HOPE not hate blog: We all pay for the folly of the BBC

We all pay for the folly of the BBC

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Monday, 26 October 2009, 06:54

Nick Griffin was humiliated on Question Time. That we all agree. He avoided tough questions, gave evasive answers when pressed and tried to defend the indefensible. On top of that he looked simply out of his depth.

I watched Question Time with a growing sense of unease. The more the panel and the audience attacked Griffin the more I felt that many people out in the country would feel sorry for him, even some of those who might not agree with his politics.There was a smugness to how the panel, choreographed by David Dimbleby himself, laid into him. It was like lions ripping apart their prey.

There were two aspects to my unease. Many people who are voting BNP share a sense of victimhood. They believe that they are losing out because others are benefiting. They believe the political parties which once represented them and the institutions which once looked after them have moved away, preferring instead other groups in society.

Many working-class people have a growing disdain for the London-based political class, which does not speak their language or understand their issues. This is particularly the case for Labour, which many working class voters no longer believe cares about them.

A YouGov survey found that 54% of BNP voters thought that the Labour Party no longer cared about them compared to just 5% who believe that it still does. Almost half, 47%, of BNP voters come from households that were traditionally Labour voting, double the figure for the next party.

Even more disturbing was the widespread view that others were benefiting in place of them. When asked about which three groups the Labour party helped most, BNP voters said “immigrants” (78%), “single-parent families” (38%) and “the rich” (35%). When asked which group was most discriminated against, 77% of BNP voters said “white people”.

The feeling of victimhood was most evident from the fact that a third of BNP voters believed either totally or partially that there was an international Marxist and Jewish conspiracy to undermine traditional Christian values in Britain. Now I don’t believe that a third of BNP voters actually believe in this conspiracy, more that they think there are forces out there acting against their interests.

As a result, the more the politicians ganged up on Griffin, the more some people identified with him. It was little different to how they feel the political class mocks and abuses them.

My other reason for unease came with the immediate response to the debate. Job well done, was the general consensus. Griffin had been roundly beaten and made to look a fool and as a result there was little future for the BNP.

This view is short-sighted, ill-judged and plain wrong.

Searchlight has long believed that the BNP has done well often despite itself. We have long known that they are a bunch of incoherent, disorganised and incompetent extremists. In fact, given the economic crisis, concerns over immigration and the contempt many people have with mainstream politicians, the BNP should be doing a lot better than it currently is.

But Searchlight has also long acknowledged that people are not voting for the BNP because of its leaders. They do not vote BNP because they think Nick Griffin would be a better Prime Minister. In London they have not voted for Richard Barnbrook because they think he would make a better Mayor. They are voting for the BNP because they are alienated from the political system.

They feel ignored and, yes, they do not like black people.

None of the panellists really addressed why people were voting for the BNP, but then there is not a serious debate about this generally, especially inside the Labour Party. To understand the reasons for BNP support would challenge too much of their policy agenda.

A poor performance by Griffin on Question Time will not necessarily mean a decreased BNP vote in future. Granted, it might have put off some viewers, but I cannot see it making much difference in the communities where the BNP is already established.

In Barking and Dagenham we have been challenging the BNP over its mythical Africans for Essex lie for several years. We have provided chapter and verse why no such scheme exists. We have delivered leaflets and newspapers and got articles in the local press. So far, the facts have had little effect – people are still voting BNP.

My gripe is not with the panellists. They did what they had to do. It would have been an even bigger political disaster if Griffin had come out of Question Time well, if he had held his own against his political rivals and even scored points over them.

The focus of my anger is the BBC. This was car crash TV at its worst. They invited him on precisely because it would boost viewing figures. They created the format which meant Griffin was automatically under sole scrutiny. They, in the end, gave him and his ideas a platform which he had not had before and did not deserve.

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 | There are 11 comments

Comments

Comment 1 | From: Moondog | Date: 26 October 2009, 20:30

I think we will continue to find it difficult to win back local communities until the political establishment explicitly recognises the white working class as a target for equality intervention, as Trevor Phillips recently suggested. Failure to do so over the past 40 years has had a discriminatory effect, resulting in a widespread sense of betrayal and abandonment. All too often white working class concerns are dismissed as myths arising from ignorance and prejudice whereas those raised by other communities are - quite rightly - taken seriously and investigated. It is only when white working class concerns are given parity with others that we will begin to win communities back from extremists. I believe in a multi-cultural society within the over-arching values of parliamentary democracy and human rights - if things are allowed to slide we risk losing this. The government's Connecting Communities programme is a step in the right direction - let's hope it's not too little too late.

Comment 2 | From: Coromoto Power Febres | Date: 27 October 2009, 11:16

The far right has historically lacked concern for factual information. The notion of being ‘all things to all men’ has traditionally been a tactic employed by far right leaders. The BBC should therefore not have been surprised by the evasive way in which Mr Griffin conducted himself. What we cannot do, however, is consider him a fool. He is by no means a fool; he has moved the BNP forward and helped them achieve significant gains. In order to seriously tackle the far right people need to realise that they are not simple hooligans. They need to realise that it is a serious political threat. In some ways, by portraying him as a fool on a stage with political heavyweights the BBC may not only have got people to feel sorry for him; but perhaps of greater concern is the fact that seeing as he is such a ‘fool’ people will not take the threat seriously. The BNP will no doubt benefit from the mass exposure that is proving to be the aftermath of this programme.

