Ukip, we are told, is outside this stale establishment, it’s a party of protest, and Nigel Farage is supposed to be a good bloke who likes his ale and a laugh down the pub. But the idea that a party which stands for the ‘independence of Britain’ is outside the political status quo is patently ridiculous: Farage can say "sod the lot" to the three main parties, but when push comes to shove he's with them all the way down the line.