NIGEL’S NEW IGNORANCE

THE shameful embrace of antiSemitism by the Left should not blind us to the role of Judeophobia on the hard-Right. Last week Nigel Farage gave voice to ugly canards about Jews, money and influence on his LBC phone-in show.

During the broadcast, ‘Ahmed from Leyton’ called to complain about coverage of Russia’s interference in the US presidential elections, saying the ‘Israeli lobby’ was just as powerful. Extraordinarily, Mr Farage agreed with the paranoid caller, saying: ‘Well the Israeli lobby, you know, that’s a reasonable point, Ahmed, because there are about six million Jewish people living in America, so as a percentage it’s quite small, but in terms of influence it’s quite big.’

The ex-Ukip leader continued ‘In terms of money and influence they are a very powerful lobby’, before adding that ‘the Jewish lobby... has links with the Israeli government’.

Mr Farage has made a career out of ignorance and animus but even for him this was a low, ugly moment. AN SNP councillor has been forced to apologise after claiming Unionists ‘appear to like hitting children’ while celebrity separatist Elaine C Smith, pictured, says that 20 per cent of No voters ‘would bring back slavery if they could’. Their comments came on the weekend when nationalists launched a renewed bid to win over independence opponents. Going well, I see.