Carnival of the Ukippers

Ukip’s we’re-not-racist ethnic minority carnival in Croydon always looked as though it was going to provide plenty of material for sketchwriters and critics. It was another attempt by the party to showcase its non-white members and candidates, with local candidate Winston McKenzie on hand too.

But the event aimed at spinning a line about the party’s open-mindedness spun out of control. The steel band told journalists they didn’t know they’d been booked by Ukip, and were pretty unhappy about it too. Then a group of protesters accused the party of being Nazis. Then McKenzie, explaining why Nigel Farage had pulled out of attending the event, described the town he is standing for election in as a ‘dump’ and ‘unsafe’ because it had been failed by successive governments.

Winston McKenzie on the phone to Nigel Farage.

The Conservatives have become increasingly control-freakish about their big campaign days, excluding the press in favour of selected broadcasters so that the party can stage manage every moment as much as it possibly can.