The insurgent channel is a threat to its rivals, and a trap for the Tories
, British politicians made the error of ignoring, and then mocking, Nigel Farage and hisIndependence Party. “Fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists,” was the verdict of David Cameron, a Conservative leader, in 2006. “A collection of clowns,” later concurred Kenneth Clarke, his justice secretary.was an electoral minnow; its gatherings were farces.
The second innovation is the use of serving politicians, mainly of the right, as presenters rather than merely guests. They include Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former cabinet minister; Lee Anderson, the Tory deputy chairman; and Esther McVey and Philip Davies, a pair of married backbenchers. Its loyal core is much smaller: just 10% of the audience account for three-quarters of all hours viewed, and they are predominantly older men without degrees, says Enders Analysis, a consultancy.
But that is not the gift it seems. The greatest threat to opposition parties is irrelevance. Out of office, they retreat into themselves. Jeremy Corbyn, the previous Labour leader, mistook rooms of cheering activists for an adoring nation. The self-styled “People’s Channel” risks performing a similar illusion on the Tories, seeming to be a conduit to the authentic electorate but in truth reaching only a fragment.
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