As the public watches the spectacle of an ungovernable UKIP, described by Henry Bolton, its fourth party leader in 18 months, as a swamp to be drained of its factional infighting, it should now be apparent how skilful Nigel Farage was in holding together such a disparate and untutored political party.

An ungrateful nation threw out Winston Churchill after WWII, and suspicious voters refused to elect Nigel Farage to become a Member of the Westminster Parliament.   Spiteful men in grey suits plotted to prevent Farage being knighted for ‘services to the United Kingdom and to democracy’, being the one politician who single-handedly led Britain towards Brexit.

Formerly, there were internal complaints about Farage’s leadership grip upon UKIP, but it is now apparent why UKIP needed such a firm grip, and no-one seems to have it now.  Diane James discovered within three weeks of her leadership that she could not control it, and Paul Nuttall did not possess the political skills of Farage.  Even unsupportive on-lookers hoped that Henry Bolton, with a distinguished military background, would steady the ship in an interim-Brexit era, but he has demonstrated himself to be quite unprepared for political life.

Whatever skills Bolton has in the military realm, it is debatable if he has developed the political nouse to ride and survive this storm.  Farage gave him initial support when his private life was swept up into a public cyclone, but as the damage became more apparent Nigel Farage put to him the accusations of colleagues that he had turned UKIP into a soap opera and brought the party into disrepute.  In reply, Bolton showed that he wants to fashion UKIP in his own image with a new constitution, but his personal life demonstrates that it will be another secular constitution rather than the Christian one that the country so much needs.

UKIP is proving to be a distracting sideshow at a critical time in the country’s history, and whatever may be its new constitution, Brexit has given Britain an opportunity to restore to public life the Christian values in the Christian constitution of our country.  As long as secular politicians are in charge, this is under threat, so that Christians must learn to vote for Christian politicians.

‘Who will rise up for Me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for Me against the workers of iniquity?’

Psalm 94:16

 Update:

17 Feb 2018: UKIP dismissed Henry Bolton after less than five months as leader. Suzanne Evans, former UKIP Deputy Chair, has called upon Nigel Farage to return as UKIP leader.

4 May 2018: the wipe-out of UKIP at the English local council elections demonstrates that Nigel Farage was the driving force of UKIP, only underscoring his personal and central role in Brexit.  UKIP secured three council seats and lost 123 seats.

20 Aug 2018: Nigel Farage has returned to frontline politics.

12 Apr 2019: Nigel Farage launches the Brexit Party in Coventry to fight the European Parliamentary election on 23 May 2019.

24 Dec 2019: Steve Bannon on Nigel Farage’s role in history.

21 Oct 2021: historian David Starkey says that Nigel Farage is “the politician singlely responsible for Brexit” and that Henry VIII was the first Brexiteer.