Question Time British National Party controversy
Encyclopedia
The Question Time British National Party controversy in early September 2009 followed an invitation by the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) to Nick Griffin
, leader of the far-right British National Party
(BNP), to be a panellist on Question Time
, one of its flagship television programmes on current affairs.
The decision to have the BNP represented on the programme for the first time sparked public and political debate in the United Kingdom. At the heart of the matter was the BBC's public broadcasting mandate requiring it to give equal prominence to political parties above a given level of electoral representation. Mark Thompson
, Director-General of the BBC
, defended the BBC's decision to invite Griffin, stating, "the BNP has demonstrated a level of support that would normally lead to an occasional invitation to join the panel on Question Time. It is for that reason – not for some misguided desire to be controversial, but for that reason alone – that the invitation has been extended."
A late appeal was made to the BBC Trust
, the BBC's governing body, by Secretary of State for Wales
Peter Hain
, to have the appearance blocked, which ultimately failed. Griffin appeared on the edition of 22 October. As the programme was due to go to air, public protests took place at BBC Television Centre
in London. The pre-recorded programme featured Griffin alongside Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw
, Conservative peer and Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi, the Liberal Democrats
' Home Affairs spokesperson Chris Huhne
, and black writer/playwright Bonnie Greer
. The edition was watched by over 8 million people, over half the total audience share, and over double the previous record high for Question Time.
is the flagship BBC Television
political panel show, which began in 1979. The weekly show, hosted by David Dimbleby
since 1994, takes place at locations around the country. Questions from a local audience are directed to a panel of invited guests, usually consisting of British politicians, alongside other public figures. Topics for debate during the programme are loosely defined by 'set-piece' questions from pre-selected audience members. For each topic, the question is answered by each panel member in turn, followed by supplementary questions on the topic, time permitting. The show is pre-recorded a few hours before being broadcast, and it is stressed by Dimbleby as the programme starts, that the panellists have no foreknowledge of the content of the questions.
The British National Party
(BNP) is a "far right" minority party in Britain founded by John Tyndall
in 1982. Its current chairman is Nick Griffin
, elected as one of the eight MEPs in the North West England constituency
. The BNP won 943,598 votes and two seats in the UK's 2009 European Parliament elections
in June, when a total of 72 seats were contested. The BNP polled 6.26% of the national vote of 15,625,823 (from an electorate of 45,315,669), making it the sixth ranked party, behind the Conservatives
(27.7%), United Kingdom Independence Party
(16.5%), Labour
(15.7%), Liberal Democrats
(13.7%) and the Green Party
(8.6%). The result represented a 1.3 percentage point increase on their previous performance. At the time of the programme the BNP held one seat on the London Assembly
and council seats in four London borough
s; it was the second party in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
.
and The World at One
on BBC Radio 4
. No BNP representative had ever appeared on Question Time before, but following the European election performance, this stance was reviewed. The possibility of an appearance on Question Time by Nick Griffin was publicly announced by the BBC in early September. That month, James Macintyre of the New Statesman
who was a former Question Time producer, said that Mentorn, the independent production company responsible for Question Time, had been proposing an appearance by Griffin over the previous two years. The Independent
gave credit to the BBC for resisting "the naïve showbiz instincts" of executives at Mentorn, who may have wanted "what Peter Hain calls a 'beanfest' for reasons well removed from the BBC's charter
obligations."
On 21 October, the day before the broadcast, the BBC Director-General, Mark Thompson, wrote an article for The Guardian
entitled 'Keeping Nick Griffin off air is a job for parliament, not the BBC'. He said that those arguing for the BNP to be excluded from the programme were making the case for censorship, which was a matter for the government and not the BBC. He explained the BBC's decision:
Question Time is an opportunity for the British public to put questions to politicians of every ideological hue. Politicians from the UK's biggest parties appear most frequently, but from time to time representatives of parties with many fewer supporters – from the Scottish Socialists and Respect to the Green party – also take their seats on the stage. Question Time is the most prominent programme of its kind on British television, and we carefully study the support gained in elections by each of the parties, large and small, before deciding who to invite and how frequently they should appear. It is a straightforward matter of fact that, with some 6% of the vote and the election of two MEPs in this spring's European elections – and with some success in local elections as well – the BNP has demonstrated a level of support that would normally lead to an occasional invitation to join the panel on Question Time. It is for that reason – not for some misguided desire to be controversial, but for that reason alone – that the invitation has been extended.
BBC Deputy Director General Mark Byford
also defended the decision on the day of the programme, saying: "[The BNP] should have the right to be heard, be challenged, and for the public who take part in Question Time and the viewers to make up their own minds about the views of the BNP. It's not for the BBC to censor and say they can't be on". The BBC's chief political adviser, Ric Bailey, stated after the failed appeal that the BBC "would have been breaking its charter if it had not treated the BNP with impartiality ... We absolutely stand by that judgement, even though there's obviously been a lot of controversy about it". Senior BBC presenter John Humphrys
said the decision was "absolutely right." He said: "Why should we be afraid of what they have to say? Free speech is the issue here, and the BBC's obligations." However, broadcasting unions said some of its members would protest at the invitation.
. The BNP's constitution restricting membership of the party to "indigenous Caucasian" people, namely "indigenous British ethnic groups" including the "Anglo-Saxon folk community" and the "Celtic Scottish folk community" was declared illegal on 15 October 2009 under the Race Relations Act
, after a challenge by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and Hain argued that the appearance might be illegal in light of the ruling.
On the night of Tuesday 20 October, the Trust announced it was forming an emergency committee, comprising three trustees chaired by Richard Tait
, to examine the appeals. Late on 21 October, the day before the programme was due to be made, the Trust cleared Griffin to appear on the show. It also ruled that, given the pre-recorded nature of the show, many of the concerns were hypothetical and premature. The Trust declined further comment, in case of an appeal of the decision after the show:
In an e-mail to BNP supporters, Griffin said "Never before have we had the chance to present our patriotic, common sense solutions to Britain’s nightmare situation to the public at large in such prominent fashion ... I am relishing this opportunity, and I know that ... the ordinary members, supporters and voters of the BNP will be in the studio with me as I take on the corrupt, treacherous swine destroying our beautiful island nation.” He also stated in a letter on the BNP website: "I will, no doubt, be interrupted, shouted down, slandered, put on the spot, and subjected to a scrutiny that would be a thousand times more intense than anything directed at other panellists. It will, in other words, be political blood sport
. But I am relishing this opportunity."
Griffin told The Times
: "I thank the political class and their allies for being so stupid." He went on to say that his invitation on the programme "clearly gives us a whole new level of public recognition." Griffin said of his fellow Question Time panellists before the show that Bonnie Greer was "the joker in the pack... [who]... knows how to look after herself and may be more of a handful than the others", that Menzies Campbell
"would have been more daunting" than Chris Huhne, that Jack Straw is "a very effective advocate". He said that the appearance of Baroness Warsi for the Conservatives was a typical "tokenist
" stunt. In the run-up to the programme, the BNP website displayed a prominent countdown to Question Time.
