THE BAYING CROWDNever have I seen such a set-up of sad politicians as appeared in QT last night. Although Nick Griffin was hung out to dry, he appeared resilient and good-humoured, though a little shaky and despite the racist barbs and shouting-downs. OK, so few agree with his policies on immigration: but where were the questions about politicians' expenses, the postal strike, violence, justice? It didn't seem important that here was a politician riding on the back of the government's failure to espouse a working immigration policy.
So, Nick kind of won the day, won the public sympathy (read the comments on BBC's comments page where 90% of the letters are critical of the panel and the lynch-mob audience) and no doubt won a good deal more votes for his party, though not through his own efforts but rather through the incompetence of three members of the panel and the chair to challenge him fairly and maturely.
I mean, who would condone Jack Straw's diatribe against Griffin, bringing into the argument his own family history going back three generations when Britain had a different attitude to immigrants in the context of two-world wars, and his refusal to admit that the BNP has profited from Labour's failure on immigration and other issues in the public eye. Straw is way past his sell-by date and should be put out to grass asap-a Justice Minister without any real sense of justice who revealed his incompetency in front of millions of viewers. His constituency is Blackburn from where the BNP has gained much of its support. When was the last time he sauntered through the deprived areas to see how people lived; and what were their concerns and why did they vote BNP? Humiliatingly, he was chastised by Bonnie Greer for referring to Afro-Americans rather than African Americans. A obsequious grin was his reply with an "of- course-I-should-have-known-better" nod of the head.
Next on the list of panel let-downers was Chris Huhn who seemed to think that you could win an argument by shouting at Griffin, wandering away from any responsible answers to questions and bellowing out his own policies about immigration while having a dig at Labour and Conservative failures. A thoroughly disgraceful performance from a 'mature' politician.
And Bonnie Greer with her hyperbolic jaw-dropping theatricals whose main concern was ethnicity and her obvious inability to argue cogently for any of her vague beliefs subjugated and obscured by her manifest hatred of Griffin.
David Dimbleby, well done DD. You have brought into disrepute your abilities as a chairperson by joining in the baying crowd and by showing your non-impartiality in this attempt to publicly lynch Griffin. I've heard him on the radio before cutting short a caller who did not agree with his views on Islam.
Finally, Sayeeda Warsi, the only intelligent voice of reason on the panel. She was the one member to face the fact that there is an immigration problem and acknowledge that we are one of the most populated countries in the world. She constantly brought the others back to the question being asked and away from the bigoted views of the others.
Ironically, they seemed to find objection to Griffin's pronouncement that Churchill would have joined the BNP if he had been alive today. The grumpy old racist had views that many in the BNP would have adopted. He hated India and Indians and had views on ethnicity that would startle any liberal-minded person in Britain today. Islamists, he couldn't abide.
Altogether, a poor show: and although I would never vote BNP nor help to promote any of their more sordid ideals, it seems that even if I had intended the latter, the BBC has done the job anyway.
Solution? Get the politicians off the panel and get real people on who represent the British public for this worn-out show.
