BBC Question Time

[Quality Mince]

I’ve got real mixed feelings about this whole BBC/Nick Griffin thing. I am a firm believer in freedom of speech, but arguably Griffin’s political rhetoric is nothing short blatant racism in the extreme which is abhorrent and utterly despicable.
Question Time was alas just so predictable. He got a right doing. It was a witch hunt. The mob turned on him. The Jackboot was on the other foot. Panel members and audience ate him up and spat him out to the delight, no doubt, of the 8 million TV audience.
But they say in show business there is no such thing as bad publicity. Thanks to his appearance on Question Time, more people have now heard of Nick Griffin and the BNP. Many will have made judgements on him and his sick party during the broadcast. But let’s be clear about this, he will get a sympathy vote from a minority of viewers. The BNP I fear has become just that bit bigger and stonger. He has survived battered and bruised. Alas, this whole thing has left such a bitter taste. For I feel, that Nick Griffin has left the TV studios with a points victory.
Thanks for nothing BBC

[Delmont St Xavier]

I think the wrong panel were included in the show last night, possible contenders should have been: Tony Benn, Ian Paisley, Michael Portillo - as I think the dynamics of the characters would have brought about a more academic debate than the one we had.

I am not sure Griffin was shown up at all last night, but I am not convinced that he got a following some would claim.

[Avenger]

Before the show started I did wonder if it would be a normal question time or if the publicity surrounding the programme would take over. I thought at several times that the show was wasted because of the blatant attack on one person, from other stories I have read, this had the effect of giving Nick Griffin an element of sympathy that he would not have had if it were a normal show. I also thought Jack Straw had a bad evening.
Did it change my view of the BNP - no.
Will I vote for them - no.
Did it lower my opinion of the other parties - yes, because I don't think any of them came out in a good light.
Early Christmas present for BNP - probably.
I also thought there were several contradictions concerning the show and surrounding publicity, the main one being - all of us believe in free speech, does this also apply to the BNP?
Compare last nights program and the actions of Nick Griffin with the interview of another budding MP John Smeaton and ask yourself - would it not have been better to show the BNP up by reasoned debate rather than outright attack?

[shuffle]

Someone said that that Griffin had been " shown up ". No, he hadn't. The people that were shown up were the audience and the rest of the panel. Seriously, was an adult debate to much to ask for? The BBC ambushed Nick Griffin. From start to finish it was attack.
Griffin has challenged Jack Straw to a one hour televised debate with the aim to discuss either parties policies (remember them?).
What other politician in Britain would have the nerve to actually say that? None! I am not , I repeat not a BNP supporter, or a Nick Griffin fan, they are a racist organisation, but.... they were elected by thousands of people, so surely that should allow them to speak like any other party. Last nights programme was frankly a disgrace. Britain needs someone with Nick Griffins passion but without his fascist views.

[Bridie]

Passion in politics? there hasn't been any passion in politics for a long long time.
Most of them now, in fact all of them now are lacklustre money grabbing clones.

[BrigitDoon]

I don't understand politics exactly so someone's going to have to explain it. There was an article in a broadsheet yesterday (probably Grauniad), explaining that the people backing Griffin were mostly disaffected white working class people who see every other section of society afforded some sort of protection: racial minorities, religious minorites, LGBT but not the downtrodden indigenes. The broadsheet explained that Griffin is whipping up anti-minority sentiment when it's really the privileged classes that should be under scrutiny. (Bankers back on bonuses and we're not even out of recession, I notice...)

I thought that it was the Labour Party's job to represent these people (there's a clue in the title, I'm told). What happened to them. Nothing to do with a bloke called Blair, perhaps? Where is he when we need someone to blame?

I'm probably talking rubbish.

[Doorstop]

http://www.slapnickgriffin.co.uk/

[fourbytwo]

As much as I personally detest Griffiths and all he stands for, the BNP is only 1 of a quite large group
of extremists who litter our society.
I also remember, many years ago Scottish Nationalists, being given 'the treatment' because they wanted
to break away from the English.
There are many isolated groups of extremists from Muslim, Hindu, Black/White, Gay/Lesbian, who each
receive Government Grants to continue with their narrow opinions, so it is little shock to see a big growth
in these groups around GB, in particular when there is so much undisclosed poverty and debt around.
BNP and similar groups work on hatred/jealosy of their neighbours, but although abhorrant to normal
civilised people......they are at least bringing it into the open, whereas the Government, whose history
of catastrophic blunders in race-relations and immigration, have consistantly been keeping this immerging
problem, under wraps.
The Black Shirts from WW2, had several 'important patrons' some of which were muted to be 'Royal', so
before we all scream at Griffiths and his BNP, and the 'Hook' and his bampots, lets look at where their cash
is coming from.
Too many of these extremist views are being supported financially from 'big business'.......WHY..?

