And another thing…

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…?

I KNOW how Phil Woolas feels.

Just been watching Question Time on the BBC’s website, and I expect I’ll watch again and again in the weeks to come, but only that bit where Nicola Sturgeon, albeit through gritted teeth, admits that when Tim Henman was playing at Wimbledon, “the whole nation” were behind him. But what nation, Nicola?

I think we all know what you meant. Just don’t let Alex know.