UKIP rather scuppered themselves, GogLais. Can only be speculation, but if Nige had remained at UKIP’s helm, post-Referendum fervour could have seen them at least finish off the LibDems, displacing them as 3rd Party in seats as well as votes, with a decent shot at becoming the Loyal Opposition. But not only did Nige stand down but there followed the complete farce of selecting his replacement; and then finally selecting an English Nationalist as leader. Things now are getting back into shape under Batten, so there is hope for the future. But the party’s fate might still only be that of the ‘UKIP Factor’ threatening marginal seats.
One of the most exciting news stories for me was Nige and Banks heading to NI to speak at a DUP event. I hoped this would presage a DUP-UKIP merger, and have since been very disappointed that nothing came out of that, whether because no-one had contemplated the idea in the first place or because egos got in the way.
I believe the DUP going national would be a good idea and merging with UKIP would see it having a solid shot at No. 10.