Regardless of Farage's prior history or record of behavior, his attack on Van Rompuy strikes me as a calculated attack on not just the man in person, but the EU in general. Divorced from any context of a history of similar remarks, of course, this could read as a deliberate defiance of the EU and a rejection of their authority or any claim of respect as a true authority or sovereign government. From what the article says of Farage's political views, this is not a bad stance to take. The personal attacks SEEM a little out of line, but that is Europe so I can't say for sure what is appropriate. And again, depending on what is going on, criticizing a leader's deportment and bearing ARE germane issues. And what is the context? Was the EU leader supposed to be more symbolic than actually a figure of power? Were Farage & his sort reassured that he was just supposed to represent Europe, rather than governing it? In those cases, Farage's remarks are less of a personal attack and more of a rejection of qualifications.