Good times for the BNP just now. Vote is up around the country, a couple of MEPs and now appearing on BBC's Question Time without even appearing to lobby for it.
The argument for the BBC's defence is that now there will be an opportunity for the BNP to be exposed. But the Question Time format does not lend itself to this kind of cross examination (more on this here). The programme consists of politicians essentially making prerehearsed speeches on the issues of the day.
There was an opportunity for the BBC to be badly exposed on this issue but it appears as if a cross party consensus has emerged for them all to eschew the long standing policy of not sharing platforms with the far-right. It appears the lure of TV cameras makes everything different to your normal town hall meetings. One thing that should further make us doubt the likelihood of the BNP being "exposed" on Question Time is the pandering that the mainstream parties have done on matters of immigration, race and faith in recent years.
We may not have heard the last of this. But my other hope is that if the BNP are invited onto the programme in Scotland, that the Scottish parties do at least unite and refuse to take part.
One of my fave blogs is back!
Great to hear from you again RuT.
There is nothing to debate with the BNP and nothing to expose - just as there is nothing to debate with Holocaust denial, pro-paedophilia, pro-women battering - so there is no intellectual argument to be debated with immoral racists and violent thugs and hoodlums such as the EDL/BNP attracts to their ranks.
The only issue to debate amongst ourselves is why there is nothing debate with vicious violent racists.
all the best!
ps
Speaking of extremism, I noticed this attempt to radicalise the Scottish Muslim youth of today. This is the work of some kind of demented evil genius. Just when we thought things were getting better, we'd all turned the corner, this happens -
http://www.scottishislamic.org/index.php?go=news&id=445>Have coffee with Freddie Kanoute
SIF
25 Sept 2009
Posted by: joe90 kane | 07 October 2009 at 04:33 PM