Shotput shoulders
22 October 2009
All this chitter-chatter about Nick Griffin going on Question Time tonight (not that I’ll be watching since we don’t have a television licence nor do we have any intention of getting one soon) just shows that those vehemently opposed to his appearance are just as idiotic as he is. Here are some interesting talking points from someone who’s not being shrill about it.
Demonstrate and protest and make yourself heard that you oppose his party and his views, that’s good, but how can you demand that freedom of expression be denied to someone you disagree with? That makes the anti-fascists just as fascistic.
It’s freedom of speech, innit? Those who want to stop him from going on the show are saying him and his party are illegitimate and total fascists, but the fact is the BNP got almost a million votes at the European elections and two seats in the European parliament. The fact that ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone has said there’s usually an increase in race-based violent crime (I also heard the soundbite on the radio this morning) after the BNP speaks in public says shedloads about the British people.
If there are simmering tensions in the community about racial ‘differences’ and some publicity is all that’s needed to make it boil over, there are some deep problems in British society that need to be dealt with. The same goes for many countries, and does this mean that the only way to ensure ‘racial harmony’ is to restrict everything, like Singapore does?
It seems like those protesting Griffin’s appearance on Question Time don’t want to accept that in a liberal democracy — which is what the UK purports to be — you’ll get horrible stuff along with the good.
Update:
I encountered a ‘protest’ (more like a demonstration) near the BBC studio in Edinburgh and it was a bit sad, really. Silly emotive language from most (saying Griffin looks like a turd isn’t making you seem like a rational person), and such disparate groups trying to unite against this one party seems like a recipe for implosion. People should be working on making sure those most vulnerable to bigoted attitudes are given the opportunity to broaden their horizons, rather than shouting to the converted and feeling smug about being ‘activists’.
And I’ve seen some excerpts from Question Time on the BBC website. I wish there was more of Griffin speaking so we can get a good idea of what nonsense he spouts rather than watching people attack him with emotional language.
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