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Nick Griffin on Question Time – the verdict
Posted by Tory Rascal (@toryrascal)
Friday, 23rd October 2009
Well, that was entertaining! Griffin, for all his bravado, was clearly terribly insecure; his trembling hands and querulous tone were symptoms of a man who knows how roundly he is despised. The problem is, he seems almost to like being hated.
It was good to see the three main parties clubbing together in some ways – particularly by agreeing to talk openly and honestly about people’s concerns over immigration. The BNP capitalises on political vacuums, and it is to the three main parties’ shame that they have not filled that vacuum by acknowledging widespread concerns over immigration. Jack Straw, Chris Huhne and Baroness Warsi clearly did not agree with one another – but by discussing a previously verboten issue so passionately, they might have signalled a sensible way ahead.
Baroness Warsi (pictured) was on particularly fine form, doing her best to defend the Muslim community against Griffin’s illiterate and unhistorical views. Straw was equally well briefed, particularly on issues of history – and, to his credit, he did not take the bait when Griffin referred, outrageously, to Straw’s father’s time in prison during the second world war. Chris Huhne, while a little quieter, was, on the whole, assured and composed. Griffin – sweating, trembling and fumbling his own lines – was clearly rattled. And that was blissful to behold.
All in all, I think Griffin came off poorly. Clearly out of his depth, stressed and outgunned by three of the brightest politicians in Westminster, this was like putting a guinea pig into a bearpit. Nonetheless, the level of attention he has received – and the outrageous activities of Unite Against Fascism outside Television Centre – could yet play into his hands. I just hope that the three main parties continue to be more open about their beliefs on immigration in future. Clearly, up to the present moment they have ignored the issue at their peril.