Speaking on the Question Time episode the week before the expected appearance by Griffin, panel guest and Home Secretary Alan Johnson
condemned the decision of the BBC:
Prime Minister
and Labour leader, Gordon Brown
, said he would not interfere with the BBC's decision. He said: "asked about their racist and bigoted views that are damaging to good community relations, it will be a good opportunity to expose what they are about." When pressed on the reversal of Labour's 'No Platform' policy, Brown said "The issue is: should we have someone there? Jack Straw is a very experienced person who has had to deal with the BNP and their awful politics over a period of time."
Conservative leader David Cameron
was uncomfortable with the BBC decision, which reminded him of an invitation to Gerry Adams
to speak at the Union
during the 1980s when he was at Oxford. He said: "It makes me uneasy. I don't think the BBC should have done it."
The Conservative panel member, Baroness Warsi, a British Muslim
from Dewsbury
, West Yorkshire
– a town which Janice Turner of The Times reported as having the biggest BNP vote in Britain – stated "I want to ask Nick Griffin what about me isn't British". Liberal Democrat panel member Chris Huhne decided in consultation with party leader Nick Clegg
that, given the BBC's decision to invite Griffin, he had no choice but to attend. He said that "Thursday night's excitement would not have been called off just because the Liberal Democrats decided not to participate."
On the day of the programme, former Labour Mayor of London
, Ken Livingstone
, said that the BBC would "bear moral responsibility" for any rise in racist attacks in Britain. Labour MP Diane Abbott
, the first black woman to be elected to Parliament, believed that the appearance of Griffin would signal the BNP was part of the political mainstream in the same way that her appearance on Question Time in 1987 had signalled black people's acceptance as part of the mainstream. She said: "it's not a programme that's going to scrutinise his views, it's not that sort of programme, it's politics as entertainment". Andrew Slaughter
, a Labour MP whose constituency includes the BBC Television Centre, arrived to support the protests, scathingly attacking the BBC's "smugness", saying that local people on the estates were "utterly affronted".
Ten MPs signed an early day motion
tabled by Labour MP Mike Gapes
which called the BBC decision "profoundly wrong" and noted that "no previous BBC Director General made such a judgement and that neither Martin Webster
, who polled 16 percent of the vote in the West Bromwich by-election in 1973
, John Tyndall, Colin Jordan
or Oswald Mosley
were treated in the same way".
said: "The BNP is no normal party – yet by inviting it on to Question Time, the BBC runs the risk of normalising it". It also stated that it would give the BNP "its best-ever platform for its poisonous politics".
Jim Shields, associate professor in French Studies at Warwick University, stated that the appearance would be "a real milestone" in Griffin's acceptability. He said far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen
's appearance on a similar programme in France saw support for his Front national party "double overnight". Professor Ted Cantle, commissioned by the Government to investigate the 2001 race riots
, urged a "more sophisticated approach" using reasoned arguments, to defeat the far right.
Anti-fascist group Searchlight
said that entry level for inclusion on BBC programmes should be "election to the national parliament". Muhammad Abdul Bari
, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain
, said "We regret the BBC's decision. There is a general fear that allowing the BNP to air its toxic views will increase Islamophobia
and give the BNP the aura of respectability needed to spread its message of hate".
On 21 October, Iain Martin wrote in a The Wall Street Journal
blog that the appearance on Question Time signalled that the mainstream political parties in Britain had "badly let down their fellow Britons...by setting narrow terms for the national debate which exclude the concerns of millions of voters and force them out on to the fringes". Similarly, the issue of Griffin's upcoming appearance was the headline story on BBC Two's Newsnight
the previous evening. It was dealt with in a segment on social decline in Britain and the perceived failings of the major parties.
On the morning of the programme, the leading article in The Times
said that the BBC were right to invite Griffin, but that the issue of his appearance should not be allowed to dominate the programme, and that the panel and its chairman should be "well briefed on Mr Griffin’s many unsavoury comments on topics such as immigration". Richard Preston, blogging for The Daily Telegraph
, compared the importance of Griffin's appearance with past infrequent Question Time panellists such as the comedians Eddie Izzard
, Norman Pace
and Jim Davidson
, while also expressing confidence that the hour-long show and David Dimbleby would provide enough scrutiny to expose Griffin if he was a 'lightweight' or a 'bluffer'; he suggested that "Britain truly does have problems" if a trio of mainstream politicians did not manage to take him apart.
in London, for the first time in four years, to enable the police to keep order for Griffin's appearance. The audience was expected by The Times to number 200 people and would comprise a broad spectrum of political views, including BNP supporters and left-wing groups. The filming of the edition of 22 October was brought forward two hours from the usual 8.30 pm start time to allow for any disruption, before being broadcast later that same night.
Filming started shortly before 7.00 pm, and ended at around 8.30 pm; Griffin left the building 10 minutes later. Audience members inside the studios used their mobile phones to relay live information about the recording's progress. James Lyons, political correspondent for the Daily Mirror, wrote that the mood in the studio turned from anger to mockery of Griffin.
A full audience attended the making of the programme and there were no protests in the studio. One audience member suggested that a "half dozen" BNP members in the studio shouted encouragement to Griffin. The show was broadcast on BBC One
at 10.35 pm (BST
) and at 11.05 pm on BBC One Wales.
(UAF) had been held in London on the night of Tuesday 20 October, and sixteen coachloads of UAF protesters were expected on the day. Amid concern over safety of residents, Hammersmith and Fulham
council asked for clarification of the BBC's security arrangements, and pushed for an alternative location. Although protest organisers UAF rejected suggestions that the protests would be violent, security was stepped up at BBC Television Centre. Simon Darby
of the BNP stated there would be no counter-demonstration. Griffin expressed fears over his safety for his arrival and departure. Extra officers of the Metropolitan Police
were drafted in to maintain order outside the studios, while the BBC recruited an extra 60 security guards for inside the studio.
By mid-afternoon of the day of the programme, protesters had begun gathering outside Television Centre and there were also protesters outside regional BBC offices. By 4.30 pm (BST
) police estimated there were 500 chanting protesters; around 25 people who reached the main entrance of Television Centre after breaking through a cordon were expelled. They were part of a group of about 40 people that had made a dash for an iron gate that had been left open. After this breach, stand-by officers reinforced the police cordon, and protesters moved to block Wood Lane
hoping to prevent Griffin entering the studios. Griffin arrived at 5.17 pm unnoticed and entered on foot through a rear entrance on Frithville Road. It was reported that around 600 people had turned up to protest against Griffin.
Due to the various protests, London Television Centre and other BBC buildings around the country were 'locked down
' until the protesters had dispersed. People arriving for recordings of other shows at Television Centre, such as Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
, were turned away. Six people were arrested during the protests, reportedly for "offences including violent disorder
, causing actual bodily harm
, assault of a police officer and a person wanted on warrant"; three police officers were slightly injured. Socialist Workers Party
National Secretary and UAF national officer Martin Smith
was found guilty of assaulting the police officer at South Western Magistrates' Court, London, on 7 September 2010. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with 80 hours' unpaid work, and was fined £450 pending an appeal.
, immigration
policy, Jan Moir and finally, the show itself.
The first three topic starting questions were as follows (with notes detailing the approximate time into the broadcast the question occurred, the first panellist directed to respond to it by the moderator, and any background information to the question):
, when 3.8 million watched. and The Guardian had estimated the broadcast might attract '3 million or so' viewers. The programme was watched by over 8 million people, the highest in the 30-year history of Question Time, and nearly triple the programme's normal audience of two to three million.
