Mainstream politics received two wake-up calls this weekend. One was the emphatic victory of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Saxony-Anhalt state election. The other came from Dover, where black balaclava-wearing protesters lined the streets to demonstrate against the boat crossings.
There were other concerning images, too. In Portsmouth, where thugs turned out, in less-organised fashion but still in force, to blockade migrants arriving from France – and from the Reform UK conference, as hecklers were brutally ejected, with one picture showing a woman being dragged by her hair and struck with a walking stick. When the footage was played to Robert Jenrick, the Reform Treasury spokesperson said “boohoo” and told her to “get a life”.
