Stuart Wheeler, a legend.

There are often times that I grow incredibly frustrated with politics in general, and how many men and women seem happy to shut up and not stand up and say what they really think. When Stuart Wheeler, who gave the Conservatives £5 million in 2001 when they were in meltdown, spoke out in support of UKIP, he was expelled from the very Party he had helped when it had needed him most.

And now it seems that Mr. Wheeler is once again putting his money where his mouth is, by promising to financially back Nigel Farage in Buckingham. Lets make one thing absolutely clear: having Nigel as UKIP's MP in the next Parliament, particularly if we have a hung Parliament with a David Cameron who does not have a majority, would raise merry hell. All of those disgruntled eurosceptic backbenchers would have a beacon to be drawn to. There are few other people in the history of British politics I'd rather have as my parties sole representative in the House of Commons than Nigel Farage.

Stuart Wheeler didn't make his mint backing losers and so must see the value of getting Nigel into Parliament. Yet even if Wheeler didn't believe in his heart of hearts that Nigel could outright win in Buckingham, he strikes me as the type of man who would contribute nonetheless just to help UKIP put up a respectable fight against John Bercow and at least attempt to try and change the status quo. That is why he is one of the few men I think can stand on a pedestal and write a book about the scandal that is MP's expenses.

UKIP Group on Billericay Town Council.

Last night saw Independent Councillor Terry Gandy join UKIP, joining UKIP Councillor Susan McCaffery on the Town Council. This is yet another local gain for the Party which is making tremendous strides in local government, particularly where I live in the Eastern region.

The build-up spells good things for UKIP's chances at the General Election. While we may not take dozens of seats this time, the aim must be for a sizeable number of third and second places with a view to building on results election on election until UKIP have a sizeable fighting force of MPs in Westminster.

The spread of those joining the Party is also remarkable. Unlike the BNP and Greens small pockets of power, UKIP are seeing new supporters defect from all over the country. Who knows where the next one will come from!

Simon Heffer recognises UKIP's challenge to the Conservatives, but the Party is more than that.

Simon Heffer is someone I have a lot of time for. A fan of Nigel Farage, he is one of the few consistent right-wing commentators who doesn't ignore the existence of UKIP and doesn't blindly support the Tory Party machine.

He has once again in The Telegraph highlighted the damage that UKIP can do to a barely conservative Conservative Party led by David Cameron. Eurosceptic swathes of voters around the country may rebel against the Party they have always voted for, and vote UKIP. This could hugely damage David Cameron's chances of a majority in the next Parliament.

But the simple fact remains that UKIP's core target constituencies - aside from Buckingham - are Labour strongholds. The myth that UKIP is the Thatcherite militant wing of the Conservative Party is doing the Party a huge disservice. Bootle, Hartlepool, Newcastle Under-Lyme, these are the places where the Party is gathering Councillors and momentum.

UKIP is building support up and down the country from ex-members and voters of all of the three main parties, and from those who never previously voted. It is not a small fringe splinter group like the BNP and the Green Party. While David Cameron should fear the rise of UKIP, so should Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg.

If we're fringe, then what are the others?

It does annoy me when UKIP are described as a "fringe Party" in the same breath as the Green Party and the BNP. This is, after all, the Party that beat Labour and the Liberal Democrats nationally in the European Elections, and elected 13 MEPs. The Greens and BNP, despite big media talking-up, limped over the finish line with 2 MEPs each.

This looks like it's going to translate into the General Election this year as well. The latest Angus Reid poll has put UKIP on a credible 6% which would put us on course for 1,500,000 votes nationwide going off '05 turnout. That percentage double what the Greens and BNP are on. Funnily enough, they are both on the same percentage of 3%.

Perhaps those opposed to UKIP should stop trying to play dirty games and talking about "UKIP and the BNP" in one-sided news bites, and talk about the Greens and the BNP. If UKIP really are to be described as being on the fringe of British politics, that must leave Caroline Lucas and Nick Griffin on a desert island somewhere. What an odd occasion that would be!

LibDems: boring, boring, boring.

The Liberal Democrats have apparently launched their campaign logo and slogan today: "change that works for you" and "building a fairer Britain". Yawwwwwn.

What does this crap mean? It's generic to the nth degree and to me shows exactly why, despite the massive convergence to the "centre-ground" by the Tories and Labour, the Liberal Democrats have utterly failed to give themselves any real identity.

And so it remains that the only way to radically change the country is to vote UKIP. You might disagree with us, but at least we stand for something that is actually worth talking about.

Small-c conservatives fighting for UKIP.

As the build up to the General Election continues, UKIP candidates are launching campaigns up and down the country. And in a sign that UKIP re being taken seriously as a credible domestic alternative, the press are reporting on UKIP challengers.

Today alone local news outlets in Penrith and Worcester are reporting on the launch of UKIP candidates' campaigns. Both candidates are ex-Tories disgusted at the direction David Cameron has taken their former Party. In the case of Worcester, the UKIP candidate is a former branch Chairman. Those defecting from the Conservative Party to UKIP are not simply the foot soldiers; many are former senior local movers-and-shakers.

All the more reason for John Bercow to insist to his local paper that UKIP are not making progress in his constituency of Buckingham. We shall see, Mr. Bercow.

The real opposition....in Wales as well.

Perhaps the greatest breakthrough to come at the European Elections last year was the election of John Bufton as one of Wales' four MEPs. The Liberal Democrats, a Party with MPs in Wales, came a miserable fifth and don't even have an MEP representing Wales. That alone demonstrates the scale of the breakthrough.

The challenge now is to get UKIP Assembly Members elected in order to challenge the cosy consensus in the Welsh Assembly. UKIP must be a radical alternative in domestic elections at every level and UKIP Wales' main plank of opposing the extra layer of politicians who make up the Welsh Assembly is a great place to start. Power in the UK does need to be devolved - but to local councils and local people, not to regional or national assemblies. It seems like the Welsh media are starting to take notice.