In terms of share of audience, the broadcast represented over 50% of the total audience share on the night, surpassing the previous record of 30% achieved on the same 14 May 2009 show. The Griffin edition squeezed the audience of Newsnight (BBC Two
) to 300,000 viewers compared to its normal 700,000 to 1 million, while a repeat showing of Piers Morgan's Life Stories
on ITV1
attracted 700,000 viewers, a 5% share. The Times noted that audience figures for the show led the BBC's weekly total, ahead of Strictly Come Dancing
on Saturday night.
had expected a 'barrage' of complaints over the programme, Ofcom reported having received a "small number of complaints" about the programme by the following day, understood to be fewer than 100. By noon on Friday 23 October, the BBC had received 416 calls, 243 complaining of bias against Griffin, 114 complaining about Griffin being allowed to appear, and 59 in support of the BBC. The main complaints were reported to be that the programme had overly focused on the BNP, becoming the 'Nick Griffin show'. Ofcom was considering whether a formal investigation was warranted under the broadcast code section on harm and offence. After one week, Ofcom had received 290 complaints.
" with Greer, who treated him differently to the other panellists. (Greer avoided looking in Griffin's direction throughout) Speaking to the Associated Press
, Griffin stated that the appearance had secured the BNP's place on the national stage, and while not revolutionary, was like gaining a kind of "boy scout
's badge". He was relatively pleased with having "been able to land a few punches of my own." Later, Griffin declared: "Millions of people are angry about the way I was treated." Describing the experience as a "lynch mob", he complained how the choice of London had made it hostile territory for him, and had prevented him from speaking on current events such as the postal strikes
.
to the BBC to determine the decision-making process behind hosting the programme in London, and in allowing the debate to focus on the BNP, arguing that criticism of the BNP had dominated the whole programme.
Griffin dismissed criticism of his performance, saying "people who have always been against the BNP will say that I couldn't answer some things". He was of the opinion that he had been shown "extraordinary hostility" by the main political parties, but that he was happy having done his best. Griffin said: "I can see that millions of people who don't usually watch Question Time will remember what I've said and think that's how they feel and I'm perfectly happy with that." He also said he expected the BNP would appear on Question Time again. BNP legal officer Lee Barnes described Griffin's performance as "failing to press the attack", and the Evening Standard
reported a possible challenge to Griffin's leadership from a faction within the BNP, linked to Chris Jackson, which was dissatisfied with his performance, but rated this chance of success as low.
The BNP also claimed that it had received thousands of pounds in donations, and that 3,000 people had expressed an interest on their website in joining the party once their recruitment freeze was lifted. This would represent nearly a 30% increase in membership according to the party website.
While campaigning on 28 October for the forthcoming Glasgow North East by-election
on 22 November, Griffin was asked why he had laughed on Question Time. He replied: "I had thought that David Dimbleby would have the professional self-respect to at least make a show of being fair. I was laughing at the fact that I was wrong", adding "all that was exposed was the pure, vicious bigotry of the British ruling elite".
) and "When Auntie Met Nazi" (The Sun
), while broadsheets featured examples such as "Hostile reception for Griffin" (The Times
) and "Griffin's baptism of fire at the BBC" (The Independent
).
Immediately after the show, The Independent said Griffin had "choked" on the oxygen of publicity given him by the BBC. The Times described Griffin as having been "caught in TV's glare", subjected to a "hostile hour-long grilling". The Guardian however was of the opinion that, while Griffin was jeered and attacked and "often looked just plain shifty", he made no major gaffes and would thus think of it as a success. After rating the panel's performance as "flawed", and after some questions on the night went unanswered or were avoided by Griffin, it concluded that it "was the audience that came out best from the evening". The fact that four out of the five question topics on the night were BNP-related was criticised by some who believed it would allow Griffin to claim 'victimisation'. However, according to The Times, the BBC were 'delighted' with the strategy, which was to ensure it could not be accused of giving Griffin an "easy ride".
Welsh Secretary Peter Hain, who had appealed to the BBC Trust to have Griffin's appearance prevented, continued to denounce the decision. David Lammy
, one of Britain's first black ministers
, feared that people would face violence as a result of the programme. Former Home Secretary David Blunkett
attacked the way in which BBC News at Six engaged in "deliberate promotion of their own publicity-seeking decision", opining that "the only people who have benefited from this row are the BNP and the BBC's Question Time ratings". The Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson
, responded to Griffin's complaints about the location by defending London's diversity, urging residents to "reject their narrow, extremist and offensive views at every opportunity". Anshel Pfeffer, commenting for Israel
i newspaper Haaretz
noted the relative silence of UK Jewish groups over the BNP appearance, and praised the BBC's decision to give the BNP a voice, stating: "The BBC is right to have Griffin and other racists on its most respectable shows; it is wrong to apologise. By doing so it is simply fulfilling its democratic and journalistic duties." Pfeffer compared and contrasted this with Israeli freedom-of-speech laws, and questioned whether Hitler could have risen to power in modern times given the media's scrutiny of democratic politicians.
The Guardian selected a spontaneous joke about the South Pole
made by audience member Khush Klare as the "undoubted highlight", having raised the loudest cheer from the audience. Klare, the son of Indian parents who emigrated to Britain in the 1960s, had suggested collecting money for Griffin to be deported to the South Pole, as "it's a colourless landscape that will suit you fine". Klare said that whilst he did not think so at first, in retrospect he thought that Question Time was the right platform for Griffin.
Analysing the broadcast footage, The Times determined that the cameras spent "nearly 25 minutes" of the hour-long programme of the screen time either on Griffin or a "two-shot" with him and another panellist, equating to 38%. The Daily Mail alleged that the BBC "stage-managed" the programme, highlighting a crib-sheet handed out to the audience members; The Guardians 'Media Monkey' blog observed that such a sheet is routinely given to the audience, and also accused The Mail of using a 'doctored' crib-sheet.
The first opinion poll taken after Nick Griffin's appearance, conducted hours after the programme by YouGov
for The Daily Telegraph
, indicated that voter support for the BNP had increased by 1%, from 2% to 3%, in the last month, and that 22% of voters were now "seriously considering" voting BNP in a future local, general or European election — broken down into "definitely", 4%; "probably", 3%; and "possible", 15%. Bookmaker
s William Hill
changed their odds on the BNP winning a Westminster seat in the 2010 General Election from 10-1 to 7-2 after the programme. The BNP received 1.9% of the vote in the election and did not win a seat.
In an interview in News Of The World
, the former Archbishop of Canterbury
, George Carey
, spoke out against Griffin's claims that he was representing "Christian Britain" and called on Christians to "stand shoulder to shoulder" in rejecting the British National Party. Prime Minister Gordon Brown
did not watch the programme: his office explained that he "very rarely watches Question Time" through lack of time.
The programme received attention around the world, including from North America, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, Turkey, Russia, and South America.
The media later reported that the cost of policing the appearance had been £143,000.
broadcaster Sue MacGregor
said that the show "gave the impression of attack dogs against Nick Griffin", and another presenter called it a "bear pit". In defence of criticism of the format and focus of the programme, Deputy Director General Mark Byford stated that "the agenda of the programme was set by the audience's own questions". Byford also said of the comments that "clearly Mr Griffin and the BNP were the subject of intense questioning, but all the panellists were given the opportunity to respond and to have their voices heard". Sir Christopher Bland
, former chairman of the BBC's board of governors
, said, however, that had the BBC not changed the format, the corporation would have likely have been accused of leniency.