[Lucky Poet]

Gay/lesbian extremists, receiving government grants? Eh? You're gonna have to run that by me again.


Oh and...

http://www.slapnickgriffin.co.uk/

Cathartic!

[BrigitDoon]

Gay/lesbian extremists, receiving government grants? Eh? You're gonna have to run that by me again.

Yes. Evidence please!

Oh and...

http://www.slapnickgriffin.co.uk/

Cathartic!

Yes, but he doesn't shut up. Maybe if Doorstop slapped him...

[kunty mcfek]

This was so staged managed I switched off half way through. A specially invited audience all against The BNP leader and a panel that were about as exciting as watching paint dry. Jack Straw was shiftier than Nick Griffin and I would be hard pressed to decide who the best man was. The rest of the panel were total non entities. I was hoping for a real battle with some BNP supporters in the audience instead of it being weighted all one way in favour of the other side and the BBC trying to brainwash me into believing that they are right. They only needed to get some of Griffins supporters in and start asking them serious questions about their other policies that you would have seen that they couldn’t govern even if given the power. If that had been a lone black man with racist policies and just an all white audience the media types would have been screaming the place down. For me it didn’t work as a debate, to one sided...

[Dexter St. Clair]

[quote="kunty mcfek" IThey only needed to get some of Griffins supporters in and start asking them serious questions about their other policies that you would have seen that they couldn’t govern even if given the power..[/quote]

They were in and for some reason didn't ask the questions that you imagine you would have asked.

If that had been a lone black man with racist policies and just an all white audience the media types would have been screaming the place down

I didn't watch the programme but was it an all black audience?

The BNP are not particularly interested in reasoned debate whenever I encounter them. Maybe their meetings are different. Are they?

[Dexter St. Clair]

Charlie Baillie in his nationalist get up. He has two kilts.




Here's Charlie advising Glaswegians "brown, black, and yellow" people should continue to be barred from joining (the BNP), claiming that whites needed a party that represents their views alone."

“Glasgow NE is a solidly white working class area, formerly supported by the worldwide export of the steam locomotive industry, having its roots in Springburn,”

“The British National Party are for the Union of our British Nation and are opposed to the Separatist agenda of the SNP. We are for local people first, in the provision of jobs housing and community needs.

We are opposed to the Dispersal policy of Glasgow City Council which has given priority to immigrants over local people in the provision of these services”.

[Lucky Poet]

Ooh... there's one to ponder.

[kunty mcfek]

I didn't watch the programme but was it an all black audience?

The BNP are not particularly interested in reasoned debate whenever I encounter them. Maybe their meetings are different. Are they?

The Panel and the Chairman were absolute rubbish, and I include the american historian who was lamentable - I don't need a history lesson! Most of the audience weren't much better, either.

They berated Griffin - thus giving him the opportunity to play the victim (which he knew would happen and he lapped it up) - without extracting from him what the public wanted or needed to hear, what are his and the BNP's true policies, not just on race but other issues, too.

If we are ever going to get to the bottom of the real BNP - assuming we want to - on reflection, it would be better if he was interviewed by 3 panellists who would not mindlessly boo, heckle or shout him down every time he went to speak but actually extract what he is all about.

On Thursday night, the Chairman, the Panel and the audience were so incredibly psyched-up that they probably played into his hands; they all overheated. He will, I am sure, regard "Question Time" as a step upwards; a coup.

When it came to an inter-parties issue, on immigration, they all floundered because their focus was entirely on rubbishing Griffin.

The public wanted to know what Griffin and the BNP stands for [yes, we all know about 1 or 2 policies they have] and to debate them with him so as to decimate them both; the Panel failed - simple.

Will we ever get to know? Proably not. Will their popularity increase? Probably, unless the vacuum left by mainstream parties on race and immigration isn't filled by them and a solution found...