Question Time..............

[J.R.]

..... tomorrow evening, (22nd. October), promises to be a very interesting view !!

Who else, will be watching ?

[englishangel]

I think the stronger the light of publicity is shone on them and their despicable beliefs the better.

[J.R.]

Well, the recording went ahead this afternoon, apparently.

The usual 'rent-a-gob' pretend anarchists trying to disrupt proceedings outside who were removed in the good old tried and tested fashion involving wrists and ankles !

I look forward to the transmission later tonight !

[Angela Woodford]

"Non-violent" Klu Klux Klan?

The man is nuttier than squirrel poo!

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

I missed it, since I was attending the "Riding Lights" Christian Road Show ---- Which may well have been funnier --- See my Post on "Jokes "

But perhaps not !!

[J.R.]

I heard on the news at lunch-time that Nick Griffin is composing an official complaint to the BBC.

Yes - I did watch it last night !

[Jo]

Actually, I don't blame him.

Don't get me wrong, I abhor the man and his odious policies. But I could only bear to watch the first 20 minutes or so before I turned the TV off in exasperation. It was like bear baiting, and thoroughly nauseating to see the other panel members behaving so smugly just because they weren't Nick Griffin. I don't like Question Time anyway, so I should have known better than to expect any sort of reasoned debate, but I was at least hoping they could have covered a spectrum of topics rather than just tearing NG to shreds without even a pretence of giving him an opportunity to speak for himself.

The 10 o'clock news, just before QT, showed (I think) the Deputy DG of the BBC arguing that it wasn't the BBC's job to have political views, and that if the BNP met the criteria as a recognised party to deserve a place on the panel, then in the interests of democracy that right should be honoured. But David Dimbleby was clearly as partisan as the other panel members and did a very poor job of chairing, in my view.

The only person who acquitted themselves with any dignity was Bonnie Greer, who (at least during the section that I watched), just treated NG with quiet disdain.

[J.R.]

Well, I watched it all and I'm not going into my own political views.

HOWEVER......................

It was a one sided attempt by the B.B.C. to try and discredit the B.N.P.

Sadly, or thankfully, depending on your point of view, their attempt totally failed.

Five panelists. 3 rabidly going for N.G.'s throat - The three main political parties, needless to say. Yes, Bonnie Greer was very fair in her comments. Then there was the 'Audience', obviously hand picked were predominately a baying anti Nationalism rent-a-mob. I gather there were a few B.N.P. members/supporters in the audience, but David Dumbleby deliberately/accidently failed to ask them to comment.

To quote N.G. this morning. 'It was nothing but a lynch-mob' !

I wonder if the B.N.P. will try and raise a return-debate inviting, say, Jack Straw to confront a panel of votors picked from selected areas of Britain ?? That would also be worth watching !


So now we know the B.B.C's view of fair-play and constructive debate.

[Mid A 15]

What a depressing indictment of the sorry state of politics in the UK today that so many people feel sufficiently disenfranchised or desperate enough to vote for "Hitlerlite" Nick Griffin and his racist henchmen.

I watched the programme and there is no doubt that Griffin was unfairly treated and singled out. That said he was given sufficient scope to expose himself and his party for the odious creatures that they are. I, like many others, am anti EU I also think we have a problem with the sheer numbers of immigrants pouring into the country partly as a consequence of the aforementioned EU. However let us not make the mistake of confusing these perfectly legitimate concerns with barely disguised white supremacists leaping on the bandwagon.

There were a couple of other things that struck me from this extraordinary, almost surreal, programme. Firstly Jack Straw came across as even more implausible than Griffin if that is possible and secondly Baroness Warsi (who in the main was quite impressive) was allowed to get away scotfree with the breathtakingly offensive statement that the BNP represented fundamentalist Christians. I wonder what the reaction and uproar would have been had a similar accusation been labelled against her religion of Islam?

[englishangel]

I didn't watch it, becasue it would have been no good for my blood pressure. I saw the discussion on the BBC news at breakfast time and wondered what had happened to debate.

I have a father, brother and sister who are all pretty fundamentalist Christians and they would be absolutely horrified to be associated with the BNP.

[midget]

Where did the BBC scrape up the howling mob that was an excuse for an audience? Dimbleby should be ashamed of his partisan atitude as chairman.

[Ajarn Philip]

To quote N.G. this morning. 'It was nothing but a lynch-mob' !

And I'm sure he knows one when he sees one.

Politics in general passes me by, but the thought of this man and his ignorant ilk holding any sway in government makes my blood run cold.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

There is No possibility of the BNP gaining Government.

HOWEVER --- to deny the opportunity for them to expound their disgusting beliefs, only gives them further support, from the unwashed Ignorant, who will support anything anti- Government --- of whatever persuasion.

Let them make fools of themselves in public --- but to try to create a hostile environment -- as was patently obvious in the Question Time Programme --- is self- defeating !

[Richard Ruck]

Where did the BBC scrape up the howling mob that was an excuse for an audience? Dimbleby should be ashamed of his partisan atitude as chairman.

It's entirely possible that the audience merely reflected the contempt in which the majority of the population holds the BNP and its knucklehead followers.

As for Dimbleby, well, he frequently lays into panel members who try to avoid questions or hijack discussions. However, he did seem to be a bit more enthusiastic than usual on this occasion.

Just out of interest, has Paxman ever been let loose on that arse Griffin?

[J.R.]

Front page of todays 'Mail On Sunday' says it all !