On 23 October, the BBC said it was "too early" to confirm how much more airtime would be given to the BNP in the future; The Times reported on 24 October that the BBC had "no plans" to feature Griffin on Question Time before the next general election.
On 28 October, Mark Thompson stated before the House of Lords
communications committee that future BNP appearances on Question Time would "probably be no more than once a year and could be less", based on the party continuing the same levels of support. Thompson denied suggestions that the invitation was made to boost viewing figures.
As of September 2011, neither Griffin nor any other BNP representative has appeared on the show since the 22 October 2009 broadcast.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
(BBC) to Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
, leader of the far-right British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP), to be a panellist on Question Time
Question Time (TV series)
Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
, one of its flagship television programmes on current affairs.
The decision to have the BNP represented on the programme for the first time sparked public and political debate in the United Kingdom. At the heart of the matter was the BBC's public broadcasting mandate requiring it to give equal prominence to political parties above a given level of electoral representation. Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson
Mark John Thompson is Director-General of the BBC, a post he has held since 2004, and a former chief executive of Channel 4...
, Director-General of the BBC
Director-General of the BBC
The Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation is chief executive and editor-in-chief of the BBC.The position was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC and is now appointed by the BBC Trust....
, defended the BBC's decision to invite Griffin, stating, "the BNP has demonstrated a level of support that would normally lead to an occasional invitation to join the panel on Question Time. It is for that reason – not for some misguided desire to be controversial, but for that reason alone – that the invitation has been extended."
A late appeal was made to the BBC Trust
BBC Trust
The BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
, the BBC's governing body, by Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
, to have the appearance blocked, which ultimately failed. Griffin appeared on the edition of 22 October. As the programme was due to go to air, public protests took place at BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
in London. The pre-recorded programme featured Griffin alongside Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
, Conservative peer and Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi, the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
' Home Affairs spokesperson Chris Huhne
Chris Huhne
Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
, and black writer/playwright Bonnie Greer
Bonnie Greer
Bonnie Greer, OBE is an American-British playwright and critic.-Early life:Greer's father was born to a family of Mississippi sharecroppers. He was stationed in the UK during World War II and took part in the D-Day landings...
. The edition was watched by over 8 million people, over half the total audience share, and over double the previous record high for Question Time.
Background
Question TimeQuestion Time (TV series)
Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
is the flagship BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
political panel show, which began in 1979. The weekly show, hosted by David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
since 1994, takes place at locations around the country. Questions from a local audience are directed to a panel of invited guests, usually consisting of British politicians, alongside other public figures. Topics for debate during the programme are loosely defined by 'set-piece' questions from pre-selected audience members. For each topic, the question is answered by each panel member in turn, followed by supplementary questions on the topic, time permitting. The show is pre-recorded a few hours before being broadcast, and it is stressed by Dimbleby as the programme starts, that the panellists have no foreknowledge of the content of the questions.
The British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP) is a "far right" minority party in Britain founded by John Tyndall
John Tyndall (politician)
John Hutchyns Tyndall was a British politician who was prominently associated with several fascist/neo-Nazi sects. However, he is best known for leading the National Front in the 1970s and founding the contemporary British National Party in 1982.The most prominent figure in British nationalism...
in 1982. Its current chairman is Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
, elected as one of the eight MEPs in the North West England constituency
North West England (European Parliament constituency)
North West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For the 2009 elections it elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
. The BNP won 943,598 votes and two seats in the UK's 2009 European Parliament elections
European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)
The European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections in England. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, after...
in June, when a total of 72 seats were contested. The BNP polled 6.26% of the national vote of 15,625,823 (from an electorate of 45,315,669), making it the sixth ranked party, behind the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
(27.7%), United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
(16.5%), Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
(15.7%), Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
(13.7%) and the Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
(8.6%). The result represented a 1.3 percentage point increase on their previous performance. At the time of the programme the BNP held one seat on the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
and council seats in four London borough
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
s; it was the second party in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking. This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by...
.
Coverage of the BNP
Griffin had already appeared on other BBC shows, including The Andrew Marr Show on BBC OneBBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and The World at One
The World At One
The World at One, or WATO for short, is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs programme, which is broadcast from 1pm to 1:30pm from Monday to Friday. The programme describes itself as "Britain's leading political programme. With a reputation for rigorous and original...
on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. No BNP representative had ever appeared on Question Time before, but following the European election performance, this stance was reviewed. The possibility of an appearance on Question Time by Nick Griffin was publicly announced by the BBC in early September. That month, James Macintyre of the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
who was a former Question Time producer, said that Mentorn, the independent production company responsible for Question Time, had been proposing an appearance by Griffin over the previous two years. The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
gave credit to the BBC for resisting "the naïve showbiz instincts" of executives at Mentorn, who may have wanted "what Peter Hain calls a 'beanfest' for reasons well removed from the BBC's charter
BBC Charter
The BBC Charter established the BBC . An accompanying Agreement recognises its editorial independence and sets out its public obligations in detail....
obligations."
On 21 October, the day before the broadcast, the BBC Director-General, Mark Thompson, wrote an article for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
entitled 'Keeping Nick Griffin off air is a job for parliament, not the BBC'. He said that those arguing for the BNP to be excluded from the programme were making the case for censorship, which was a matter for the government and not the BBC. He explained the BBC's decision:
Question Time is an opportunity for the British public to put questions to politicians of every ideological hue. Politicians from the UK's biggest parties appear most frequently, but from time to time representatives of parties with many fewer supporters – from the Scottish Socialists and Respect to the Green party – also take their seats on the stage. Question Time is the most prominent programme of its kind on British television, and we carefully study the support gained in elections by each of the parties, large and small, before deciding who to invite and how frequently they should appear. It is a straightforward matter of fact that, with some 6% of the vote and the election of two MEPs in this spring's European elections – and with some success in local elections as well – the BNP has demonstrated a level of support that would normally lead to an occasional invitation to join the panel on Question Time. It is for that reason – not for some misguided desire to be controversial, but for that reason alone – that the invitation has been extended.
BBC Deputy Director General Mark Byford
Mark Byford
Mark Byford was Deputy Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation and head of BBC Journalism from 2004-2011. He chaired the BBC Journalism Board and had overall responsibility for the world’s largest and most trusted news organisation, and all its radio, television and interactive...
also defended the decision on the day of the programme, saying: "[The BNP] should have the right to be heard, be challenged, and for the public who take part in Question Time and the viewers to make up their own minds about the views of the BNP. It's not for the BBC to censor and say they can't be on". The BBC's chief political adviser, Ric Bailey, stated after the failed appeal that the BBC "would have been breaking its charter if it had not treated the BNP with impartiality ... We absolutely stand by that judgement, even though there's obviously been a lot of controversy about it". Senior BBC presenter John Humphrys
John Humphrys
Desmond John Humphrys , is a Welsh-born British author, journalist and presenter of radio and television, who has won many national broadcasting awards...
said the decision was "absolutely right." He said: "Why should we be afraid of what they have to say? Free speech is the issue here, and the BBC's obligations." However, broadcasting unions said some of its members would protest at the invitation.
