I never thought I would agree with anything an uelected Eurocrat uttered. But yesterday I saw myself nodding in agreement, punching the air and saying, by jingoism, old Barroso's got it.
In a staggering admission, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, stated that Ukip could win the forthcoming European Parliament elections and that the Tories were merely a "copy" of Ukip in their European election strategy.
Barroso told Martin Callanan, a Tory leader, that he faced the threat of defeat at the hands of Ukip.
"Increasingly your party and your group is looking like the Ukip," Barroso told Callanan during a debate."I start to have some doubts that you are going to be elected yourself in Britain, if it's not UKIP that is going to be the first force in the British elections."
Then he had the audacity to suggest that the break-up of the EU would leave the continent vulnerable to conflict.
As Nigel Farage said in response: "Those of us who believe in national democracy do not want to take us back to the Western Front or 1914. Those of us who believe in national democracy will say to you that it is a healthy assertion of identity" and added that "a deeper understanding of why the problems of Europe were caused in the past" would indicate that "democratic nation states in Europe...are stable and will not go to war with each other"
Speaking after the debate, Nigel added:
"It is utter arrogance that this man, who has overseen rioting in Greece, who has impoverished hundreds of thousand across the European Union by putting erroneous ideology ahead of common sense and democracy, somehow believes that his self-interested megalomaniac supra-national undemocratic organisation is the bringer of peace in Europe.
"Are they that blind as to fail to understand why the problems of Europe were caused in the past? The accountability of those serving in politics, the recourse to public opinion and the sympathy with national cultures and identities are what are key to maintaining harmony in any nation state.
"The EU have proven time and again they wish to sweep such considerations under the carpet in favour of promoting a self -serving power structure. Far from the peacekeepers, they will be proven the warmongers of this century by denying the people of Europe a voice and an identity."
Quite right Nigel.
For the past couple of weeks I have been out canvassing in by-elections across the south east and we are finding on the doorsteps that people are fed up with the status quo deadlock of the LibLabCon. And it's just not immigration and the EU. It's lack of housing, the cost of living, the cost of heating their homes, their children's education, crime and a feeling that they are powerless. But just don't just take my word for it. The British Social Attitudes survey, perhaps most importantly for Ukip, 67% of people today want to leave the EU or want Brussels to be less powerful. Back in 1991 only 17% of Brits wanted the UK to leave. When Ukip was born in 1993 that number had already grown to 38% considering themselves Eurosceptic.
It just goes to show how in tune Ukip is with the general public and how as a party, we saw what was coming. That means Mr Barroso is right, that Dave's strategy of trying to hoodwink the UK into believing he's a closet Kipper, isn't working here or, more importantly, in the Commission, the people he has to persuade to return powers to the UK. Hooray.