How Ukip became the incredible disappearing party

The establishment drive to marginalise Ukip has been under way for three months now, and it has having its effect. You will not read anything about Ukip in your newspapers unless it is a negative story — some half-witted candidate’s office fraudulently claiming expenses, or a disappointed member explaining that they’re all vile people and so on. The papers have, by and large, cottoned on to the fact that Nigel Farage saying something a little gamey about race is not, actually, a negative story. Whenever the Ukip leader mused in moderate terms that he found it uncomfortable to sit on a train where he was the only person speaking English, the London media turned paroxysms of outrage and the Ukip vote dutifully went up a little. Such comments find a bit of resonance, away from the bien pensants — but the media has now grasped this point, so you won’t be reading that sort of thing any more.

Indeed, you won’t be reading much about Farage, unless he is caught having sex with a goat (preferably a European goat, a federalist Brussels goat) or with his hand in some till. The media has gathered too that it is Farage and Farage alone who attracts the voters, and so while he is guaranteed to give good copy, this luxury will be put on hold until all the votes are counted.

The broadcast media has already stuck the boot in, twice, in a way which would be inconceivable with any party to the left of Ukip. First there was Channel 4’s hilarious drama-doc about what would happen if Ukip won a majority in May (which of course it cannot conceivably do). Financial ruin, riots in the street and half of Europe being invaded by Isis was Channel 4’s considered and intelligent analysis of any possible Ukip victory.