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8 comments from readers

Jazutti
22 October 2009 at 16:36

I loathe the degrading, fascist ideology of the BNP as much as anyone but I think we're in danger of exaggerating the importance of Griffin's appearance on Question Time. Does anyone seriously think the BNP's support will go through the roof as a result of such an appearance? The last time I cared to look, they stood at a miserly three percent in the polls. I very much doubt they will get much of a boost after tonight.

People get their information from a variety of sources these days. Is Question Time really that relevant to the way people think about the issues and decide which party to vote for?

Metrodeco
22 October 2009 at 19:14

We're a small tea shop in Brighton - read about our recent experience of Nick Griffin and whether we think he should be on Question Time: www.metrodeco.wordpress.com

a.m.r.
22 October 2009 at 19:27

One consolation is that the BNP's record is so incriminating that they may be the ones to lose from their greater exposure and the scrutiny of the media scrutiny. The BBC News report on Griffin this evening was quite encouraging if brief.

a.m.r.
22 October 2009 at 19:31

Sorry for mistake in last post - the second 'scrutiny' should be deleted..

KeithFowler
23 October 2009 at 10:42

Hi Mehdi, congrats for keeping your comments on Mr Griffin printable as when we were in politics lessons at school you were a definite firebrand and the teenage Mehdi would have been savaging the head of the BNP! I actually think it is fair enough to include fringe politicians in mainstream discussions as they do actually represent some voters in our democracy and if their views really are that ridiculous then they will be exposed as such. Hope you're well

Mehdi Hasan
23 October 2009 at 11:09

Keith - hello mate! It's been, what, more than a decade? How are you? Glad to see you're a reader of Dissident Voice (!)

I think most people could have done a better job of "savaging" Griffin than the weak David Dimbleby, the pointless Bonnie Greer and the posturing Chris Huhne. Warsi and Straw weren't bad. I think the danger of having Griffin on such shows is that it normalises the abnormal. He is abnormal. His party is abnormal - not to mention illegally-constituted, neo-fascist in its origins and Islamophobic and anti-Semitic in its discourse. Has he been exposed? Not really. But he is on the front page of every newspaper in Britain. He has, as I have said elsewhere, officially "arrived".

KeithFowler
23 October 2009 at 13:05

Yes - about 10 years. I was not surprised to see you as being involved in political debate although after your famous performance on the bollywood quiz show, a spot on the Eggheads could have beckoned for you...

Anyway, I respect what you say about the BNP being unpalatable, racist and just plain ignorant. But that's our personal opinion. In my view a true and healthy democracy can't just ban certain viewpoints. Everyone however stupid has the right to express themselves. I mean, damn, it's not like the BNP will ever realistically win a seat in Parliament due to FPP (same goes for the greens who I support and I feel this is our democracy's biggest failing - those who vote for small parties are disenfranchised.) The BNP do represent many Britons who, though racist and intolerant, are not 'abnormal' because there's no such thing as normal anyhow. They have a right to have their views expressed and if we cannot successfully rebuff their unbalanced and race-based assertions then its ourselves we should be ashamed of.

ParasGhelani
23 October 2009 at 18:25

It's always been the issue that's dogged the left, liberals and progressives - do we give extremist political organisations the platform to spew their ideology? And what if those 'extremist' political organisations rebrand themselves as 'respectable' or 'electable'? Disapproving of what they say, but defending to the death their right to say it, is too often invoked, and misquoted. Voltaire's actual quote - 'Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too' - is wiser.

But the most concise and practical answer to all of this, apart from Gary Younge's Guardian article yesterday, came (surprisingly) from Ken Livingstone. We have to apply different standards to the BNP purely for the reason that their ideology (and it seems, their personnel) incite hatred, and thus violence. Nobody wants to see race riots, attacks or the like happen anywhere. And with Bradford, Oldham, Brixton and Toxteth, this country's had its fair share of them. There is an established pattern of a profile-raising media appearance like this resulting in such things.