Ukip has put all the journalists in a special balcony above the main auditorium at its spring conference. It’s quite thoughtful of the party, as the gallery is right next to the press room where hacks can file, but it also means that they’re a little apart from the delegates. Sitting on the floor of the hall, I overheard a party official talking to a delegate. ‘Those people over there,’ he said, pointing to the gallery. ‘Are here to take the piss.’
To be fair, one of the jobs that the press in this country does very well is to take the mick out of politicians whose bloated egos could do with a little needling from time to time. We are like the little brother who teases his siblings, and in doing so, stops them from becoming a self-important twit.
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