We need have no fear though because Arthur – sorry, Ed – told us in no uncertain terms that “the Liberal Democrats won’t back down”. From what exactly they won’t back down isn’t made entirely clear in the clip, but there are serious limits to my curiosity. I am not going to delve into the weeds to seek further clarification.
The reason for my mentioning it at all is not that I have suddenly taken any great interest in the wibblings of the Lib-Dems. Merely, I wondered whether the elevation of Farage to the status of public enemy number one – in the UK at least – marks a turning point in our politics.
For a long time, the consensus policies of the established parties were to avoid mentioning them, depriving the insurgents of the oxygen of publicity in the hope that they would wither away in their imposed obscurity. Now, that has changed to the extent that Farage has become the main talking point in party conferences.
Another possible turning point was an anti-immigration demonstration yesterday
outside Belfast City Hall. This – as can be seen from the link – was
reported by the BBC but, for some unfathomable reason, the broadcaster
neglected to tell us that the demonstrators comprised British loyalists
and Irish nationalists in an unusual cross-border alliance of formerly
implacable enemies....<<<Read More>>>....
