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IN THE END WE REALISED THAT THE BNP LEADER HAS NOTHING TO SAY

Nick Griffin proved he had nothing to say after all

Saturday October 24,2009

By Richard and Judy

THOSE of us who thought the BBC was making a terrible mistake inviting British National Party leader Nick Griffin on to Question Time were entirely mistaken. Rather than proving to be the PR opportunity he craves, the event – thankfully – turned into a disaster for him and his horrible organisation.

Never have I been so glad to be proved wrong.

Griffin came across as little short of an idiot. There were moments of almost comic nuttiness. When confronted with the charge that he appeared in the same video as a senior member of the Ku Klux Klan,

Griffin first blustered, then said that the man was the leader of “a totally non-violent section, actually”.

Ah. Like Nazi officers thrown out of the SS for cruelty, perhaps.

David Dimbleby was strong. He avoided falling into the trap of bullying Griffin and in a killer question quoted the BNP leader’s speech to party insiders in which he plainly instructed them that their real agenda – pursuing an all-white British society – had to be masked behind a softer, more acceptable set of policies.

Griffin had nothing to say. Indeed, considering he is supposed to be a skilled spin-doctor as well as fleet-footed party leader, Griffin was remarkably flat-footed and unprepared. He grinned and gurned when the other panellists scored direct hits on him, and applauded like a performing seal when the woman to his left – the black American writer Bonnie Greer – repeatedly confounded his arguments with icy, satirical thrusts.

It was a good night for freedom of speech. Judy told me it would be. So did my son Jack. I should have had more faith in the power and strength of democracy.

And I intend to send BBC director general Mark Thompson – our old boss at Channel 4 – a very large bottle of champagne.

Good call, Mark.