Robert Hampton

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23rd October 2009

Whiter than White

So should the BBC have allowed Nick Griffin on to Question Time? I think, on balance, the answer has to be “yes”. Opponents have said this gives the BNP an aura of respectability, and they might be right. But I believe it is vitally important that their reprehensible ideas and views are challenged publicly.

The general consensus in the media seems to be that this was a humiliation for Griffin, but check out these reactions from Burnley and Dagenham. The key issue is that many people in poorer areas voted for the BNP because they feel totally disenfranchised from the political process and believe no mainstream party cares about them. Factor in a healthy dose of hysteria from the right-wing tabloids and you have a recipe for (limited) electoral success.

In this situation, the solution is not to ignore the BNP and hope they will go away, as Peter Hain and others seem to want. Instead, the powers that be should be explaining exactly why the BNP are wrong.

Also, Bonnie Greer is my new favourite person.