UKIP has momentum right now.

I am amazed to see the amount of coverage that the UKIP Conference I have just returned from in Milton Keynes is receiving. From the newspapers to the news channels, the message that UKIP is intending to mount a serious General Election campaign is becoming loud and clear.

My speech I felt at Conference went well, but the highlights were of course Nigel Farage and Lord Pearson, as well as Deputy Leader David Campbell Bannerman's outlining of our domestic policy. There was very little in the dozen or so topic areas covered that I disagreed with. What struck me more is that ex-coppers in the crowd cheered the law and order paper, the fishermen in UKIP's ranks were enthusiastic about UKIP's policy on fishing and those who were ex-teachers loved what they saw of the education policy.

That suggests to me that far from being fringe, UKIP is the voice of those ordinary people turned off by the Brown/Cameron show who we badly need to get back involved in politics.