Appeal to the BBC Trust
A late attempt to stop the programme came from Labour Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain, who accused the BBC of being "apologists" for the BNP and making "one of the biggest mistakes in its proud history". After failing to persuade BBC Director General Mark Thompson to stop the appearance, Hain appealed to the BBC TrustBBC Trust
The BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
. The BNP's constitution restricting membership of the party to "indigenous Caucasian" people, namely "indigenous British ethnic groups" including the "Anglo-Saxon folk community" and the "Celtic Scottish folk community" was declared illegal on 15 October 2009 under the Race Relations Act
Race Relations Act
The Race Relations Acts are a series of statutes by the United Kingdom parliament to address racial discrimination.They are:* The Race Relations Act 1965* The Race Relations Act 1968* The Race Relations Act 1976* The Race Relations Amendment Act 2000...
, after a challenge by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and Hain argued that the appearance might be illegal in light of the ruling.
On the night of Tuesday 20 October, the Trust announced it was forming an emergency committee, comprising three trustees chaired by Richard Tait
Richard Tait
Professor Richard Tait CBE, is Director of the Centre for Journalism Studies at Cardiff University and a member of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation....
, to examine the appeals. Late on 21 October, the day before the programme was due to be made, the Trust cleared Griffin to appear on the show. It also ruled that, given the pre-recorded nature of the show, many of the concerns were hypothetical and premature. The Trust declined further comment, in case of an appeal of the decision after the show:
Nick Griffin
Blood sport
Bloodsport or blood sport is any sport or entertainment that involves violence against animals.Bloodsport includes coursing or beagling, combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, or other activities...
. But I am relishing this opportunity."
Griffin told The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
: "I thank the political class and their allies for being so stupid." He went on to say that his invitation on the programme "clearly gives us a whole new level of public recognition." Griffin said of his fellow Question Time panellists before the show that Bonnie Greer was "the joker in the pack... [who]... knows how to look after herself and may be more of a handful than the others", that Menzies Campbell
Menzies Campbell
Sir Walter Menzies "Ming" Campbell, CBE, QC, MP is a British Liberal Democrat politician and advocate, and a retired sprinter. He is the Member of Parliament for North East Fife, and was the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2 March 2006 until 15 October 2007.Campbell held the British record...
"would have been more daunting" than Chris Huhne, that Jack Straw is "a very effective advocate". He said that the appearance of Baroness Warsi for the Conservatives was a typical "tokenist
Tokenism
In the arts, employment, and politics, tokenism is a policy or practice of limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of a traditionally marginalized group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination, intentional or not...
" stunt. In the run-up to the programme, the BNP website displayed a prominent countdown to Question Time.
UK parliamentary parties
The policy of the Labour Party never to share a platform with the BNP was changed following the BBC's invitation to Griffin. Labour said that future appearances were to be on a "case by case" basis. On 27 September 2009, the Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, announced he would appear on the programme, following the announcement that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats would take part in any edition of Question Time that featured the BNP. Straw said he would be delighted to make the argument for people against the BNP:Wherever we have had BNP problems in my area and when we have fought them hard, we've pulled back and won the seats back.
Speaking on the Question Time episode the week before the expected appearance by Griffin, panel guest and Home Secretary Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
condemned the decision of the BBC:
There isn't a constitutional obligation to appear on Question Time. That gives [the BNP] a legitimacy they do not deserve. These people believe in the things that the fascists believed in the Second World War, they believe in what the National FrontBritish National FrontThe National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
believe in. They believe in the purity of the Aryan raceAryan raceThe Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
. It is a foul and despicable party.
Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
and Labour leader, Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
, said he would not interfere with the BBC's decision. He said: "asked about their racist and bigoted views that are damaging to good community relations, it will be a good opportunity to expose what they are about." When pressed on the reversal of Labour's 'No Platform' policy, Brown said "The issue is: should we have someone there? Jack Straw is a very experienced person who has had to deal with the BNP and their awful politics over a period of time."
Conservative leader David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
was uncomfortable with the BBC decision, which reminded him of an invitation to Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
to speak at the Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
during the 1980s when he was at Oxford. He said: "It makes me uneasy. I don't think the BBC should have done it."
The Conservative panel member, Baroness Warsi, a British Muslim
Islam in the United Kingdom
Islam has been present in the United Kingdom since its formation in 1707, though it was not legally recognised until the Trinitarian Act in 1812. Today it is the second largest religion in the country with estimates suggesting that by 2010 the total Muslim population had reached 2.869 million.The...
from Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
– a town which Janice Turner of The Times reported as having the biggest BNP vote in Britain – stated "I want to ask Nick Griffin what about me isn't British". Liberal Democrat panel member Chris Huhne decided in consultation with party leader Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
that, given the BBC's decision to invite Griffin, he had no choice but to attend. He said that "Thursday night's excitement would not have been called off just because the Liberal Democrats decided not to participate."
On the day of the programme, former Labour Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
, Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, said that the BBC would "bear moral responsibility" for any rise in racist attacks in Britain. Labour MP Diane Abbott
Diane Abbott
Diane Julie Abbott is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, when she became the first black woman to be elected to the House of Commons...
, the first black woman to be elected to Parliament, believed that the appearance of Griffin would signal the BNP was part of the political mainstream in the same way that her appearance on Question Time in 1987 had signalled black people's acceptance as part of the mainstream. She said: "it's not a programme that's going to scrutinise his views, it's not that sort of programme, it's politics as entertainment". Andrew Slaughter
Andrew Slaughter
Andrew Francis Slaughter is a British Labour Party politician who was elected as Member of Parliament for Hammersmith in 2010. He had previously been MP for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush from 2005 to 2010 and before that, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council...
, a Labour MP whose constituency includes the BBC Television Centre, arrived to support the protests, scathingly attacking the BBC's "smugness", saying that local people on the estates were "utterly affronted".
Ten MPs signed an early day motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
tabled by Labour MP Mike Gapes
Mike Gapes
Michael John "Mike" Gapes is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Ilford South since 1992....
which called the BBC decision "profoundly wrong" and noted that "no previous BBC Director General made such a judgement and that neither Martin Webster
Martin Webster
Martin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the Young Conservatives, from which he claimed to have been expelled, Webster was associated loosely with the League of Empire Loyalists until he joined the National...
, who polled 16 percent of the vote in the West Bromwich by-election in 1973
West Bromwich by-election, 1973
The West Bromwich by-election of 24 May 1973 was held after the appointment of Labour Member of Parliament Maurice Foley to the European Commission...
, John Tyndall, Colin Jordan
Colin Jordan
John Colin Campbell Jordan was a leading figure in postwar Neo-Nazism in Britain. In the far-right nationalist circles of the 1960s, Jordan represented the most explicitly 'Nazi' inclination in his open use of the styles and symbols of the Third Reich.Through organisations such as the National...
or Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
were treated in the same way".
Other
The decision by the BBC to invite Griffin onto Question Time caused widespread controversy. In an editorial on 15 October 2009, The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
said: "The BNP is no normal party – yet by inviting it on to Question Time, the BBC runs the risk of normalising it". It also stated that it would give the BNP "its best-ever platform for its poisonous politics".
Jim Shields, associate professor in French Studies at Warwick University, stated that the appearance would be "a real milestone" in Griffin's acceptability. He said far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen is a French far right-wing and nationalist politician who is founder and former president of the Front National party. Le Pen has run for the French presidency five times, most notably in 2002, when in a surprise upset he came second, polling more votes in the first round than...
