I caught up with Mr Reckless in Cuxton, on the banks of the River Medway, where he was talking to local people campaigning for a pharmacy in the village. There were Ukip posters in a few front gardens and a general mood among those attending the gathering that no one ever listened to them. This sense of impotence in the face of bureaucratic obduracy is strong among Ukip voters. I did point out that Mr Reckless had actually been the MP for four years so he could have taken up their cause before but that did not seem to matter. “He’s here now, isn’t he?” said one, though she was still undecided whether to vote for him.