Nick Griffin and the B.B.C.

garinda · 22-10-2009, 17:40

The leader of the B.N.P. is due to appear on tonight's Question Time, and is facing protests from those who think he shouldn't be given a platform to air his views, and the policies of his party.

As much as I detest and abhor everything the B.N.P. stand for, and for what they really stand for, under their new glossy veneer of respectabilty, if they are allowed to hold public office, and aren't an illegal political party, then I believe they should be free to appear on programmes like this.

I still hold the B.N.P. wouldn't have the growing suppport it sadly seems to have, if our mainstream political parties were seen to be tough on immigration, and addressed people's fears, which according to a recent MORI poll published on Sunday, puts immigration second only to job security, in things that worries the electorate.

( Note to mods, please don't move this to the television section. This is about the issues surrounding tonight's Question Time, not the programme itself.)

andrewb · 22-10-2009, 17:46

I agree with you. They should be given the airtime. In fact I think one of the reasons they have gained the support they have is because the main parties have stuck their heads in the sand. The BNP need to be taken on in debate and at ground level on the streets campaigning. There is no other way to beat them. Protesting in an attempt to censor them will not work and in fact has given the BNP an entire day of news rather than an hour of debate on Question Time.

cmonstanley · 22-10-2009, 17:53

bbc are going to have their biggest viewing figures this century ,everybody i know is going to watch it ..

Eric · 22-10-2009, 18:05

Agree with them or not, the BNP are a legal political party ... if it's legal for them to run candidates and campaign for office, and legal for people to vote for them, then they should be allowed to have a representative on TV .... and people who find them and their policies offensive have the right to protest this.

Stumped · 22-10-2009, 18:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric

Agree with them or not, the BNP are a legal political party ... if it's legal for them to run candidates and campaign for office, and legal for people to vote for them, then they should be allowed to have a representative on TV .... and people who find them and their policies offensive have the right to protest this.

A lot will depend on the questions put. Let's just hope that David Dimbleby maintains proper control of the debate and doesn't allow his own bias to interfere with what the panel have to say - without too much barracking from the audience. More often than not the views of the audience make more sense than those of the panel. Listening to the news about what is happening at the Beeb in London, I can see the whole thing descending into some sort farce. Rather that than wholesale mayhem as is just as likely!

Gayle · 22-10-2009, 19:30

Hopefully, it will expose him for what he is.

Eric · 22-10-2009, 21:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gayle

Hopefully, it will expose him for what he is.

I don't think there is any doubt about that ... hell, just reading about him reveals his true colors. But I do think that having stuff like this out in the open is quite positive ... some of the concerns that the BNP has are no doubt shared by many in Britain. Maybe it's time for the people to pressure the mainstream parties to address these concerns without all the fascist horse manure the BNP bring along with them.

Eric · 23-10-2009, 00:17

Looks like he had a rough time of it on tv .... still, how many of his core supporters will have changed their minds ... probably status quo ante ... I would have been more impressed with him if he had stood by his vicious prejudices ... now he looks less like a fuhrer, and more like a petty political animal with a minor constituency, attempting to capitalise on the frustration of voters suffering from the recession, and living in a country struggling to find an indentity and a role in the world. And now, as Garinda pointed out, it is time for the mainstream parties to address the difficult questions surrounding immigration and national identity.

Eric · 23-10-2009, 00:23

Oh, and the "I am not a Nazi" comment kinda reminds me of Nixon's "I am not a crook." And he is just about as convincing as Nixon was.

g jones · 23-10-2009, 07:57

I think the BBC were right to invite Nick griffin. If he is so wrong, then the right and democratic way to argue the case against is through discussion. Free speech is a cornerstone of this country.

Wynonie Harris · 23-10-2009, 08:10

Thought he came across as shallow, second rate and evasive. The other politicos on the panel had done their homework on his past and certainly laid into him, but I thought Bonnie Greer ridiculed him most effectively. Apparently, he gave her his business card at the end! Maybe he's hoping she'll join up, now the BNP is going to be open to non-white members?

andrewb · 23-10-2009, 08:35

Came across as a fool. He fell apart under intense scrutiny. Finally people have had the chance to knock him off his platform instead of censoring him and letting him manipulate voters on the doorstep.

Restless · 23-10-2009, 09:56

what channel is question time on? will have to watch this if its on the bbciplayer. I hate the BNP and i would to see him getting torn apart intellectually

Benipete · 23-10-2009, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by restless

what channel is question time on? Will have to watch this if its on the bbciplayer. I hate the bnp and i would to see him getting torn apart intellectually

bbc1

mani · 23-10-2009, 10:25

it wasnt as much as an intellectual defeat for the bnp

it was 6 people vs 1 all ganging up on him

nick griffin was more the lovechild of adolf hitler and david brent - bumbling fool with racist views.

nick put his own foot in it mostly and not once was any of his policies challenged. it was more NG charachter assassination rather than lets show the people what the bnp want to do.

17,000 years, the non-violent KKK leader and i dont know why i denied the holocaust. just showed him to be confused and on the back foot