Farage has chosen to cosy up with the sort of political party that makes most of us feel sick

Why do so many of us go canvassing and door-knocking in the rain? Or give up evenings and weekends for the Labour Party when we could be anywhere else. There’s always a candidate to support or a campaign to be won. But ultimately it’s about more than that – it’s about fighting for our values.

We all get into politics to argue for what we think is right and to change our world bit by bit, day by day for the better.

That’s a simple truth. But for me two apparently unrelated events this week – one in Manchester one in Brussels, really hammered that point home.

On Sunday, I was in Manchester speaking at a rally against anti-Semitism. At the absolute core of our Labour values is a complete, visceral hatred for racism in all its forms. Growing up during during my teenage years in apartheid South Africa I lived amidst probably the most institutionalised racism ever constructed. Racism, and discrimination are the anti-thesis of everything we believe in and I was proud to join Ivan Lewis MP in Manchester to speak up against a growing problem. The most moving moment of the day came when a 92 year old holocaust survivor rolled up his sleeve to reveal the number the Nazis branded him with and announced, “My name is Harry Ferster not B10924.”

Anti-Semitism is the world’s oldest hatred, and we must confront it wherever it appears.  Too many British Jews experience abuse on the street or have no choice but to have their synagogue protected by the Community Security Trust as they worship. This week someone was jailed for four weeks for sending anti-semitic messages to Luciana Berger MP.

This abuse often flairs up at a time when there’s a spike in violence in the Middle East. Blame who you want for the tragedy of the Middle East but one group should never be blamed and that is British Jews. They are no more responsible for the actions of Israel than I as a Catholic am accountable for the decisions of governments in a predominantly Catholic countries or British Muslims for events in Pakistan or Iran.

Three days after that Manchester rally UKIP’s political grouping in the European Parliament averted collapse with the recruitment of the Polish MEP Robert Iwaszkiewicz.

What connects the two is that Nigel Farage’s new political ally is led by a man who has openly questioned Hitler’s involvement in the holocaust, refers to African-Americans in the worst possible terms, and has repeatedly questioned women’s right to vote.

UKIP’s new partners are too nasty and right-wing even for the French Front National – think about that for a second. The Front National, by the way, have previously co-operated with the BNP.

In a despicable and venal act, Nigel Farage has ordered his MEPs into partnership with a far-right party in Europe that denies the fact that millions were murdered in the Holocaust because he can’t bear to lose the European cash that comes from being part of a group.

UKIP don’t represent the values of working people in Britain, and as Labour members it’s our job to take them on, and to win.

But of course we must also understand their appeal. They offer easy answers in a difficult world, and for them there’s always someone else to blame.

As I have said before, there’s no overnight quick fix on UKIP, and you can’t ‘deal with’ UKIP in a traditional political fix way; you have to address the anger which leads to decent people voting in frustration for right wing populism.

Part of the answer is about emotional literacy and many of the sensible policies Labour has on work, welfare, crime and immigration. Partly it’s about a type of politics based upon genuine conversations where politicians use their ears before we use our mouths, and crucially it’s also about making an argument that in a complicated world the simplicity of the UKIP appeal is also core to their weakness.

They haven’t got the answers to the problems facing Britain and they never will. It’s not just that all they offer today is a reflection of the public’s anger laced with seductive simplicity, that’s all they can ever offer. Because scratch beneath the surface and UKIP’s answers aren’t just ill-thought through – they are wrong.

Every decision we make in politics is driven by our values. When Labour introduced the minimum wage or created the NHS those things didn’t just happen, they were a direct outcome of our values.

This week, whatever anybody says, Nigel Farage has shown a different type of value. He has chosen to cosy up with the sort of political party that makes most of us feel sick. During his next TV appearance we’ll probably be treated to Farage leaning against the bar feigning friendship with unsuspecting drinkers. But now he has shown who his real friends are, and we shouldn’t let anyone forget it.

Jim Murphy MP is the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development