The BNP is making headlines this week. None of them good, of course. This is all building towards Thursday’s controversial appearance by Nick Griffin on Question Time. (...continues...)
As a taster of what we may be able to look forward to, Griffin, appearing on the BBC News last night was forced to explain a “joke” he had made which evoked Nazi war criminals.
Regarding the Question Time appearance, I was in the camp that thinks it is worth giving him a stage on which to hang himself, rather than allowing him to stir further support through insinuations of conspiracy and censorship – of an elected MEP no less - from the shadows. Now though I worry about the quality of panellist being lined up to oppose him.
Most worrying perhaps was the revelation that even Richard Littlejohn, the Daily Mail’s attack dog, had declined to appear. That sounds to me as though somebody scraped through the bottom of the barrel some weeks back.
Littlejohn’s argument was that he believed no good could come of giving airtime to such an objectionable right-wing buffoon on the BBC.
Yeah, but what about Griffin?
Littlejohn did make a rare good point, however – that the most intelligent comment in the media will always be lost on Griffin’s supporters, who are unlikely to be watching Question Time. They will more likely be fighting in pub car parks on Thursday night. And those who do tune in to cheer on Griffin have already proven they lack the mental athleticism to be swayed by fact or reasoned debate.
One thing is for sure, the worst thing the BBC could do now is back track and bestow greater cult status on Griffin among the hateful and disenfranchised minority who may already regard the BBC with suspicion.
Hopefully the final panel has the breadth of experience and erudition to take the discussion well out of Griffin’s comfort zone and marginalise him in the same way his own views have already done. They should after all be appearing alongside Griffin, not joining him, not confronting him. It shouldn’t become the Nick Griffin show because whatever his column inches in recent days he remains a largely irrelevant figure on the nasty periphery of mainstream politics.
His fellow panellists could do worse than read David Aaronovitch’s briefing notes, published for them in The Times:
As a taster of what we may be able to look forward to, Griffin, appearing on the BBC News last night was forced to explain a “joke” he had made which evoked Nazi war criminals.
It was painful viewing. Not least of all because Griffin filled our screens.
While considered fair game in this age of spin and photo-call politics, I personally don’t believe politicians’ physical appearance should be a factor in how they are judged. However, picture editors long ago worked out the ugliness we all see on the outside with Griffin speaks volume about what exists on the inside. The careful choice of the most grotesque picture unfailingly prepares us for the ugliness of his beliefs.
But what can really be achieved here by the mainstream media wrestling with somebody like Griffin other than scoring points among the informed majority who already hate the man?Regarding the Question Time appearance, I was in the camp that thinks it is worth giving him a stage on which to hang himself, rather than allowing him to stir further support through insinuations of conspiracy and censorship – of an elected MEP no less - from the shadows. Now though I worry about the quality of panellist being lined up to oppose him.
Most worrying perhaps was the revelation that even Richard Littlejohn, the Daily Mail’s attack dog, had declined to appear. That sounds to me as though somebody scraped through the bottom of the barrel some weeks back.
Littlejohn’s argument was that he believed no good could come of giving airtime to such an objectionable right-wing buffoon on the BBC.
Yeah, but what about Griffin?
Littlejohn did make a rare good point, however – that the most intelligent comment in the media will always be lost on Griffin’s supporters, who are unlikely to be watching Question Time. They will more likely be fighting in pub car parks on Thursday night. And those who do tune in to cheer on Griffin have already proven they lack the mental athleticism to be swayed by fact or reasoned debate.
One thing is for sure, the worst thing the BBC could do now is back track and bestow greater cult status on Griffin among the hateful and disenfranchised minority who may already regard the BBC with suspicion.
Hopefully the final panel has the breadth of experience and erudition to take the discussion well out of Griffin’s comfort zone and marginalise him in the same way his own views have already done. They should after all be appearing alongside Griffin, not joining him, not confronting him. It shouldn’t become the Nick Griffin show because whatever his column inches in recent days he remains a largely irrelevant figure on the nasty periphery of mainstream politics.
His fellow panellists could do worse than read David Aaronovitch’s briefing notes, published for them in The Times:
“Don’t let him be the focus of the whole discussion. He’s the leader of a very small party. Outside the issues for which the BNP is best known (race, race and race) he has markedly less significance than the fisheries spokesman of the Welsh nationalist party…”
We know that pricks like you hate us, this is the whole point - duh!
Posted by: McKenzie | Oct 21, 2009 at 11:31
Methinks you are all believing your own lies and are in for a big shock on Thursday. When I have been to any of the BNP meetings, most of the people have been well informed and educated "Tory types", I don't think that I have ever seen anyone of the media steriotype image present. Sure there are working class people, but responsible family types. I can understand the media trying to put it about that the BNP are all thugs and hooligans, but please don't start believing it yourself.
Posted by: Brian | Oct 21, 2009 at 16:30
So what about the small group of BNP supporters staging a counter-protest outside the BBC offices in Belfast and shown on the BBC Northern Ireland News giving Nazi salutes?
Posted by: John Hedges | Oct 27, 2009 at 11:03