Ross Clark
It is a mark of Nigel Farage’s position on the nation’s consciousness that he has succeeded in pushing the judgement in the Prince Harry vs Associated Newspaper’s legal case – an absolute cataclysm for Harry which on any other day would dominate the airwaves and has huge implications for the future of royalty – into second place on the news. Did he deliberately choose to go head to head with Mr Justice Nicklin in order to test his power and influence over national life? If he did, he has won hands-down.
Farage has taken a huge risk in resigning his Clacton seat and fighting to regain it in a by-election on an ‘us vs the establishment’ ticket. Yet there will be an enormous prize if he wins. Every time he appears in the news over the next few weeks as the contest takes place, his determination to seek a fresh political mandate will contrast with the actions of another politician who seems determined to chicken out of doing the same: Andy Burnham. The presumptive prime minister took a big risk of his own, of course, in fighting a by-election in Makerfield. Had he lost, he would have slipped away into provincial obscurity. But if, as looks likely, he refuses calls for a general election, that will be put to one side. Rather, he will look scared of the people. He will be promising a sharp change and a bright new future – why would he topple a prime minister just to follow his manifesto? – but will be scorning the electorate by denying them judgement.
