Historical scholarship overwhelmingly confirms that material and political interests — taxation disputes (ship money, forced loans, monopolies), the rising economic power of the gentry seeking greater political influence, fiscal conflicts between Crown and Parliament, and land-related grievances (especially in Ireland and Scotland) — were central to the causes of the English Civil War. Sources from Britannica, World History Encyclopedia, and academic historiographical analyses all identify economic and political interests as key drivers alongside religious and constitutional-ideological disputes. The war is universally understood as having been driven by a combination of interests (fiscal, political, economic) and values (religion, constitutional principles). The claim that "the war was about interests" is accurate, though it is an incomplete characterization — interests were one major dimension among others. However, since Farage himself acknowledged the values dimension ("as well as interests"), the standalone claim that the war involved interests is well-supported. Sources: - Britannica, "English Civil Wars | Causes, Summary, Facts, Battles, & Significance" — https://www.britannica.com/event/English-Civil-Wars - World History Encyclopedia, "Causes of the English Civil Wars" — https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1939/causes-of-the-english-civil-wars/ - History Today, "The Causes of the English Civil War: A New Analysis" — https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/causes-english-civil-war-new-analysis - OUP Academic Blog, "Long-term causes versus explanatory contexts of the English Civil War" — https://blog.oup.com/2014/01/long-term-causes-versus-explanatory-contexts-of-the-english-civil-war/