So this might not be such a big deal to people who aren't in the UK, but the British National Party's leader (super right wing political party who have been gaining popularity steadily over the past few years) is appearing on the BBC's Question Time tonight. There has been a protest about it already but of course free speech is an important thing. Millions of people will be watching it tonight and there's bound to be some pretty heavy arguments and probably undertones of racism/homophobia/general bigotry, so I'm not sure what the impact will be, if any. Hopefully it will discredit them to their few supporters. Thoughts? Should the BBC have invited them onto the show? Maybe if you watch it what did you think of it?
As much as i do not agree with the BNP, they are allowed to be a legitement party and for that reason they should be allowed to be on question time and as we are in a country of free speech, then they should be allowed to air their views and show themselves up for the bigoted party they are. However, i am unimpressed with the BBC for whipping up a publicity frenzy thus giving them the attention that they crave. They should have been allowed to come on without it being made into such a big thing and then leave. That way they dont get that huge publicity.
i think its brilliant they are allowed on. They need to be given an equal footing as every other legitimate party (which we must sadly acknowledge they are). Only by letting Nick Griffin come on proper debates like this,will people be able to see what the BNP are really all about. If he was banned he would get more publicity than he will for being on. He would spin the PR brilliantly and paint himself as a martyr. Ultimately the only way to defeat them as a party is to let them go on public debates,and then that way everyone can see how thoroughly ridiculous they, and their policies are.
"Free Speech" is one thing. "Hate Speech" is another. I dont think they should be allowed on if they are going to further there messages of hate. If they leave that at home and stick to the free speech then by all means let them, they have the right to. However, if you let these people on TV to further the hate rhetoric against LGBT people it will transform into more than words. I heard yesterday that LGBT hate crimes went up 18% in the last year in either the UK or just London (The Advocate). Normal homophobic people dont go around beating gays up, it takes a voice angering them and getting them rilled up to result in force.
I think it's fairly pointless getting wound up over it and protesting. The BNP thrive off this idea of being victimised, and you accompish nothing by pushing them to the side and letting them recruit vulnerable people with their dirty propaganda. The only way to beat them is by throwing them into the media spotlight and watching them get challenged by others. That's when you start to see the gigantic cracks in their policies, something that you won't see unless you let people challenge them publicly. Although, I think question time is a useless way to debate them because of how hostile it can get on there. You're going to have Anti-BNP supporters watching Nick Griffin get attacked who will love every minute of it, and you'll get the Pro-BNP people watching who will think he is being victimised once again and will follow the party regardless of the flawed things he says. I don't think anything is accomplished challenging them in this way, but refusing to acknowledge their legitimacy is not a good tactic at all. Look where it has got us so far...
the bbc have to have them on. they are a recognised party despite the horrid things they stand for. they do represent people who ellected tehm so teh bbc has a duty to put them on the forum... and teh more we let them talk and get their views out on things people will see what they are. the bbc cant start saying which political partys can and can not be on they have a duty to allow fair equal representation... alot of people are saying how they arent a legit party due to the policy not allowing ethnic diversity and minoritys in teh party.... but they looked at this on teh daily politics other day and the 3 main partys dont have many diverse mp's so yea.... none of them are great i just think the bnp are honest and say to your face the hate they have. i jsut watching teh news and a guy said would teh bbc of had hitler on 2 years before the start of the war and he said NO! ... well i think they would of if their had been a political show...once the bnp invades another country and starts killing people im sure they wont be on tv... allthough my main gripe abotu all this its all focused on the leader and not the party or largelyl that...and tehy keep saying hes was a member of national front and has a history of spreading hatred and insighting violence and racism... actualyl thats another point how they go RACISM!!! ....and otehr disscrimination things... i mus tbe weird not seeing that the one disscriminatory act is worse than teh others... :S but to wrap up whats become a rant of the people and the bnp ... the bbc has to let them have their say then laugh at them... and as i heard on teh daily politics today you can actually blame voters for all this they put the bbc in this position by voting bnp...even thoguh in teh june ellections bnp only got 6% thats still peopel who need a voice even if it is loathsome
BBC should invite the leader to HardTalk! Anyhow.... Having them in the spot light might not be such a bad idea. I don't know much about the show or its format but if they are different view points and others challenging him and the BNP on their policies, and ideas, people will quickly learn what they are all about.
The BBC did exactly waht they should have, he has as much a right as anyone else to free speech. He got owned anyway.
