Should BNP leader be allowed on Question Time?

The BBC has caused controversy by refusing to withdraw the invitation of BNP leader, Nick Griffin, from tonight’s Question Time panel, despite calls from high profile figures.

Welsh Secretary, Peter Hain, has described Griffin’s inclusion on the show as, “the BBC seal of approval on the BNP – a racist and fascist party - as a respectable party. It stinks.” He claims that to include their leader, nothing short of legitimises the BNP as a political party.

Hain has accused the BBC of deliberately using Griffin to “rocket their ratings” and dismissed the Corporation claims that as an impartial controller, they have no choice but to invite the leader of a party which holds two seats in Europe.

The controversy has been exacerbated by yesterdays letter, leaked by The Times newspaper and signed by Army Chiefs, accusing the BNP of using Britain’s “proud [military] heritage… for their own dubious ends.” The BNP frequently evokes Britain’s patriotic heritage in its political campaigns. The recent EU election campaign was fought under the title, the “Battle of Britain”, focusing on the pride British people took in being British. The ‘Spirit of the Blitz’, the WW11 plane the Spitfire and quotes and images of Winston Churchill are frequent BNP symbols.

On top of this, Griffin has claimed on many occasions that “the British National Party” is the vote winner of all frontline soldiers as well as “the families of young squaddies”. The letter, signed by former heads of the Army, General Sir Mike Jackson and General Sir Richard Dannatt, as well as Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, former chief of defense staff and Major-General Patrick Cordingley, commander of the 7th Armoured Brigade, the Desert Rats in the Gulf War, has expressed outrage at this manipulation of the military history for the BNP’s own benefit.

Ironically however, the BNP’s ‘Battle of Britain’ campaign has been overshadowed by the shouts of military historians, all of whom claim that the battle would never have been won without the help of the 16 Polish squadrons, of whom scored the highest number of enemy kills. This revelation devalues this BNP campaign, which was largely based on anti-immigration policies and saving Britain for “British“ people. The “British Jobs for British Workers” slogan which became well known during the “Battle of Britain” campaign, won hundreds of votes, particularly in the working-class north east. This slogan put a very negative force on the influx of eastern European workers coming to the UK and taking “British jobs” - particularly from countries such as Poland. The Generals letter also points out that 10 per cent of currently serving British service men and women are from the Commonwealth.

Despite the allegations made in the letter and political pressure, the BBC has failed to withdraw Griffin’s invitation to Question Time. In fact, a BBC insider today revealed that, to ensure the corporation’s reputation of ‘impartiality’, a balanced audience will watch tonight’s live show, “including BNP members”, who will be unlikely to give Griffin an hard ride.

Nick Lowles, editor of the Searchlight magazine, which monitors far-right groups, has today disregarded Hain’s claim that Griffin’s appearance on tonight’s show will leave the BNP with “the respectability and credibility it has always craved.” At present, members of the BNP party do not exceed 11’000, and, Lowles explains, the majority of those members are people who “join the party because they’re angry, agitated or curious, but they leave in equal numbers”.

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