On Thursday of this week, we expect the Electoral Commission’s decision as to which of the two Leave groups, Grassroots Out Movement (GO) or Vote Leave, gets the designation to run the official campaign.
If I judge this purely on the main criterion which is breadth of support I believe that GO should get it.
Not only do we have UKIP, representatives from Labour and the Conservatives but we have Trade Union groups, the Respect Party and even the New Communist Party of Great Britain!
However, Vote Leave with its Cabinet Ministers is much more of an SW1 establishment vehicle.
Regardless of who gets designation, the real question is what happens next.
In the past I have been deeply critical of the paid apparatchiks running Vote Leave. I believe they have been wrong on every level. Their refusal to merge with us. Their view that immigration is not a key issue for undecided voters. And their outright hostility to me and most of UKIP.
That now is history. In the past couple of weeks I have met some of the Cabinet Ministers signed up with Vote Leave. I have to say I have found their approach refreshing.
They are perfectly clear that whoever gets designation, we must all work together. A song that I have been singing for a very long time.
The difference of course is that one side will have a bigger budget than the other. But that aside there is talk of us all sharing platforms together and exchanging information.
This is all very good news. In fact we will look more united by the end of this week than the Remain campaign, many of whom absolutely refuse to work with other groups on their side of the debate.
But an important thing until now ignored dimension of this campaign is the role of UKIP.
As a registered permitted participant, UKIP are able to spend £4 million between the 15th April and the 23rd June campaigning for us to Leave. Yes that’s right: we can spend 60 per cent of what the official Remain and Leave campaigns can spend.
I have never seen a time when UKIP activists, members and supporters have been more motivated and united in their quest to win this campaign.
UKIP will be a big player in this referendum and it will fulfil a crucial role.
One of our successes in the last two years has been getting non-voters to turn out and vote UKIP. Given that this will be the turnout referendum, that is to say that the side that mobilises its voters will win, it is clear that our role may well prove decisive.
In addition to that, we are the best placed people to argue that this referendum is about the people vs the politicians. The people vs the multinationals. The people vs Goldman Sachs. The people whose voice needs to be heard. It is rather difficult for any other group to make that argument as powerfully and authentically.
I am optimistic that this is the week that the Leave campaigns come together. Whilst I still hope that GO gets the designation, it is clear to me that UKIP has much to prepare for.
Nigel Farage MEP is the leader of the UK Independence Party
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.