This is the only time I am going to mention Nigel Farage in this election campaign. And I’m going to do it just to ask you to please stop mentioning him too.
Clearly both Brexit, and the rise of the far right that it has fuelled, are deeply concerning. We are seeing the return of language that I thought was left behind in the days of my childhood, and both women and our diverse communities are feeling fearful. But fear is the currency of the far right and we should be brave enough not to fall into their communication traps.
Labour’s main message now is that only they can stop Farage. The Liberal Democrats are trying to portray themselves as the party that can ‘beat’ the Brexit Party. These narratives are both distortions of what these European Elections are about - electing members of the European Parliament - but they are also ceding ground to Farage in a way that is disastrous for the future of our democracy. Putting Farage at the centre of the debate like this is exactly what he wants.
