Light relief on the road to the polls

Reporter: Friday Thing by JIM WILLIAMS
Date published: 11 July 2014


THE journey to next year’s general election promises to be as taxing as those long holiday car journeys to Cornwall and the oft-repeated plaintive cry from the back seats of: “are we there yet?” and “how much further?” and “do we really have to go?”

Nigel Farage and his UKIP foot soldiers are at least offering us some lighter moments (bizarre and crackers though most of them seem) and should at least make the journey to the ballot box not too painful.

And though the early glimpse of the UKIP manifesto has more than the odd hint of Dandy and Beano about it (Denis the Menace clearly lives in the UKIP camp) it is easy to see how some voters will be attracted by pledges to cut all our taxes and to build a new grammar school in every town as well as throwing kitchen sinks at his target seats.

Nigel’s economic policy (I am not sure policy is the best way to describe it) would cost £14 billion (hardly a trifling sum) and possibly does himself few favours in traditional Labour territory by claiming that he is the “only politician keeping the flame of Margaret Thatcher alive.”

Can you see that going down well in Oldham and Manchester and many other traditional Labour strongholds? “We’ll throw the kitchen seats at those areas,” says Nigel evoking images of Laurel and Hardy rather than Baroness Thatcher.

And although it is too easy to do so, we must not forget the plight of the Lib-Dems who are probably having regular nightmares about the prospect of the next election and the impact on it of Nick Clegg, the least popular political leader in modern British history.

According to Paddy Ashdown, glum Nick has certainly not been cheered by the contribution of Mr Misery (otherwise known as Vince Cable) in embarking on a “plot of deep malice” to kick Nick’s ambitions to resurrect his career into the wilderness of the long grass.

Having lost 300 councillors and 12 MEPs (careless to say the least) and aware of UKIP’s appeal to a certain kind of voter — maybe bordering on racist and happy to be in on the joke book that is Nigel Farage’s manifesto.

Will any of the Tories challenge Cameron for the leadership of the party or will they content themselves with getting more women on the front benches?

Certainly Cameron’s stock will not have risen following his disastrous attempt at totally unsuccessful muscle-flexing in Europe. He should stick to playing tennis with Boris.

Then there’s Ed Miliband. Enough said.
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