigel Farage has announced the formation of a “council auditing team” powered by DOGE-style economics and algorithmic oversight.
The initiative — pitched during a Reform UK press event on 3 June — aims to “digitally disrupt bureaucratic bloat” by introducing meme-inspired auditing teams into selected UK local authorities. Farage claimed the plan would bring “radical transparency through tech” while attacking traditional accountants as “part of the problem.”
→ https://www.wkar.org/2025-06-03/british-politician-nigel-farage-launches-doge-like-team-to-audit-local-authorities
What’s missing?
- Any actual blockchain infrastructure
- A budget
- A policy document
- Or… any clue how DOGE memes translate into procurement oversight
According to leaked internal Reform documents, the “DOGE-like” reference is entirely metaphorical. The system will not use cryptocurrency, but rather adopt “meme culture language to connect with voters.” That’s not reform. That’s branding with dog ears.
It’s also propaganda. Farage has used the announcement to distract from Reform UK’s deepfake video scandal the previous day. Critics note the timing wasn’t coincidental: the party needed a pivot, and DOGE delivered headlines.
Council leaders across Lancashire, Rochdale, and Thurrock — all named as pilot sites — responded with a mix of confusion and contempt. “No one from Reform has contacted us,” said one senior council administrator. “We’re not a sandbox for Farage’s meme machine.”
Despite the backlash, the plan is already circulating in far-right Telegram groups as “the start of crypto government.” Reform insiders admit privately it’s just a “buzz strategy,” meant to ignite culture war narratives about “woke councils” and “leftist accountants.”
So far, it’s working. The right-wing press has picked it up. Meme accounts are churning out edits of Farage riding a Shiba Inu through Westminster. But beneath the noise, the authoritarian pattern is clear:
Invent crisis. Propose nonsense. Frame opposition as enemies of innovation.
For Farage, facts don’t matter. Only the headline does. And if that headline involves DOGE and a fake auditor with a meme avatar? Even better.
This isn’t localism. It’s low effort, high engagement authoritarianism — and Farage is its barking mascot.