Nick Griffin’s performance on Question Time was abysmal. He looked like a school bully who’d been rounded upon. Smirking and sweaty, he failed even to land a blow on the issues that matter most to his Party. For the BNP, it must have been deeply embarrassing.
The BBC on the other hand seemed to have survived. With Peter Hain launching legal action to prevent them giving Griffin a platform, and hundreds of protestors vowing to prevent Griffin entering the building, the threat had passed. Britain was safe.
But the debate that preceded and followed the Question Time Special was frighteningly unsophisticated. At first, a staggering number of people demanded the suspension of free speech. In one moment of foolish hysteria, we came close to sacrificing the one sacred principle that distinguishes our country from so many others – just to keep one half-wit from the public glare. Had that happened, Britain would have taken a giant step backwards.
And it wouldn’t even have had the desired effect. Since when has banning an idea eradicated that idea? Has a German ban on holocaust denial prevented people buying into one of the silliest conspiracy theories of all time? Of course not. On the contrary, denial of debate has meant that an idea that could be dismantled in minutes has been allowed to flourish underground.
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