A question of what’s right

FOR

Helen Robb, politics student at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington.

THIS week at college, as a member of the student executive, I was proud to be photographed supporting Black History Month. At home, I have had a heated discussion with my father about the issue of the BNP’s appearance on the BBC’s Question Time tonight.

He is against it, but I am for it.

I believe Nick Griffin and the British National Party represent racism, violence and brutality, yet proper debate and scrutiny needs to be allowed to show them for what they are.

In June, the BNP gained two seats in the European Parliament. This followed a campaign in which the party used iconic images of Spitfires alongside promises of “British jobs for British workers”.

This campaign was broadly unchallenged by the media, and the BNP’s own publicity presented it as a fairly moderate, well-meaning and, dare I say it, electable party.

The success of this campaign, by gaining representation on an international scale, allowed the party an air of legitimacy that the vast majority of us are appalled by.

Question Time is an established forum for debate and discussion with strong rules, adjudication and structure to allow detailed scrutiny of the BNP.

The audience tonight is unlikely to allow the usual calls of national pride and identity to cover the true and revolting nature of the BNP’s policies.

Jack Straw, Chris Hulme and Baroness Varsi have an important job to do. For example, instead of allowing hysterical cries of “British jobs for British nurses”, they should force Nick Griffin to discuss the terrible effects that removing foreign-born nursing staff, many of whom emigrated to the UK in response to a nursing shortage, would have on the NHS.

By allowing the BNP to debate, the BBC is denying the far-right party chance to bleat on about political censorship. A society confident in its democracy can beat prejudice with argument.

Tonight, Nick Griffin needs more than just pathetic slogans and 30-second sound-bites to survive the debate.

His policies will be exposed by some of our country’s most prominent public figures.

Rather than showcasing the BNP as equal to the mainstream and moderate political parties that are on the platform, Question Time will show the public the extent to which its policies and attitudes go against the ideals of our multi-cultural society and our economic wellbeing.

This evening will see the destruction of any ambiguity in the racist, sexist and otherwise discriminatory policies of this organisation, dissolving support among the one million people who were seduced into voting for it in this year’s elections.

The question, when faced with such intelligent and varied opposition, should not be why the BBC would invite the BNP onto Question Time, but why the BNP would ever say yes.

AGAINST

Kevin Rowan, regional secretary of the Northern TUC

THERE are views which suggest that the more exposure the BNP gets, the more likely they are to expose the true nature of the party, which is that they are racist, homophobic, small-minded little Englanders who promise the earth and do nothing but harm to the well-being and progress of the society and economy of the UK.

But hoping they slip up is, in effect, playing into their hands and indeed playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette.

Are we to wait until their divisive and intolerant propaganda results in racial violence on a large scale before we can say there is no role for this organisation in modern politics?

All too often, these statements are disputed and dismissed as “lefty propaganda”, but they are facts – the exclusive membership rules of the party have been held to be unlawful.

Griffin has shown himself devoid of morality or humanity by openly condemning Islam as “an evil religion” and called for the sinking of boats of desperate asylum seekers.

These views are morally repugnant. Of course, Griffin and his clan are perfectly entitled to hold those views – they are a matter, or lack, of personal conscience.

The BBC may claim “independence” or even a responsibility to hold elected politicians to account, but what they are in fact doing is giving legitimacy to these views and demonstrating an acceptance of them by giving air time to Griffin.

Following the recent BBC Radio One Newsround scam, where two alleged BNP voters turned out to be BNP employees, given anonymity and masquerading as “ordinary blokes”, and Griffin’s refusal to refrain from attempts to ally the party with the Armed Forces, despite the clear anger of leading British generals, the hope that the BNP are going to show their true colours seems at best optimistic, and at worst, a foolhardy excuse for allowing offensive views to be portrayed to a national audience.

I would certainly not suggest ignoring the BNP and hoping they go away. Their real policies ought to be exposed – the racist membership policies, the forced repatriation of migrants, Griffin’s willingness to simply sink the boats of asylum seekers.

But allowing Griffin to assume the same legitimacy as mainstream political parties is dangerous.

The BNP are the political wing of the thugs that form the English Defence League (EDL) and other violent gangs. By providing acceptance of Griffin’s political role, extolling the nasty views of his party, there is a consequential legitimising of the spin-offs, the violent, racist thugs whose presence has led to trouble in Manchester and Cardiff.

There is only one response to those who promote race hatred, whether that’s the violent EDL thugs or the softer deceptions of a politician – zero tolerance.