Honestly, we could have had a list of nominations made up entirely of Godfrey Bloom gaffes – from his flights of rhetoric to “Bongo-Bongo Land” to his thwack-attack on Michael Crick. But we thought it fairer to pit Bloom against other competitors, and he still came out on top anyway. Here are the final results, as decided by about 800 Party members who took our Christmas survey:
Of course, this is one of our lighter awards, but it oughtn’t be forgot: Bloom’s gaffes added up to a very serious presentational problem for Nigel Farage in 2013. And it’s still going on, even though Bloom and UKIP have divorced each other. As Paul Goodman wrote in an article for the Daily Telegraph yesterday, referencing this Guardian interview:
“Mr Bloom’s suggestion of a clandestine deal between Mr Farage and David Cameron – with the Ukip leader perhaps merging his party with the Conservatives, and certainly going to the Upper House – is preposterous. The Ukip leader has no time whatsoever for the Prime Minister, whom he sees as a conviction-free member of an interchangeable political class. But Mr Bloom undoubtedly touched a nerve.”
The question is, will he keep on touching those nerves even as UKIP enters what could be its most prosperous year yet?