's appearance on a similar programme in France saw support for his Front national party "double overnight". Professor Ted Cantle, commissioned by the Government to investigate the 2001 race riots
2001 England riots
In 2001, three unrelated riots occurred in England, these happened in localised areas of Oldham in May, the Manningham district of Bradford in June and the Harehills district of Leeds in July - all within forty miles of each other in central northern England....
, urged a "more sophisticated approach" using reasoned arguments, to defeat the far right.
Anti-fascist group Searchlight
Searchlight (magazine)
Searchlight is a British anti-fascist magazine, founded in 1975 by Gerry Gable, which publishes exposés about racism, antisemitism, and fascism in the UK....
said that entry level for inclusion on BBC programmes should be "election to the national parliament". Muhammad Abdul Bari
Muhammad Abdul Bari
Muhammad Abdul Bari, MBE FRSA , is the Chairman of the East London Mosque, and was the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain from 2006 until 2010.-Life and career:...
, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain
Muslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
, said "We regret the BBC's decision. There is a general fear that allowing the BNP to air its toxic views will increase Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
and give the BNP the aura of respectability needed to spread its message of hate".
On 21 October, Iain Martin wrote in a The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
blog that the appearance on Question Time signalled that the mainstream political parties in Britain had "badly let down their fellow Britons...by setting narrow terms for the national debate which exclude the concerns of millions of voters and force them out on to the fringes". Similarly, the issue of Griffin's upcoming appearance was the headline story on BBC Two's Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
the previous evening. It was dealt with in a segment on social decline in Britain and the perceived failings of the major parties.
On the morning of the programme, the leading article in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said that the BBC were right to invite Griffin, but that the issue of his appearance should not be allowed to dominate the programme, and that the panel and its chairman should be "well briefed on Mr Griffin’s many unsavoury comments on topics such as immigration". Richard Preston, blogging for The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, compared the importance of Griffin's appearance with past infrequent Question Time panellists such as the comedians Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard
Edward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
, Norman Pace
Norman Pace
Norman Pace is an English actor and comedian, best known as one half of the comedy duo Hale and Pace with his friend and comic partner Gareth Hale...
and Jim Davidson
Jim Davidson (comedian)
Jim Davidson OBE is a British comedian, actor and television presenter. He has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment, particularly of British service personnel in conflict zones.- Biography :The son of a Glaswegian father, Davidson was born in...
, while also expressing confidence that the hour-long show and David Dimbleby would provide enough scrutiny to expose Griffin if he was a 'lightweight' or a 'bluffer'; he suggested that "Britain truly does have problems" if a trio of mainstream politicians did not manage to take him apart.
Panel
The panel for the edition of 22 October of Question Time consisted of:- Nick GriffinNick GriffinNicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
, British National Party MEP for North West England and BNP Leader - Jack StrawJack StrawJack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
, Labour MP for Blackburn and the then United Kingdom Justice Secretary - Baroness Warsi, Conservative Life Peer and the then Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action
- Chris HuhneChris HuhneChristopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh and the then Home Affairs spokesperson - Bonnie GreerBonnie GreerBonnie Greer, OBE is an American-British playwright and critic.-Early life:Greer's father was born to a family of Mississippi sharecroppers. He was stationed in the UK during World War II and took part in the D-Day landings...
, writer, historian and playwright
Recording
Question Time was held in BBC Television CentreBBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
in London, for the first time in four years, to enable the police to keep order for Griffin's appearance. The audience was expected by The Times to number 200 people and would comprise a broad spectrum of political views, including BNP supporters and left-wing groups. The filming of the edition of 22 October was brought forward two hours from the usual 8.30 pm start time to allow for any disruption, before being broadcast later that same night.
Filming started shortly before 7.00 pm, and ended at around 8.30 pm; Griffin left the building 10 minutes later. Audience members inside the studios used their mobile phones to relay live information about the recording's progress. James Lyons, political correspondent for the Daily Mirror, wrote that the mood in the studio turned from anger to mockery of Griffin.
A full audience attended the making of the programme and there were no protests in the studio. One audience member suggested that a "half dozen" BNP members in the studio shouted encouragement to Griffin. The show was broadcast on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
at 10.35 pm (BST
British Summer Time
Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland...
) and at 11.05 pm on BBC One Wales.
Protests
Demonstrations were planned to take place during the show. A protest rally by Unite Against FascismUnite Against Fascism
Unite Against Fascism is an anti-fascist pressure group in the United Kingdom, with support from politicians of all mainstream UK political parties...
(UAF) had been held in London on the night of Tuesday 20 October, and sixteen coachloads of UAF protesters were expected on the day. Amid concern over safety of residents, Hammersmith and Fulham
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
council asked for clarification of the BBC's security arrangements, and pushed for an alternative location. Although protest organisers UAF rejected suggestions that the protests would be violent, security was stepped up at BBC Television Centre. Simon Darby
Simon Darby
Simon Darby is a British politician and former Deputy Chairman of the British National Party.-Background:By occupation a computer communications consultant, Darby began his political career in the National Democrats, most of whose activity was centred around his West Midlands base...
of the BNP stated there would be no counter-demonstration. Griffin expressed fears over his safety for his arrival and departure. Extra officers of the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
were drafted in to maintain order outside the studios, while the BBC recruited an extra 60 security guards for inside the studio.
By mid-afternoon of the day of the programme, protesters had begun gathering outside Television Centre and there were also protesters outside regional BBC offices. By 4.30 pm (BST
British Summer Time
Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland...
) police estimated there were 500 chanting protesters; around 25 people who reached the main entrance of Television Centre after breaking through a cordon were expelled. They were part of a group of about 40 people that had made a dash for an iron gate that had been left open. After this breach, stand-by officers reinforced the police cordon, and protesters moved to block Wood Lane
Wood Lane
Wood Lane is a street in London. It runs north from Shepherd's Bush, under the Westway past Wormwood Scrubs where it meets Scrubs Lane. The road is wholly in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham...
hoping to prevent Griffin entering the studios. Griffin arrived at 5.17 pm unnoticed and entered on foot through a rear entrance on Frithville Road. It was reported that around 600 people had turned up to protest against Griffin.
Due to the various protests, London Television Centre and other BBC buildings around the country were 'locked down
Lockdown
There are several definitions for the term lockdown, the most common of which pertains to a state of containment or a restriction of progression....
' until the protesters had dispersed. People arriving for recordings of other shows at Television Centre, such as Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
, were turned away. Six people were arrested during the protests, reportedly for "offences including violent disorder
Violent Disorder
Violent disorder is a statutory offence in England and Wales. It is created by of the Public Order Act 1986. Sections 2 to of that Act provide:...
, causing actual bodily harm
Actual bodily harm
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm is a statutory offence of aggravated assault in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Hong Kong and the Solomon Islands...
, assault of a police officer and a person wanted on warrant"; three police officers were slightly injured. Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
National Secretary and UAF national officer Martin Smith
Martin Smith
Martin Smith may refer to:*Martin Smith , British professor of robotics at the Open University*Martin Smith , British actor, singer and composer*Martin Smith , Irish boxer...
was found guilty of assaulting the police officer at South Western Magistrates' Court, London, on 7 September 2010. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with 80 hours' unpaid work, and was fined £450 pending an appeal.
