So true, Farage already had the racists and fascist onboard, UKIP was always a stepping stone for them to get closer to their ideas. What UKIP offered was the ability to harness the xenophobic light vote that was just enough to get them over the line!
And so we end up in the current situation...
Nobody wants to be the monster of their own story, UKIP will historically be a stain on us and a lesson which hopefully we learn from as a country. For too long the EU has been used as a scape goat to hid our own xenophobia or the personal interests of powerful people.