A Questioning Time

I wanted to write this after skimming through the BBC website for news today. It seems that the BNP’s appearance on Question Time is causing some furore. I think Nick Griffin will be appearing on tonight’s show. I shall not be watching it but am intrigued by the debate that has enflamed regarding whether the BBC is right to invite a racist party to its most popular political show.

It could be described that the BBC is hiding behind a flimsy reason of censorship as to why it asked the BNP to appear. They have announced that it is not up to them to censor law abiding political parties. That is up to the government to decide. As the party won two European Parliamentary seats a few months ago, the BBC were almost obliged (because that is what they have been doing with other minority parties) to ask them to appear. We all know though, what the party stands for and that makes it different from the rest. We should also not forget that the BBC did broadcast a documentary about the findings of an undercover reporter who infiltrated the BNP.


Yet the BBC has an obligation to represent all and it could also be described that it is the fault of the other heavyweight political parties that this party may appear on Question Time in the first place. They have been elected by members of the public but I am sure Labour and Conservatives could have used resource more astutely to assist their candidates greater where the BNP was forming a stronghold somewhere. The BNP seem to be picking up votes by associating high unemployment and allocation of homes to the rise of ethnic minorities within towns and cities. It is not difficult to counter this ideology but it does take resource and perhaps these bigger parties decided it is better spent elsewhere. Maybe this a contributing reason as to why Gordon Brown’s government has not stepped in and prevented them from appearing.

The most irksome thing about this whole issue is that it has turned into a big news agenda item and as a result given the party exposure arguably bigger than the one they will get on Question Time. The debate features in a lot of the newspapers and on the BBC website. This exposure is great for them and gives them an opportunity to raise their profile. This is not what should be done, it is a mistake.

We live in a democracy and they should have their say, because unfortunately, they did win two European Parliamentary seats in June. However, I abhor what they stand for and if the BBC allows their invitation to be exploited by inciting and encouraging racism then, they have to do something, be it re-editing certain parts or just explaining why they are not showing a certain response to a question. That is their obligation to us and failure to do so would make them partly responsible, in my eyes. Yet, I am sure Nick Griffin is a bit too canny to be so brazen, he knows this is a major opportunity to appeal to the mainstream and being so overt and crude would squash any bridge he is trying to connect. It is the mainstream aspect that does worry me; I am worried that he’ll bedazzle certain target groups by using buzz words and slogans to woo them over to at least consider voting for them.


I love the BBC and what it stands for. Yes, I think they made a serious stupid mistake in castigating Russell Brand to appease those who hadn’t even heard of him before Sachs-gate. In general however, it is an absolutely fantastic unrivalled organisation, but it needs to treat this issue carefully because the devil is always in the detail and it is what Nick Griffin says and how they handle what comes from his mouth that they will be judged on.