For persuading voters to back the vision of a credible political party, it doesn't gain very high marks.

But as the most entertaining party election broadcast (PEB) of the campaign so far (and probably the most entertaining moment of the entire election), even an ardent euro-federalist would have to give it some credit.

The UK Independence Party's election broadcast, aired on Friday, managed to combine a call for British sovereignty with scenes of a giant octopus terrorising London.

The PEB began with scenes from around Britain, and a voice - in a more than passable imitation of the late Richard Burton - echoing the opening lines of the musical version of War of the Worlds.

"No one would have believed, in the first years of the 21st century, that Britain's affairs were being watched and scrutinised from an alien world," said the voice.

Strained analogy

At this early point anyone familiar with either the H.G. Wells novel or the musical version (narrated by Burton) could see the next comparison coming - with a feeling not so much of impending fear but more amazed disbelief that it was about to feature in an election broadcast.

"With the help of our three political parties, who lie to the British public about their intentions, minds immeasurably more bureaucratic than ours slowly and surely drew their plans against us," continued the broadcast.

Two sentences into the PEB, the analogy with the original War of the Worlds is already being strained.

The opening words of the musical had referred instead to "minds immeasurably superior to ours" (the book used "intelligences greater than man's").

Not quite the comparison of Britain with Brussels that UKIP intends, and no wonder they changed it to "bureaucratic", but the original lines nonetheless spring immediately to mind, somewhat clouding UKIP's intended effect.

Policy message

The PEB continues: "And then it came... [scenes of B-movie-style screaming people running through the streets in fear] The hideous body of the EU. Smashing our democracy and destroying our laws."

In this case the "hideous" EU, however, is symbolised by a rather comical giant blue and green 'octopus' (with EU stars on its forehead), seen towering over British symbols such as parliament and the Bank of England.

It also devours a fishing boat as the voiceover warns of the EU's impact on Britain's fishing fleet.

Having succeeded completely in grabbing the viewer's attention - although not necessarily for the intended reasons unless UKIP is deliberately running a post-modern, media savvy, self-aware and knowingly ironic election campaign - the PEB returns to normal political ground as it sets out the party's arguments for returning sovereignty to the UK.

Britain would get a better deal on issues such as trade and food production if it was outside the EU, it argues.

And UKIP also pledged to free police officers from bureaucracy and allow NHS staff to make their own clinical judgements.

In a cameo appearance, celebrity chef Rustie Lee - who is also standing as a candidate for the party - backed tighter controls on immigration.

"The EU, they are having a laugh. Hahaha," she added with her trademark chortle. "But lets make sure it isn't at our expense."

Off the agenda

In a swipe at the media, UKIP also said it was suffering from a "lack of media coverage".

"Are they frightened by the truth?" asked the broadcast.

And to be fair, the party did manage an astonishing 16.1 per cent share of the vote in the 2004 European parliamentary elections, securing 12 MEPs and pushing the Liberal Democrats into fourth place.

Its share of media coverage during the general election campaign has been far less than this performance would merit.

The media's short attention span has been exhausted, and now any coverage of the party tends to come mostly from gaffes and rows.

Although to be fair to press and broadcasters, events since June 2004 (not least the confusing divorce from Robert Kilroy Silk) have given the impression that the party is somewhat less than capable of running itself, much less forming a government.

Perhaps, though, one of the main reasons UKIP hasn't secured the media attention that it wants is that it suits the three main parties to keep Europe off the election agenda.

As an instinctively pro-European party, the Liberal Democrats would rather not highlight that message as they battle to win seats by wooing disillusioned Conservative voters.

Labour is in a state of denial about the prospects for winning the British referendum on the EU constitution, and is silently praying that a French 'non' later in May will scupper the whole thing.

And the Conservatives also know that, while more united on the issue than at probably any other time in the last 10 years, stressing their anti-Brussels credentials could still provoke an angry response from the pro-EU wing of the party.

Bacteria

So it seems that UKIP is being undone by a home-grown conspiracy rather than any being dreamt up by the fiendish minds at work in Brussels.

But, if you accept its broadcast analogy, there is still hope for UKIP.

As any sci-fi fan can tell you, in the H.G. Wells novel it was minute bacteria that eventually killed off the invading martians.

If that's the role they see themselves playing, perhaps small could prove powerful in UKIP's case too. Make sure you tune in for the sequel to find out.