Why not. I like to see politicians squirm, sweat and blab their way out of things as if we are all stupid.
i watched it last night and it was great! ... griffin was miss quoted on everything he said in papers apparently...the video of him saying that we need to get these peopel out to make britain white....he coward away from that... he tried blamign the french and german goverments for not beeing able to talk about his view on the jews persecution and why he thought it was made up and overplayed... everything he said was about the white man and when it came to homosexuality he was saying what you do in your own home is fine but two men kissing in teh street is sick and disturbing and apparently gays teaching homosexuallity in school is wrong >.> i was liek wtf? he said homosexuals repulsed him etc etc, civil marriage got a bit of :S ... still none of them realise its not good enough... and the conservative... lady ( stops himself swearing) sidestepped her opposition to civil marriage faster than a roadrunner...weirdly enough jack straw did really well which i didnt expect.. but overall yay the bnp got on tv good for them they must be so happy...yay for everyone else they got shot down so hard as far as im concerned now if anyone votes for them they will be in teh same boat as him and be treated the same... on a side nothe the ammount of protest outside the bbc...that was summat intense lol...it was like a 80's throwback moment...
just watched it. That is exactly why he HAD to be let on. He was completely destroyed on a number of issues. He was largely shown to be the bigot he is. Either way thankgod i don't think we have to worry too much about the BNP. Our electoral system means that they will never get into power, or most likely even ever get a seat in our parliament. Thankgod. Btw if anyone wants a rather shocking read,you should go to the website for the BNPyouth. On the surface it looks fine,but dig around a bit and you shall find some fairly shocking ideas promoted on there.
I think that it's a HUGE deal to those outside of the UK, especially for us Americans who actually care about this whole the-KKK-is-not-too-powerful thing. Because Nick fucking Griffin met with some white-supremacists in America. Including the leader of the KKK. He told them how the BNP is "repackaging" their ideals. Um, no. Nonono. Nononononononononono. This is complete and utter BULLSHIT. *really hates the KKK...a lot* Anyway, I don't give a shit that the UK has had free speech since the seventeenth century. This is too far. EDIT: Yes, he should have been invited. The BBC didn't have to air it. (*coughs*Russell Brand*coughs*
Just watched it on Iplayer..... Although Nick Griffin did get shown up for what he is, I feel the program was a bit of a waste of time and the whole thing became just a personal attack on Nick Griffin himself and not the BNP policies. From the Off the program started to attack the BNP party with the question about Churchill. It probably hasnt actually done anything to convert or reduce the BNP's popularity. I actually think some people will see it as a benefit to the BNP as the leader went on a National show and all that happened was the party was attacked without any of it actual policies being clearly pinned down and then shown up for being racist and bigoted. Hopefully 2 people I know where watching it and have changed there minds as infront of millions of viewers the BNP leader called them disgusted and said if he had his way their lifestyle would have to go underground/ be illegal. (Yes I know some Gays/ lesbians that support the BNP - What the fuck that's about I don't know). The only Good topic of discussion on the whole show in my opinion was a little side tag on about the Daily Mail (Steven Gately) article and that was again manufactured to make sure it got the BNP seen in a bad light. What it did do was also show that people high up in the conservatives are still very homophobic, the Labour party and Liberals will just side step the issue and hope things just stay as is in this country - we have a long way to go before we get seen as just a normal part of society - even thinking how far we have already come. I think the debate was in the end a waste of time and effort - There were a million points that the BNP and the other parties could of been pinned down and put to the sword on and it would of shown the BNP for the scum there are properly, if it had been thought about. I say lets give the country cross party debates where evidence of speeches can be aired - non of this you can find it on youtube crap - if we are gonna debate and try and put across the truth lets actually be able to show exibit A,B,C & D and have the country then decide - I am sure it would of ended the BNP as a real party forever and possible of got alot of the members infront of judges for incitement of hatred and other crimes... Sorry for the long rant...
i agree in part that it was a waste of a program jsut attacking bnp instead of addressing other issues....BUT ...the bnp did have to talk about things and the only real policys or anythign they have anythign to do with is race and immigration... so it had to come up... like i said previously i wish more had been said on homophobia of the bnp but that did get shown too ont he question of teh news article that was very bad taste... so it was worth it in the end to show what the bnp are as all ive seen in the media is what papers and politicians sasy and little soundbites...now ive heard it from the leader himself how even when trying to be nice and deffensive all he cares about is the aberginal white man..... i agree there would of been some humans here way back and they would of been white due to weather etc...as i dont buy everyone came from africa as when the world split peopel would of been trapped on all continents... anyway XD i dont agree with his views after all he aid nothign about all the years going to other countrys shoving out religions down other peioples throats....he gives it and sidesteps when its thrown back ...sidesteps into a bus though :S
Well he ended up looking like a fool anyway. Especially when he accused the liberal democrat of being racist. He's a right political troll.
I saw it on youtube. Every country has one of them. We have US Senator Robert Byrd who was a "former member of the KKK" but by the way he talks you wouldn't know it. The "former member" part. That man sounds like a lot of people here, in power, in the U.S. I wish we had a show like this where to idiots like that are exposed for what they are, and exposed by the people. I think everyone on the pannel in that room did hella reasearch while Griffen tought it was going to be an easy ride. By the way I love that quote Bonnie Greer said when Griffin was laughing during a serious comment she was making. "you can laugh but if I was a BNP member I'd be scared"
yea...be careful with the conservatives though they arent a million miles away from the bnp ...once upon a time you would of found them sayign the same things... they still arent the nicest of people... it is weird i would of expected the liberals to be much more well liberal with people members of their party...but its all good/ ---------- oh btw nick griffin is now gonan play hell over the fact he was just attacked on the show...as they changed the format of the show to attack him... actually on tv theyre talkign now about homo sexuality now on one show and the sympathy vote for the bnp...i doubt it if your sane...
