So THE Question Time of the year has happened as Nick Griffin leader of the BNP appeared on the show last night and to be perfectly honest I was disappointed with the way the BBC handled it.
It was always going to be a hostile affair and Griffin would've known that he was in for a tough night but I was surprised to see how the BBC changed the show for this week. The programme was almost entirely focused on the BNP and perhaps in some respects this is probably what Griffin was hoping for.
This is where I was disappointed, I was looking for the usual Question Time debate, discussing a variety of topics and offering various political parties their chance to show what their view was, but last night was just a chance to attack the BNP. Whether you agree with the BNP or not (and I don't) the BBC show was not objective last night like it should be. The BBC should represent an impartial opportunity for political parties to answer questions from the public and in my opinion last night it became an anti BNP show. Whether they deserve it or not, whether their policies are totally racist or not, Question Time should be an objective political debate.
The show has given Griffin and the BNP the ammunition they need to attack institutions like the BBC and play the victim, especially as Griffin has already indicated that he will be complaining about the show. Also the BNP believe that the show has actually helped increase their membership with "with no fewer than 3,000 new people registering" (http://bnp.org.uk/2009/10/lynch-mob-question-time-becomes-biggest-recruitment-night-ever-for-bnp-%e2%80%93-30-increase-in-membership-interest/) which is a slightly worrying issue as Griffin endured a tough time on the show by being constantly jeered and booed by the audience.
The BNP don't deserve the attention they are receiving, the policies they represent are disgraceful but unfortunately I think the way the BBC handled the Griffin affair last night may have just helped, rather than hindered their cause.
It was always going to be a hostile affair and Griffin would've known that he was in for a tough night but I was surprised to see how the BBC changed the show for this week. The programme was almost entirely focused on the BNP and perhaps in some respects this is probably what Griffin was hoping for.
This is where I was disappointed, I was looking for the usual Question Time debate, discussing a variety of topics and offering various political parties their chance to show what their view was, but last night was just a chance to attack the BNP. Whether you agree with the BNP or not (and I don't) the BBC show was not objective last night like it should be. The BBC should represent an impartial opportunity for political parties to answer questions from the public and in my opinion last night it became an anti BNP show. Whether they deserve it or not, whether their policies are totally racist or not, Question Time should be an objective political debate.
The show has given Griffin and the BNP the ammunition they need to attack institutions like the BBC and play the victim, especially as Griffin has already indicated that he will be complaining about the show. Also the BNP believe that the show has actually helped increase their membership with "with no fewer than 3,000 new people registering" (http://bnp.org.uk/2009/10/lynch-mob-question-time-becomes-biggest-recruitment-night-ever-for-bnp-%e2%80%93-30-increase-in-membership-interest/) which is a slightly worrying issue as Griffin endured a tough time on the show by being constantly jeered and booed by the audience.
The BNP don't deserve the attention they are receiving, the policies they represent are disgraceful but unfortunately I think the way the BBC handled the Griffin affair last night may have just helped, rather than hindered their cause.
you tell us that you don't agree with the BNP - why not? Why are they a disgrace or whatever it is you say about them? It is a loose end.
ReplyDeleteMark to a certain extent i agree with you, but i am of the opinion that Nick Griffin was never given enough time to explain himself. The BNP obviously do not represent the general views of the British public.In the interim, Griffin didn't say he hates Islam proponents but hates the ideology,which represses women. The same applies to gay marriages - he feels it should not be allowed to grow into an ideology,where children are exposed to the phenomena at a very early age. Where i disagree with him is that gays should practise their intimacy in the comfort of their homes.On the issue of immigration,i agree with him because there are a lot of undeserving assylum seekers over here.So Griffin is like British whether,you either like him or not
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