And another thing…

SOME might say that, as the author of a blog that did rather well in the last two Total Politics Blog Awards, I have more to lose than others by indulging in a boycott of this year’s contest, as proposed by Though Cowards Flinch.

The boycott is being suggested as a response to Total Politics publisher Iain Dale agreeing to interview Nick Griffin for the latest issue, a decision which resulted in the resignation of Labour MP Denis MacShane from the TP board.

And of course I sympathise. And I admit I raised an eyebrow when Iain announced on his blog that the interview was happening. But I won’t take part in the boycott, for a number of reasons.

The first of those is that Griffin and his odious chums are now democratically-elected representatives of the British people. I wish it were not so, but it is. And ignoring the BNP now isn’t too far from ignoring the views of however many people voted for them. Not a particularly democratic principle, I think you’ll find. And I trust that all those who now want to boycott Total Politics also refuse to watch Question Time…

Secondly, Total Politics is a magazine that political anoraks like us should be encouraging, not boycotting. In this anti-politics age, where celebrity tittle-tattle is considered more important than democracy, shouldn’t we value those very few magazines which seek to portray politics and politicians in a reasonably positive way?

Third, I started this blog to try to rebalance the blogosphere, to add what I hoped would be a popular and articulate Labour voice to the more popular right wing blogs. Large numbers of left-wing, Labour and progressive blogs boycotting the annual poll would effectively mean us retiring from the arena, making the results in the “Labour-supporting” and “Left-wing” categories meaningless. Another victory for the right-wing, then.

Fourth, I worry that the “no platform” argument is used too often as an alternative to addressing the issues which drive voters to abandon the mainstream parties in favour of the BNP in the first place. Yes, the BNP are racists, but that cannot be the end of the debate. And we can’t win the argument with someone to whom we refuse to listen.

Fifth: why is it always the Left which calls for boycotts? Why must that, rather than argument, be our gut reaction? That and banning stuff, obviously.

And lastly, I rather like those Total Politics widgets in the right hand column. They’re dinky.

IMAGINE the scene: Nick Griffin and his henchmen sit round a table in a Barking bedsit (BNP HQ) discussing general election strategy.

What we need, suggests the Supreme President, is some kind of incident that will cause such anger and outrage against Britain’s Muslims that the electorate’s resentment will translate into support for the BNP.

Acknowledging that it’s a long shot, someone suggests a pro-Islam march through Wootton Bassett. Griffin stares at the speaker for a few long seconds. Silence descends. Everyone present stares at their hands, embarrassed. Some shake their heads silently.

“We don’t need time-wasters here, my friend,” says Griffin with a deathly cold smile. “We need ideas that aren’t completely bonkers.” The speaker, already pale, starts to tremble and tries to offer an apology. “Sorry, Mr Griffin, I was just thinking out loud. It won’t happen again.”

“Make sure the landlady doesn’t see you on the way out,” says Griffin. “I’m not allowed guests after six.”

You get the picture. The point being that Islam4UK might as well be a front organisation for anti-Muslim fascists, achieving in a single press release far more anger towards Muslims than the BNP have ever managed.

A more stupid and repulsive organisation it would be hard to imagine.

I CAN JUST see it now: cheers among the Chatter 88-types as Parliament finally agrees that the Lords are to be elected by some form of proportional representation.

Then outrage as Nick Griffin announces that, following his defeat in Barking at the general election, he will instead stand as a BNP candidate in the new “Senate”. And then, with a depressing inevitability, the howls of anguish as he takes his seat in Parliament.

“Ah,” the retort comes, “you can’t stop the BNP by gerrymandering the electoral system. You have to beat them with argument.” Yeah? And how did that work out in the European elections?

Here’s a fact – and you can either accept it now or accept it when it happens, it’s up to you – a second chamber elected by any system of PR will include in its membership, at some point, members of the far right of British politics.

And what will the House authorities do then? After June, we agreed to remove from British MEPs their House of Commons passes, specifically in order to prevent Griffin and his mob from turning up like an unwanted uncle at a wedding. What happens when he and his pals are elected to the Lords (or whatever it’s going to be called)? Pass a rule change that says you can only get a pass if you “don’t have funny-looking eyes”?

