Leaders united against Farage

If they didn't despise him already, they certainly did after he complained on TV about foreigners with HIV getting free treatment from the National Health Service.

Here, they implied, was the true uncaring, xenophobic, racist face of UKIP in all its despicable selfishness.

How dare any political leader suggest the resources of the British taxpayer be denied any health tourist who happens to land at Birmingham International carrying a lethal communicable disease?

The over-reaction of our political establishment explains why Mr Farage's insurgency, which challenges the three-party status quo, causes them so much difficulty.

Opinion polls taken after the UKIP leader's outburst show that, unlike the other six politicians on show that night, most voters sympathise with Mr Farage's point of view.

He certainly knew what he was doing.

Just as every time UKIP says something which can be branded racist it wins extra votes, he knew making comments about the generosity of the NHS to foreigners with HIV would appeal as much as appal.

This was a deliberate ploy to hang on to as many UKIP voters as possible. Last year UKIP won 27.5 per cent of the vote in the European elections but recent polls put its support at around the 12 per cent mark.

Most pundits reckon the party will be lucky to win six seats so Nigel Farage, who thinks his party will do well in the West Midlands, has to show he's different.

He certainly did that when he raised an issue he said the other leaders would be "mortified that I dare to even talk about".

He claimed 60 per cent of the 7,000 people diagnosed with HIV every year were born abroad.

He added: 'You can come to Britain from anywhere in the world and get diagnosed with HIV and get the retroviral drugs that cost up to £25,000 per year per patient.

'I know there are some horrible things happening in many parts of the world, but what we need to is put the National Health Service there for British people and families who in many cases have paid into this system for decades.'

Leanne Wood, the over-promoted local councillor who leads Plaid Cymru, said he was scaremongering. Ed Miliband said he should be ashamed of himself. Nicola Sturgeon said there was nothing he wouldn't blame on foreigners. Nick Clegg said he was 'vile, desperate'.

One way of rubbishing an argument is to question the statistics. And as usual there are lots of numbers that can be used to cast doubt on Mr Farage's claims.

The quango Public Health England says only 38 per cent of newly-infected HIV victims were not born in Britain. It says only 6,000 cases are diagnosed every year not 7,000 and the annual cost of treatment is about £16,000 not £25,000.

On the other hand, it also says that of the 53,000 heterosexuals with HIV, 60 per cent – 31,700 men and women – were born in Africa.

Even if the actual figures used by Mr Farage are a little dodgy, the basic principle remains unchanged.

Should British taxpayers pay thousands of pounds a year to treat foreigners taking advantage of our free health service?

The 'cold, hard fact' according to the UKIP leader is that we could save between £1 billion and £2bn a year by cracking down on health tourism.

The other parties seem to think we should find whatever money is needed. But a YouGov poll taken after Mr Farage staked his latest claim to be Public Enemy Number One found 50 per cent agree foreigners coming to the UK should not receive free health treatment for five years. Only 34 per cent oppose such a ban.

And 52 per cent think Mr Farage was right to raise the HIV issue compared with 37 per cent who think he was scaremongering.

This exposes the huge gulf between politicians and voters. Part of the problem is that mainstream parties have been hi-jacked by lobby groups which know how to make trouble if they don't get what they want.

These groups, often charities enjoying huge bungs of taxpayers' money, are as powerful as old-fashioned trade unions and good at holding politicians to ransom.

Politicians are terrified of adopting policies which right-on, politically-correct, do-gooding left-wing charities might find offensive.

UKIP's leader is not yet in thrall to these groups. He can be brave – or foolish – enough to stick his neck out and say the things many ordinary people agree with but are almost too afraid even to think these days.

Interestingly, the same poll which shows a majority supports Mr Farage's stand on health tourism does not show a sudden swing towards UKIP as a result.

That's why so many people feel disconnected from politics. Even people who would never vote UKIP are pleased when they hear the unsayable spoken out loud. Even if it is by the unspeakable.