Sep/09
13:33 10
Brown backs Straw to tackle BNP on Question Time?
Following the announcement this week that Labour is to drop its policy on sharing a platform with the BNP, Justice Secretary Jack Straw is the latest name touted to appear on Question Time alongside BNP leader Nick Griffin.
According to Lancaster Unity, Gordon Brown is taking a “personal interest” in the issue and favours Jack Straw, whose Blackburn constituency has one of the highest levels of immigration in the country, as the man to take on the BNP.
“We have to put up a heavyweight, otherwise we will be accused of giving Griffin too easy a time of it.” – Labour Party source
“Street smart and funny” Home Secretary Alan Johnson has signalled he is willing to appear, while Labour blogger Chris Paul has suggested Billy Bragg, Meera Syal or someone else with the “means to ridicule his nastiness”.
For fear of sparking unrest in areas of racial tension, BBC sources have confirmed that the edition featuring the BNP will be filmed in London.
5:55pm on September 13th, 2009
I’d say Alan Johnson has been pretty firm in saying NO WAY NICKAY. Including today on the Daily Politics. Griffin has a mixed record in the media. Though mostly fairly good – on his own terms – in set pieces. Barbara Ellen in Observer seems to feel he is bound to mess up. But we need to remember two things I think.
First, it will not be an hour of BNP bashing set up by perfect questions. It may be about things where the BNP nominal policy equates to normal non-fascist pavement politics. They like Co-ops and organic farming and they are against those damned wars. The audience and the Q selector could have a big effect.
Second, Jack Straw or Michael Howard or Vince Cable or whoever are constrained by their respective party’s seriousness. They cannot go OT or stick in gratuitous fash bashing points. Whereas comics or the like can stick the boot in 100% at every opportunity, cross every line there is, make sure Griffin is wound up enough to lose it and show himself up.
I suspect Griffin uses hypnosis or NLP or some other controlling method to keep himself level and relatively reasonable. His scuttling ships in the Med outburst was a rare example of really “getting it wrong”, then again this may well have pushed a lot of the buttons he wanted to push. In non-party contexts it is amazing to hear people rationalise support for the BNP. They may agree with every word. Or simply like being transgressive and “showing” the main parties.
Who can disturb Griffin’s equilibrium the most? Someone fearless and not too constrained. David Mitchell would do well I think. Frankie Boyle could be outstanding. Jo Brand. If you were Nick Griffin who would be the last person you wanted to see on that panel?
Thanks for link.
8:11am on September 17th, 2009
I think Chris is right to suggest that Straw’s “seriousness” may be a hindrance, and I would opt for someone more like Tony Benn or Neil Kinnock, someone at the heart of the Labour Party rather than the government.
On the other hand, though Johnson has said “no” to appearing, his “working class appeal” would be good to sap Griffin’s energy.
Perhaps Brown persuaded Johnson to say no, for fear of giving more credibility to AJ as a leadership rival.
8:42pm on October 9th, 2009
Chris Paul to judge by his “fash bashing” phrase seems to think Griffin is a fascist.
One of the elements of fascism as per Chambers dictionary is “militarism”. Labour plus Tories sent the British military to Iraq ( “for the oil” according to Alan Greenspan) which resulted in a million Muslim and Kurd deaths. In contrast, the BNP opposed this war from the start. Who are the fascists?
And on the subject of those million Muslim and Kurd deaths, who are the racists?
And then there was the non democratic (i.e. fascist) decision to implement a policy of mass immigration without consulting and against the wishes of the majority of Brits. The BNP opposes this decision. In contrast, your average Oxbridge educated, expense sheet fiddling, sleazy millionaire funded Labour and Tory politician favours the latter fascist decision.
I think it’s a moot point as to who the fascists are.