Ukip: a spent force in politics

Ukip headquarters will need to be downsized

Between our respective blogs, both Richard North and I are often asked why we keep writing about Ukip when we see it as a spent political force. Put simply, it's entertaining.

We've had our fair share of flack for pointing out what we think (with the benefit of insider knowledge) should be apparent to anyone with eyes to see, and now all these months later, after all the abuse, we're getting the pay off of watching it all unfold exactly as we said it would, in the way we always knew it would. At this point it's a humorous indulgence, and after all the hard work, you have to cut us a little slack on that.

We said Ukip was a personality cult, we said the immigration route would invite ridicule and accusations of racism, we said sacrificing sustainable growth for media attention would lead to an ungovernable party, we said the lack of policy and the lack of intellectual capital would be a liability. We also said Farage's failure to cultivate any talent within would leave them high and dry. We said they needed to get their website and party machine organised and professionalised, we said better vetting was needed, we said they needed a Brexit policy, we said they would fail to produce a coherent manifesto, we said they needed message discipline, and we said all of the above would result in few if any seats - and we said the behaviour of Ukipists would be their undoing, and they would tank in the polls. We also said Ukip would damage our chances of leaving the EU.

None of that was unfair criticism, none of it was conjecture, all of it was evidenced, all of it was predictable (and predicted). It could have been acted upon, but was not - and all we got for our trouble was accusations of "sour grapes". Now we get political hacks and journos suddenly cottoning on to what we have said all along, and still the only people who can't see it are Ukipists. And as tragic as that is, it's also absolutely hilarious.

We took the view a while back that Ukip was more of a problem than an ally and we have worked pretty hard, not to discredit Ukip, because Ukip did that, but to try and highlight to our readers why they would discredit themselves. The media no longer needs to "smear" Ukip. All it need do is report what it does.

Now we stand vindicated and can take a little pleasure and pride what we have done. We told you so. Many times. Ukip chose not to listen, now it reaps what it has sown. Insofar as our immediate strategic ends are concerned, we're happy it's going in the right direction (oblivion), as Ukip crawls back under its rock. Now we can crack on with getting and winning that referendum with or without Ukipist losers. Makes no odds to us. But we'll keep writing about Ukip, because this cavalcade of comedy is just to delicious to resist. We earned it.