Jim,
It's eternal leadership idiocies, resignations, foot-in-mouths and generaal clownish displays and its attraction for the lunatic fringe of British politics makes it the laughing stock that it is - as you say, "some fringe".

You have just described the Labour Party, not UKIP Jim!

I am no supporter, but UKIP actually beat all the other parties in the 2014 EU election.
Some fringe.