HAVING a go at Nigel Farage is not difficult, but does it make any difference? Let’s begin by considering the fun part of that question.

Has anyone else noticed what might be called Farage’s trout face? This is the expression he adopts when asked a question to which he doesn’t have a ready reply. His mouth pops opens and stays that way, as if waiting for a fly to drop by.

This tendency was on display recently when Farage was interviewed by Andrew Neil on the BBC’s Daily Politics show. I missed this first time round, but a columnist on a national newspaper recommended seeking it out on YouTube, so I did.

Neil isn’t my favourite presenter, but he was on very good form during this encounter. He adopted the devilishly tricky approach of asking Farage about Ukip’s policies. It turned out that Farage didn’t know anything much about these at all. “Ukip is now replacing Trident?”

Mr Neil asked. “I’m not sure where you got that from,” said Farage. “From your website,” said Neil. “I’m no expert in websites,” said Farage.

His fly-catcher’s mouth was open again when Neil said: “And you want a compulsory dress code for taxi drivers?” “Do we?” said Farage. “News to me.”

Other ‘important’ policies included painting British trains in ‘traditional’ colours.

Farage later denounced his party’s last manifesto as “drivel” – “None of this stands today and we will launch it all after the European elections.”

He earned praise in some quarters for being brave enough to publicly disparage his own party. Well, that’s one way of looking at it.

But anyone who watched the interview would surely conclude that Farage was skewered by something no sharper than an obvious question or two, and was then forced to act.

As it rises in influence, it is only right and proper that Ukip should have to withstand the scrutiny faced by other parties. It’s no longer enough to be the Europe-hating, real-ale quaffing, fag-puffing, anti-politics, none-of-the-above party. At least it shouldn’t be. But plenty of people still seem attracted to UKIP; some of them occasionally send me emails pointing out the error of my ways.

As it happens, Ukip does remain a threat to the major parties, and that definitely includes Labour too, thanks to a general anti-politics mood and a rising feeling that there is no point in voting, as famously expressed on Newsnight by Russell Brand, the comedian (if that’s what he is – I can never tell).

Such sour times favour small parties, or parties that stand against what all the others believe; or parties that speak what appears to be common sense. Personally, virtually nothing Farage says sounds like common sense to me. It sounds like the opportunistic talk of a man who won’t ever have to put any of his policies into practice. Whatever the hell they might be.

Then again, people used to say that about the Liberal Democrats.


• I’VE been watching Coen Brothers’ films for 30 years now, since their debut Blood Simple.

They are my favourite filmmakers more or less, and I can certainly recommend their latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, which recaptures the early days of American folk music, just before the rise of Bob Dylan.

It is not exactly a cheerful film, but it is very good, beautifully made, poignant and funny, and boasts faithful recreations of the music. Oscar Isaac gives a remarkable performance as the miserably failing folk singer of the title, a man accidentally given charge of a ginger cat.

The feline presence has caused much debate: does it represent Llewyn, is it a plot device or a means of garnering sympathy for the lead character? Who knows, but it definitely adds something.

Fitting, then, that this film should come out just as Pete Seeger, the American troubadour, folk musician and activist dies at the age of 94.

Anyone wishing to pay tribute could do worse than listen to Bruce Springsteen’s fantastic 2006 album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.