I used to think Kevin Hollinrake was one of the more sensible Tories, one of the few surviving ones with any gravitas. Wrong. He has behaved like a buffoon, and his leader has shown no judgement at all.
Okay, we all get things wrong occasionally, and I am not among those baying for his resignation, but I do think he should apologise.
However, he cannot because the daft Kemi has doubled down on his barmy comment.
The silly chap compared the Reform badge to Adolf Hitler’s. They are both badges, and they are both round, but there the comparison ends.
It took one silly comment to confirm Reform will wipe the floor with the Conservatives - Ann Widdecombe | Getty Images
Hollinrake needs his eyes examined if he can seriously discern a likeness between a swastika and the Reform arrow. I myself have sported round badges, including one which proclaimed “A good Thatcher keeps you dry!”
What neither he nor Kemi seems to appreciate is that every time they call Nigel a Nazi or fascist or racist, they insult millions of ordinary voters who are none of those things but who do support Reform.
I suspect this will cause another exodus of Tory supporters who are simply sick to the back teeth of being compared to Hitler just because they believe that our immigration system is useless and dangerous. Ever heard of damage limitation, Mrs Badenoch?
Then come the usual tales of Farage’s having made racist comments in his teenage years at school.
Look, I don’t want to sound sexist, but if you want to hear awful, insensitive jokes and badinage, then ask a teenage boy.
I can remember a 14-year-old boy, the son of friends of my parents, telling a ghastly sick joke about, Heaven spare us, the tragedy of Aberfan.
The only ones who laughed were the other teenage boys present. The adults turned pale.
Equally horrible was a sick joke about starving Biafrans, told by a different teenage boy who is now a vicar raising funds for overseas aid.
I can’t explain it, but it appears to be a phase many boys go through, and it means nothing.
Bad jokes, banter and the desire to cause outrage are just part and parcel of some male teenagers showing off before they grow up. Girls become more sensible – and sensitive – much earlier.
All I can say is that if you have to go back to what someone said as a teenager, then you really are scraping the barrel.
And that person’s adult life must have been pretty impeccable. Many a wild teenage communist ends up voting Tory.
Many a young Bible basher turns Atheist and vice versa. Many a teenage tearaway becomes a pillar of society.
At nineteen, Princess Anne said University was an overrated occupation, and at 31, she became Chancellor of London University.
Life mellows you and teaches you. At 18, I thought Catholics were superstitious; at 46, I became one.
Meanwhile, back to Hollinrake and the ineffectual Badenoch. I think we have been given a glimpse of how they intend to fight the next election, and if so, then we can predict the wipe-out now.
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