And then, when Lord/Senator Griffin is invited onto Question Time (as he will be), we’l have hand-wringing and demonstrations. And I’ll bet that almost every single person doing the demonstrating will have been among those popping the Champagne at the introduction of proportional representation in the first place.

Monty Python couldn’t make it up.

INTERESTING Tweets tonight on Question Time and Griffin’s appearance. I haven’t watched it yet – I have better things to do, but if I’ve nothing better to do tomorrow I might watch it then.

Everyone who opposes the BNP is united about how awful they are, but views among their opponents differ as to how best to deal with them. Personally, I’ve concluded that the demonstrations that took place outside the BBC were a godsend to the fascists. Ask yourself: would the BNP press office prefer the demos to take place or for Griffin’s appearance to go ahead with little or no controversy? I think I know the answer to that.

Apparently the road outside BBC Broadcasting House Television Centre was closed off and traffic held up while the police dealt with the protesters. I wonder if people trying to get home on a dark and cold Thursday evening found themselves sympathising with the people delaying them?

Of course, I would have preferred Griffin not to have been invited on in the first place, but it was probably inevitable. As soon as Jack Straw, as Home Secretary, used the Parliament Act to force the House of Lords to approve the scrapping of first-past-the-post for European elections, the countdown to Griffin’s appearance on Question Time began.

And here’s where I really have a profound disagreement with the protesters: after two BNP MEPs were elected by the British people in June, and after the BBC had issued an invitation to Griffin to appear on tonight’s panel, and after various politicians, including the Prime Minister, had stated their views about this development, and after thousands of viewers had told the Beeb what they thought… after all this, for the BBC’s mind to have been changed because of sit-ins and demos would have been absolutely the wrong thing to do. That would have been anti-democratic and it would have played right into the fascists’ hands, allowing them to portray themselves as martyrs to freedom of speech, denied a right to express their opinions by unelected protesters.

So the fact that it went ahead tonight is probably, finally, to the BBC’s credit. If I can be bothered watching it at some point, I’ll decide whether I think the whole exercise was worth the candle.

CHRIS Paul has touched on an appropriate response to the prospect of Nick Griffin appearing on BBC’s Question Time: put a comedian alongside him.

One of Chris’s suggestions is “Lee Herring”, by which I assume he means either Richard Herring or Stuart Lee. Given the rave reviews for Herring’s “Hitler Moustache” routine at the Edinburgh fringe recently, and the brilliant comedian’s penchant for sporting said facial contrivance, I can think of nothing more appropriate (or entertaining) than the odious Griffin being forced to sit alongside Herring who would, I hope, be sporting his famous moustache.

So, come on, folks – get writing to the BBC to demand that Richard Herring appears on QT with Griffin.

On the more serious subject of whether or not mainstream politicians should share platforms with fascists, I’m afraid I reckon the ship has sailed on that one. When the government forced proportional representation for the European elections through the House of Lords, it presumably knew that its actions would one day lead to BNP representation in Strasbourg. If it didn’t realise it, then it wasn’t paying attention. And now that they have two seats, we have to debate them whether we like it or not.

UPDATE at 7.20 pm: Grateful thanks to Andy McHaffie, who’s just left a comment with this link to BBC Question Time. Use it and suggest Richard Herring as a co-panelist to Griffin. But only if he wears the moustache. Herring, that is, not Griffin. Or maybe both, who knows…?

NATURALLY I share the sentiments of everyone who was appalled at two BNP MEPs being elected last week.

But this is not the way to deal with them. It just gives them even more publicity than they’ve received already and makes them look like victims. And they’re not victims, they’re fascists.

Democracy sometimes throws up uncomfortable results. As I’ve said here before, the election of fascists at some point or other was always on the cards once we decided to introduce proportional representation for the European elections. I’m not sure why anyone is surprised that it’s actually happened.

But democracy also demands that those who are elected on a free vote, however obnoxious those individuals are, should be able to go about their lawful business without the stupid student politics antics like we’ve seen today.

The BNP press office couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome.