A tremendous UKIP showing in Norwich North.

So the Tories have taken the seat, but it's a great result for UKIP who have gone from 2.4% in 2005 to a whooping 11.8% in Norwich North today.

This despite the fact that the BBC and the press heavily pushed the Green party as the alternative choice, despite our protests. UKIP contested four wards in Norwich North in the local elections last month and we beat the Greens and LibDems in all of them. Taking into account that we beat Labour in the European Elections in June as well, we have been badly treated during this campaign.

Nevertheless, it sets the party up well for next year's General Election. Fringe parties do not get 11.8% in by-elections. This party is a real force that is receiving tremendous support not just among eurosceptic ex-Tories, but from fed-up working class ex-Labour voters. I played a big part in the campaign and with some strategic targetting we saw UKIP areas developing in some of the poorest areas of the constituency. When it comes to education, immigration, crime and pensions, UKIP is saying things that people like. Anyone who still wants to claim that UKIP is a single issue fringe party needs to get with the times. This thing is moving.

An eye-opener.

Attending hustings event for the North Norwich by-election yesterday, I came face to face with those acting under the Hope Not Hate umbrella.

What struck me was that beyond their very militant style of bellowing on speakerphones and chanting, they are as extreme as the BNP in terms of policy. By the end of the debate with one group, their position was very clear: "any form of controlled immigration is inherently racist". Well that's half the world judged then.

Also of note was the fact that the Green candidate Rupert Read turned up and lapped up the childish chanting. The so-called anti-fascists then followed Read into the Council chamber where the hustings were being held, instead of staying outside where the BNP were supposed to later arrive and protest their exclusion from the event.

Says it all really.

Tony Blair could be what eurosceptics need.

It disgusts me to think that the European Union, along with our own British government, have pretty much taken it for granted that the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution is going to go through. Having managed to avoid referendums across every EU member state bar on e, including the UK and with Ireland being heavily pressurised to pass Lisbon second time round in October, the European Union may soon have a new post, that being the role of EU President.

Tony Blair has long been rumoured to be a front-runnter for the job. No doubt about it, Blair is one of the most talented politicians of his generation no matter how much you disagree with his policies. Aside from the Iraq debacle, he had a damn good innings with Labour.

If Blair does get the job, as I believe he will, it will serve to help eurosceptics like myself. The key to politics now more than ever, is media attention. The institutions of the European Union like the Parliament and Commission go virtually unreported in the UK. This is totally different from coverage in countries like France and Germany. Perhaps it's apathy. Maybe the media just aren't clued-up on what exactly goes on inside the EU's many buildings. Perhaps its fear that such coverage would simply make UKIP more popular.

Whatever the reason, I predict it'll stop if and when Blair becomes the new figurehead for the EU. Newspapers want to sell papers, and Tony Blair's mug on the front of them works. Suddenly, having a top reporter based in Brussels and Strasbourg will become a lot more vital. While those inside the EU may think it would be a clever move to make a former Prime Minister from the EU's most eurosceptic country the top man, I believe it will backfire. The more people in the UK know about the EU, the more eurosceptic I believe they will become.

Though of course I hope the role never gets created. It certainly has no mandate from the British electorate.

UKIP to save the day?

Thanks to Declan Ganley's totally inept plan to take European politics by storm with Libertas, the "no" side in Ireland with regards to the Lisbon Treaty are severely weakened. Ganley has bowed out, Libertas is near-enough defunct and the whole cause has been hurt as a result. Those who told me Ganley was similar in character to Kilroy weren't kidding.

It looks like Ireland's only semi-high profile "no" campaign will be a newly-elected Socialist MEP. But he only has very niche appeal to the electorate at large. And so it appears that UKIP will once again be left to try and do what it can to deliver a blow to those who wish to create a federal Europe.

It wouldn't be very wise for British MEPs to charge over to Ireland telling them what to do. We certainly wouldnt't like it if it was the other way round. Where UKIP can and I believe will play a part, is in scrutinising the legitimacy of the so-called "guarantees" that the EU have granted Ireland ahead of a second referendum. I believe they aren't worth the paper they're written on and are definetly not legally binding. The Irish will be voting on exactly the same document, the exact same Treaty, the exact same scenario. I hope hey deliver the exact same answer to the EU's fanatical supporters.

A sign of the times.

Funny thing happened today.

Canvassing in Norwich North, myself and the UKIP delegation bumped into a woman who was entering her house. She had a Green poster on her window but things weren't quite what they seemed.

After being canvassed by the obnoxious Labour candidate (who for some reason introduced his "lovely darling wife"), the lady put a Green poster up in front of him to express her disgust.

One conversation later and the woman was pretty adamant that she would never vote Green (now she knew their policies) and that UKIP's policies, particularly on immigration, are what we need. Best of all she ripped up the Green poster and stuck one up for the purple team.

It really is politicians vs. the people on council estates in the UK nowadays.

Prediction specialist!

In-between spouts of spreading my genius in the UKIP's by-election HQ in Norwich North, I have been surfing the net today. I see that a certain MEP - Edward McMillan-Scott - has been expelled from the Tory party. He is expected to become an Independent and return to the Conservative party's former home in the European Parliament, the EPP.

McMillan-Scott decided to run as Euro Parliament Vice-President despite the Tories' new group, the ECR, already having selected a candidate. He was booted out as a result.

As I predicted, Tory MEPs elected in June will end up sitting in different European parliamentary groupings. Just as I predicted UKIP would do phenomenally well in the European Election. My next prediction for all of the punters looking for a flutter? A superb General Election showing from Nigel Farage's barmy army...