Questions
Five debate topics were initiated from audience questions during the programme: the BNP's campaign symbols, IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
policy, Jan Moir and finally, the show itself.
The first three topic starting questions were as follows (with notes detailing the approximate time into the broadcast the question occurred, the first panellist directed to respond to it by the moderator, and any background information to the question):
- Given that the Second World War was fuelled by the need to disarm oppressive and racist regimes, is it fair that the BNP has hijacked Churchill as its own? (1 minute in, Jack Straw) This question references the BNP's use of images of Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, the British Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
during World War II, in its recent European election campaign.
- Why is Islam a "wicked and vicious" faith? (21, Nick Griffin) Directed to Nick Griffin, the question was in reference to a quotation attributed to him.
- Can the recent success of the BNP be explained by the misguided immigration policy of the government? (27, Jack Straw)
- Should the Daily Mail have published the Jan Moir article on Stephen Gately? (50, Bonnie Greer) Referencing a recent newspaper article written by Daily MailDaily MailThe Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
columnist Jan Moir about the recent death of the former BoyzoneBoyzoneBoyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
bandmember Stephen GatelyStephen GatelyStephen Patrick David Gately was an Irish pop singer–songwriter, actor, dancer, musician and author, who, with Ronan Keating, was one of two lead singers of the pop group Boyzone. All of Boyzone's studio albums hit number one in the United Kingdom, their third being their most successful...
, which sparked record complaints to the Press Complaints CommissionPress Complaints CommissionThe Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
.
- Might this programme be viewed as an early Christmas present for the BNP? (58, Chris Huhne) In reference to the prior comments of Peter HainPeter HainPeter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
after the ruling of the BBC Trust that the programme could go ahead would represent "an early Christmas presentChristmas Present- References :*...
" for the BNP.
Viewing figures
The previous record audience for Question Time was set during its 14 May 2009 edition in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandalUnited Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
, when 3.8 million watched. and The Guardian had estimated the broadcast might attract '3 million or so' viewers. The programme was watched by over 8 million people, the highest in the 30-year history of Question Time, and nearly triple the programme's normal audience of two to three million.
In terms of share of audience, the broadcast represented over 50% of the total audience share on the night, surpassing the previous record of 30% achieved on the same 14 May 2009 show. The Griffin edition squeezed the audience of Newsnight (BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
) to 300,000 viewers compared to its normal 700,000 to 1 million, while a repeat showing of Piers Morgan's Life Stories
Piers Morgan's Life Stories
Piers Morgan's Life Stories, also known as Life Stories, is a British television chat show presented by journalist Piers Morgan. Filmed in front of a studio audience, each programme is devoted to one special celebrity guest. The interviews are intimate, in-depth and emotionally-charged as Piers...
on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
attracted 700,000 viewers, a 5% share. The Times noted that audience figures for the show led the BBC's weekly total, ahead of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
on Saturday night.
Public comments
While both the BBC and its independent regulator OfcomOfcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
had expected a 'barrage' of complaints over the programme, Ofcom reported having received a "small number of complaints" about the programme by the following day, understood to be fewer than 100. By noon on Friday 23 October, the BBC had received 416 calls, 243 complaining of bias against Griffin, 114 complaining about Griffin being allowed to appear, and 59 in support of the BBC. The main complaints were reported to be that the programme had overly focused on the BNP, becoming the 'Nick Griffin show'. Ofcom was considering whether a formal investigation was warranted under the broadcast code section on harm and offence. After one week, Ofcom had received 290 complaints.
Panel view
Straw described Nick Griffin as a "fantasising conspiracy theorist with some very unpleasant views and no moral compass. But now that he has been exposed for what he is it is time to move on." Warsi said Griffin was "...very much exposed for the man that he is. When he was questioned on his views his face of extremism was exposed. He was given an opportunity to explain some of his policies and he couldn't". Huhne said, "This is a person who comes from a fascist background; anyone who watches the programme will see exactly what he stands for." Greer said Griffin had been "totally trounced" on the show, and that sitting next to Griffin had been "probably the weirdest and most creepy experience of my life". Nevertheless, Griffin perceived that he had "struck up a rapportRapport
Rapport is a term used to describe, in common terms, the relationship of two or more people who are in sync or on the same wavelength because they feel similar and/or relate well to each other....
" with Greer, who treated him differently to the other panellists. (Greer avoided looking in Griffin's direction throughout) Speaking to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Griffin stated that the appearance had secured the BNP's place on the national stage, and while not revolutionary, was like gaining a kind of "boy scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
's badge". He was relatively pleased with having "been able to land a few punches of my own." Later, Griffin declared: "Millions of people are angry about the way I was treated." Describing the experience as a "lynch mob", he complained how the choice of London had made it hostile territory for him, and had prevented him from speaking on current events such as the postal strikes
2009 Royal Mail industrial disputes
The 2009 Royal Mail industrial disputes is an industrial dispute in the United Kingdom involving Royal Mail and members of the Communication Workers Union , which began in the summer of 2009...
.
BNP view
On 23 October, the day after the broadcast, Griffin announced he would be lodging a formal complaint over the programme, over its focus on BNP issues rather than topical subjects. Griffin stated, "There is not much support for me there [in London], because the place is dominated by ethnic minorities. There is an ethnic minority that supports me: the English. But there's not many of them left." A spokesman for the BNP said that London was too "multicultural" to be fair to it and that a location like the northwest of England would have been more favourable. The BNP were also going to file a Freedom of Information RequestFreedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a public "right of access" to information held by public authorities. It is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in the United Kingdom on a national level...
to the BBC to determine the decision-making process behind hosting the programme in London, and in allowing the debate to focus on the BNP, arguing that criticism of the BNP had dominated the whole programme.
Griffin dismissed criticism of his performance, saying "people who have always been against the BNP will say that I couldn't answer some things". He was of the opinion that he had been shown "extraordinary hostility" by the main political parties, but that he was happy having done his best. Griffin said: "I can see that millions of people who don't usually watch Question Time will remember what I've said and think that's how they feel and I'm perfectly happy with that." He also said he expected the BNP would appear on Question Time again. BNP legal officer Lee Barnes described Griffin's performance as "failing to press the attack", and the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
reported a possible challenge to Griffin's leadership from a faction within the BNP, linked to Chris Jackson, which was dissatisfied with his performance, but rated this chance of success as low.
The BNP also claimed that it had received thousands of pounds in donations, and that 3,000 people had expressed an interest on their website in joining the party once their recruitment freeze was lifted. This would represent nearly a 30% increase in membership according to the party website.
While campaigning on 28 October for the forthcoming Glasgow North East by-election
Glasgow North East by-election, 2009
The 2009 Glasgow North East by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Glasgow North East. The by-election was held on 12 November 2009 following the resignation of Michael Martin as an MP and as Speaker of the British House of Commons...
on 22 November, Griffin was asked why he had laughed on Question Time. He replied: "I had thought that David Dimbleby would have the professional self-respect to at least make a show of being fair. I was laughing at the fact that I was wrong", adding "all that was exposed was the pure, vicious bigotry of the British ruling elite".
Other reactions and analyses
The programme was headline news in several of the early Friday paper editions of the British press, from the tabloids to the broadsheets. Tabloid headlines included "Bigot at Bay" (Daily MailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
) and "When Auntie Met Nazi" (The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
), while broadsheets featured examples such as "Hostile reception for Griffin" (The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
) and "Griffin's baptism of fire at the BBC" (The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
).
