In an interview in a recent edition of Total Politics the leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage, makes no real effort to counter the claim that he enjoys a drink or several even admitting to falling asleep in a bar. My own experience would support that Nigel enjoys his drink and that is somehow symptomatic of UKIP’s decline.
Back in the early autumn around 12.30 when leaving the European Parliament to go for a sandwich at Snack Steve I went through Place Luxembourg and saw Nigel Farage sitting with his UKIP cronies outside the Irish pub on the corner. Fair enough, but as I left to catch the bus home at about six the same evening and going through Place Luxembourg again, who should be sitting in the same seats outside the same Irish pub but Nigel Farage and his cronies. They could, of course, have just arrived but judging by the number of empty glasses in front of them and their tired and emotional states I could only assume they had been there for several hours.
Now I know that other political parties have had their problems with leaders who like a drink, but looking at them sat there I found it quite telling. This was about the same time that a poll had shown UKIP on about 1% (the same sort of poll rating they are currently getting) and it struck me how far they had nose-dived since the heady days of the summer of 2004 when in the European Parliament elections they came third in the popular vote and had 12 MEPs. The publicity which they had on the back of this in the days that followed was incredible and they had a great opportunity to build on this given the relative unpopularity of both Labour and Conservatives at that time and to make a lasting breakthrough. But that has all been frittered away in the period since symbolised by this session outside the pub.
Given the arrival of Declan Ganley on the scene I would fully expect UKIP to disappear next time round. Not least because there is gong to be a real struggle for funds for UKIP and Ganley, the articulate new kid on the block, will brush aside UKIP in the fundraising stakes I’m sure. As for UKIP, well the MEPs could go down the pub to commiserate I suppose.