Comment 3 | From: monkey-see | Date: 27 October 2009, 16:22

Nick wasn't humiliated on Question Time at all. As you said, it gave him a great platform..in fact it gained him support because whenever someone is made to look the victim, it gains sympathy. There are a lot of people in the UK who think the same way he does (but not to the same extremes) who will now consider giving him the vote. In the dight of Cook's inability to own up to the labour & conservatives imigration policy causing the rise of such a party, you'd have to admit the mainstream were humiliated. But this is all besides the point. We don't live in a democracy any more. It is a dictatorship. There is NO choice when voting. They are the same crooked lot.

Comment 4 | From: bob windsor | Date: 27 October 2009, 16:36

Nearly 1 million people voted for his party, of course he deserves a platform, more so than unelected panellists. By initially attempting to deny his right to free speech then claiming to "feel uneasy" about the reaction to the way he was treated is a bit disingenous of you, especially as you have admitted that you handed Mr Straw documentation with which he could ambush Mr Griffin during the 'debate'. The right to speak or comment should not be curtailed for some because you don't like what they say. Moving the goalposts can only breed alienation. Do you really want Mr Griffin as a champion of the right to speak freely?

Comment 5 | From: James | Date: 27 October 2009, 19:37

The Lancaster Unity blog has revealed that the You Gov poll was rigged by the BNP - this fact really needs to be picked up by the mainstream media URGENTLY

Comment 6 | From: Neil Proud | Date: 28 October 2009, 13:04

Just a point about Holocaust denial. I think you are wrong to say that the Holocaust deniers of the BNP actually believe that the Holocaust didn't happen. The point is that if they acknowledged the Holocaust they would have to say,simply put, whether they regarded it as a good or a bad thing. I think they actually know that it happened and also approve of it and possibly want to repeat it but they know that to admit this would disgust the vast majority of even the soft racists they try to appeal to. They cannot say it was a terrible horrific event as this would alienate their hard racist fascist core support. So they have to deny it.

Comment 7 | From: Richard Casson | Date: 28 October 2009, 14:33

Really interesting article. And what I found the most interesting was how Hope Not Hate has "delivered leaflets and newspapers and got articles in the local press", but so far had little effect. This surely can't be the entire picture? Please tell us where progress has been made.

[Nick replies: Had little effect? what about the recent by-elections in Barnsley and South Oxhey, two wards where the BNP expected to win but didn't partly through our campaigning? What about the European elections? Yes, Griffin was elected but the BNP got fewer votes than in 2004. What about Sandwell, Oldham and Bradford where the BNP has been heavily defeated over the last few years because of our work.

Campaigning can play a major role but of course there are events outside our control.]

Comment 8 | From: Emily Davis | Date: 28 October 2009, 15:11

I just don't agree at all. It is my experience that people on the left tend to do the right thing and then drive themselves bonkers about whether they should have done it or not and go back on themselves and in the end shoot themselves in the foot and give in to any bleedin backlash going. I think the BBC were right to put Griffin on. He was elected - it is the responsible thing to do to scrutinise his views - he was given every opportunity to speak for himseld, people spoke perfectly civilly to him, if passionately against what he was saying. I think it was the best we could do. It was not in the slightest smug or bullying or like 'lions ripping apart prey'. What rubbish. It was people standing up for their convictions and analysing an argument in the bold light of day rather than letting it fester under the surface with hearsay and rumour where it could actually do more harm. Of course the BNP won't be defeated by one TV panel show, but we're all in this for the long-game - not just the BNP supporters and we'll be here as long or longer than they are. And I think you give David Dimbleby too much credit to be honest - it is the audience who ask the questions, he has no say over that, and the audience largely contributed to putting Griffin in his place - are you against their freedom to speak their minds when they hear a racist spouting his views? I'm absolutely fed up of this kind of negative thinking.

Comment 9 | From: bob windsor | Date: 28 October 2009, 15:28

Are you only interested in free speech or comments that you agree with, Nick? Your blog is hardly swamped with comments from readers. I would have thought you'd appreciate a balanced debate. Perhaps your initial relish of the QT mauling of Mr Griffin is only thinly veiled by your subsequent volte-face towards "a growing sense of unease" about the treatment of an elected QT panellist and the ramifications of a respected topical debate programme so blatantly moving the goalposts. If you offer an opportunity to comment sincerely why not post it?

Comment 10 | From: Martin White | Date: 28 October 2009, 16:06

Your ablsolutely right, Nick Griffen did as we suspected come over as a buffon and some people felt sorry for him. However to those that dont know better he seemed a rather kind and likeable man which we all know isnt the case.My feelings are that he is getting far to much attention. "Any publicity is good publicity" as the saying goes. I for one would prefer to ignore him as he deserves whilst keeping an eye on this unpleasant Nazi. His party has no seats in Parliament... Lets keep it that way Warmest Regards Martin White

Comment 11 | From: Sandra Deeley | Date: 29 October 2009, 07:30

Here's another one of those anti-BNP videos! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIMnjdxB4wU

You can comment on this article here (All fields required)

| top | back | home |

Share |

There are 286 BNP and far-right candidates entered into our database, we have results for 284 of them. The last record was added on Sat, 05 May 2012 17:04:09 +0100

Connect with HOPE not hate