Ouch…

From the diary of Richard Corbett MEP, dated 14 September (Strasbourg):

In the evening I go out for a bite with David Martin, Peter Skinner and Jim Nicholson, the Ulster Unionist MEP, following which we go for a beer in Murphy's, an Irish pub near the cathedral. After a while we become aware that the English speaking group in the corner noisily enjoying themselves are in fact UKIP MEPs, when one of them comes up to me and swears at me. I sometimes wonder if it's worth bothering countering UKIP's bogus arguments – they are well on the way to discrediting themselves without any external assistance!

We are reliably informed that the said UKIP MEP was Godfrey Bloom, erstwhile victim of terminal foot-in-mouth disease , who – we are reliably informed - in a somewhat tired and emotional state, subsequently got himself involved in a punch-up. For a fuller account, it is worth having a look at this site.

Strangely, although there were journalists present, nothing of the fracas reached the pages of the UK national press. Nor was there any report published of Kilroy-Silk's campaigning speech in Hartlepool last Saturday, even though the venue was well attended by "Fleet Street's finest".

Described as "overtly racist" by one observer, one wonders why more was not made of it, although our spies tell us that the Guardian will be doing a little number on UKIP just before the election poll, in which case they may saving all the goodies up for a time when they can do most damage.

Corbett's view, wholly unsound on most matters European (see link), may be spot-on when it comes to that motley crew which currently represents UKIP.