Immediately after the show, The Independent said Griffin had "choked" on the oxygen of publicity given him by the BBC. The Times described Griffin as having been "caught in TV's glare", subjected to a "hostile hour-long grilling". The Guardian however was of the opinion that, while Griffin was jeered and attacked and "often looked just plain shifty", he made no major gaffes and would thus think of it as a success. After rating the panel's performance as "flawed", and after some questions on the night went unanswered or were avoided by Griffin, it concluded that it "was the audience that came out best from the evening". The fact that four out of the five question topics on the night were BNP-related was criticised by some who believed it would allow Griffin to claim 'victimisation'. However, according to The Times, the BBC were 'delighted' with the strategy, which was to ensure it could not be accused of giving Griffin an "easy ride".
Welsh Secretary Peter Hain, who had appealed to the BBC Trust to have Griffin's appearance prevented, continued to denounce the decision. David Lammy
David Lammy
David Lindon Lammy is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Tottenham since 2000.Lammy has commented on Britain's history of slavery.-Early life and Education:...
, one of Britain's first black ministers
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
, feared that people would face violence as a result of the programme. Former Home Secretary David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
attacked the way in which BBC News at Six engaged in "deliberate promotion of their own publicity-seeking decision", opining that "the only people who have benefited from this row are the BNP and the BBC's Question Time ratings". The Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
, responded to Griffin's complaints about the location by defending London's diversity, urging residents to "reject their narrow, extremist and offensive views at every opportunity". Anshel Pfeffer, commenting for Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i newspaper Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
noted the relative silence of UK Jewish groups over the BNP appearance, and praised the BBC's decision to give the BNP a voice, stating: "The BBC is right to have Griffin and other racists on its most respectable shows; it is wrong to apologise. By doing so it is simply fulfilling its democratic and journalistic duties." Pfeffer compared and contrasted this with Israeli freedom-of-speech laws, and questioned whether Hitler could have risen to power in modern times given the media's scrutiny of democratic politicians.
The Guardian selected a spontaneous joke about the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
made by audience member Khush Klare as the "undoubted highlight", having raised the loudest cheer from the audience. Klare, the son of Indian parents who emigrated to Britain in the 1960s, had suggested collecting money for Griffin to be deported to the South Pole, as "it's a colourless landscape that will suit you fine". Klare said that whilst he did not think so at first, in retrospect he thought that Question Time was the right platform for Griffin.
Analysing the broadcast footage, The Times determined that the cameras spent "nearly 25 minutes" of the hour-long programme of the screen time either on Griffin or a "two-shot" with him and another panellist, equating to 38%. The Daily Mail alleged that the BBC "stage-managed" the programme, highlighting a crib-sheet handed out to the audience members; The Guardians 'Media Monkey' blog observed that such a sheet is routinely given to the audience, and also accused The Mail of using a 'doctored' crib-sheet.
The first opinion poll taken after Nick Griffin's appearance, conducted hours after the programme by YouGov
YouGov
YouGov, formerly known as PollingPoint in the United States, is an international internet-based market research firm launched in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare, now Chief Executive Officer, and Nadhim Zahawi...
for The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, indicated that voter support for the BNP had increased by 1%, from 2% to 3%, in the last month, and that 22% of voters were now "seriously considering" voting BNP in a future local, general or European election — broken down into "definitely", 4%; "probably", 3%; and "possible", 15%. Bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s William Hill
William Hill (bookmaker)
William Hill plc is one of the largest bookmakers in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters is in the north London suburb of Wood Green and in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
changed their odds on the BNP winning a Westminster seat in the 2010 General Election from 10-1 to 7-2 after the programme. The BNP received 1.9% of the vote in the election and did not win a seat.
In an interview in News Of The World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
, the former Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, George Carey
George Carey
George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton PC, FKC is a former Archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1991 to 2002. He was the first modern holder of the office not to have attended Oxford or Cambridge University...
, spoke out against Griffin's claims that he was representing "Christian Britain" and called on Christians to "stand shoulder to shoulder" in rejecting the British National Party. Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
did not watch the programme: his office explained that he "very rarely watches Question Time" through lack of time.
The programme received attention around the world, including from North America, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, Turkey, Russia, and South America.
The media later reported that the cost of policing the appearance had been £143,000.
BBC view
The BBC was subject to criticism from some of its own staff, as Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
broadcaster Sue MacGregor
Sue MacGregor
Susan Katriona MacGregor CBE is a British writer and broadcaster.-Early life:Her parents were Scottish and emigrated to South Africa where she was brought up. Her father was a doctor, a neurologist who was in the British 14th Army in Burma in the Royal Army Medical Corps...
said that the show "gave the impression of attack dogs against Nick Griffin", and another presenter called it a "bear pit". In defence of criticism of the format and focus of the programme, Deputy Director General Mark Byford stated that "the agenda of the programme was set by the audience's own questions". Byford also said of the comments that "clearly Mr Griffin and the BNP were the subject of intense questioning, but all the panellists were given the opportunity to respond and to have their voices heard". Sir Christopher Bland
Christopher Bland
Sir Christopher Buchan Bland is a British businessman and politician. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC from 1996 to 2001, when he took up a position as Chairman of British Telecommunications plc...
, former chairman of the BBC's board of governors
Board of governors
Board of governors is a term sometimes applied to the board of directors of a public entity or non-profit organization.Many public institutions, such as public universities, are government-owned corporations. The British Broadcasting Corporation was managed by a board of governors, though this role...
, said, however, that had the BBC not changed the format, the corporation would have likely have been accused of leniency.
On 23 October, the BBC said it was "too early" to confirm how much more airtime would be given to the BNP in the future; The Times reported on 24 October that the BBC had "no plans" to feature Griffin on Question Time before the next general election.
On 28 October, Mark Thompson stated before the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
communications committee that future BNP appearances on Question Time would "probably be no more than once a year and could be less", based on the party continuing the same levels of support. Thompson denied suggestions that the invitation was made to boost viewing figures.
As of September 2011, neither Griffin nor any other BNP representative has appeared on the show since the 22 October 2009 broadcast.
See also
- BBC controversies
- Criticism of the BBCCriticism of the BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation has been criticized for various reasons, by the British government of the day, as well as from other political groups and various media outlets.-Iraq and the Hutton Inquiry :...
- Far right in the United Kingdom
- Immigration to the United Kingdom since 1922Immigration to the United Kingdom since 1922Immigration to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1922 has been substantial, in particular from Ireland and the former colonies and other territories of the British Empire - such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South Africa, Kenya and Hong Kong - under...
- List of political parties in the United Kingdom
- List of Question Time episodes
- Politics of the United KingdomPolitics of the United KingdomThe politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...
- Public service broadcasting in the United KingdomPublic service broadcasting in the United KingdomIn the United Kingdom the term "public service broadcasting" refers to broadcasting intended for the public benefit rather than for purely commercial concerns. The communications regulator Ofcom, requires that certain television and radio broadcasters fulfil certain requirements as part of their...
- Racism in the United KingdomRacism in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom has had racism, from medieval times, through years of the slave trade to the modern day. However, racism has declined from past levels.-Modern Britain:...
Footnotes
Further reading
External links
- Question Time at BBC Online
- British National Party