Britain, as we know, is a two-party state. A perpetual battle between Labour and the Tories. One wins, does okay for a while, then screws up, and the other one comes in. Night follows day. It’s always been like that, and it always will be.

Except no, it hasn’t and it won’t. Every fifty or a hundred years, we see an existential event and we are presented with a new normal. We had the Tories and the Whigs until the mid-19th century, and the Tories and the Liberals until the mid-20th century, and then the Tories and Labour until now, the mid-21st century.

History tells us that it is time for another existential event. A week ago, the latest attempt was made to precipitate this existential change, when Labour’s problem child, Zarah Sultana, announced that she and Labour’s problem grandad Jeremy Corbyn were forming a new political party.

This one is going nowhere. Ms Sultana’s opening gambit – “it’s socialism or barbarism” – told us what we needed to know. This is not a serious outfit and these are not serious people; they’ll be talking to seven people in a North London wine bar by the time the next election rolls around.

Nigel Farage is not likely to be in that wine bar, and not just because he’s more of a country pub kind of guy. Love him or hate him, Mr Farage is a much more serious operator and is a large part of the way through executing a plan to destroy the Tory party and, as it turns out, maybe the Labour Party at the same time.

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