The Pearson Plan?

UKIP may not exist by the spring, and its new Leader is going to lose it half its vote for Strasbourg. But in the meantime, his association with Geert Wilders demonstrates that he is not picky. All sorts of people were kept out of Cameron's new Group because they were opposed to Turkish accession, as good a reason as any for him to break with the Gaullists and Christian Democrats, not least the one who is now President of the European Council.

Wilders, with four MEPs, has always said that he would never join any Group. But that was before Pearson was the Leader of UKIP, with its 13 MEPs, who will remain in office even if their party is deregistered at home, although under Pearson it no longer poses any threat whatever to the traditional Labour vote, so it might be safe enough now.

The Lega Nord has nine, the Danish People's Party (SS nostaligist but very pro-Israeli supporters of the Iraq War), the Vlaams Belang (SS nostalgist but very pro-Israeli agitators to break up Belgium in the service of global capital), the Greek Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS - actually quite interesting, and habitually accused of anti-Semitism for defending the Christian basis of the State while criticising Israel, so certainly can't be all bad), and the Austrian Freedom Party (voice of Austria's pan-German Nationalist tradition, if you know what I mean) have two each.

There is one of the True Finns, agrarian supporters of generous welfare provision and of the economic role of the State, but who dare to support immigration restrictions and conservative social policies accordingly, so are much traduced. And there is one from the SGP, ultraconservative Dutch Calvinists whose female voters do not mind the ban on women candidates.

That gives 32 MEPs from eight countries. Enough for a Group.

Watch that space.