I was fortunate in having an old Punch cartoon print to scan and use as a base – when the question of the debates between the three party leaders, soon to be shown on television, popped into my fevered brain. Do I really want to watch and listen to Brown, Cameron and Clegg talk at me for half an hour each, with no clapping, jeering, heckling or probing questioning? No… if I want that I can listen to the Chilcott Inquiry. I think it may be a crashing bore – far better the anarchy of Newsnight last night with Paxo trying to control Ed Balls, Michael Gove, some guy from the Lib-Dems and a host of rather unusual people – including one of Lord SurAlanSugarpuff’s sidekicks who has a bit part on The Apprentice in the ‘interview’ episode towards the end. Mr Clive Littman did not look entirely comfortable being on Newsnight – politics is a bit more anarchic than business! I could be wrong and he was just bored.
I will watch the debates – well, at least one of them – before taking a view – to do otherwise, of course, would be crass.
And talking about Crass… Left wing crassness was was drawn to my attention by Tom Harris MP on Twitter.
Tom Harris MP writes:
Another day, another boycott in the blogosphere
“SOME might say that, as the author of a blog that did rather well in the last two Total Politics Blog Awards, I have more to lose than others by indulging in a boycott of this year’s contest, as proposed by Though Cowards Flinch.
The boycott is being suggested as a response to Total Politics publisher Iain Dale agreeing to interview Nick Griffin for the latest issue, a decision which resulted in the resignation of Labour MP Denis MacShane from the TP board.
And of course I sympathise. And I admit I raised an eyebrow when Iain announced on his blog that the interview was happening. But I won’t take part in the boycott, for a number of reasons.
The first of those is that Griffin and his odious chums are now democratically-elected representatives of the British people. I wish it were not so, but it is. And ignoring the BNP now isn’t too far from ignoring the views of however many people voted for them. Not a particularly democratic principle, I think you’ll find. And I trust that all those who now want to boycott Total Politics also refuse to watch Question Time…… “
Tom goes on to give further reasons..and I agree. I do not like the BNP. I do not find Griffin an attractive politician. I abhor his views – but if we are to learn, reason, combat extreme right wing ideologies, fight our corner and have a real and mature democracy we have to be prepared to listen to people who think differently. Just listening to other like minded people means we tend to hear like minded things.. not for me. I am open to all viewpoints – then I can think about what is said or done and respond accordingly.
So.. I may disagree with some of Iain Dale’s viewpoints, which is hardly surprising given that he is Tory and I vote Labour – but Dale does analyse politics well, he is measured more often than not and particularly outside election fever time, he is prepared to publish interesting books/magazines and he is prepared to argue and stand his corner. I for one will look forward to his interview with Nick Griffin. I suspect that Iain Dale will ask awkward questions – and he did give readers a chance to suggest questions.
Here is the link John Halton refers to in his tweet above…
J.S. Mill on Holocaust denial
Well, sort-of. Here is Mill’s summary of the reasons for allowing open discussion of contrary opinions:
In the meantime…. since it is election time…. a bit of Labour propaganda for you in the pic above… subliminal messaging!
I am fairly firmly on the left, but I don’t see how any journalist,news organisation or blog, can refuse to interview Nick Griffin.
The BNP are a legitimate political party. I don’t think they should be- I think a british citizen has th right not to find themselves represented by someone who thinks their skin colour means they should be repatriated to another country.
But they ARE a political party, and as such the media have a responsibility to give them a platform.
Yes, that cartoon is typical ZaNu Labour. Very reminiscent of their whitewash “Inquiries”.
The judicial system has been bent to favour the Glorious Leader and Saviour of the World and all his henchmen. If you’re Labour, the law doesn’t count, you’re above it (except for a few sacrificial lambs, who are standing down, anyway).
If you’re not Labour, you’re Tory and condemned, before you’ve been tried.
Thank you for that confirmation of the undemocratic attitude of Labour supporters.
Shoot. Foot. Own.
unsinn – the name says it all…
charon, you really are attracting them these days!
interestingly, if you read some of the debate (yes debate – considering issues, working out ramifications and engaging with contrary opinion, that sort of thing) at ‘though cowards flinch’ you will (i hope) see that it is far from crass. you may or may not agree with a boycott but i at least have been interested to see some of the thought processes behind the pro- and anti-boycott positions.
Having watched Niki Adams of the English Collective of Prostitutes trounce Denis MacShame on Newsnight over dodgy statistics on sex slaves, I feel he is no loss.
When Iain Dale started his venture I did respond with a blog rather obviously called Total Bollocks which summed up my view. I suspect that the editorial team at Total Politics must fall asleep on the job. So far they have failed to spot or have chosen to ignore the big story of the next general election.
Abusing 73,000 prisoners human right to vote is no laughing matter. And yet, Alan Johnson jokes that if they had the vote they would vote Tory. No doubt Labour would get its share of the vote, and I suspect even the BNP would pick up some of their votes too.
Even I had sympathy for Nick Griffin getting stitched up on Question Time. It had the reverse effect and actually gained support for the BNP. I think it is a sad reflection on society that the BNP managed to get 2 seats in the European Parliament. It maybe had prisoners been allowed to vote in the European Election a different result would have been achieved.
I think Iain Dale at times does lose his moral compass, for example, interviewing Lord Archer. Especially, given that earlier on he had slagged him off. This had more than a whiff of hypocrisy about it. There again, I can accuse the Equality and Human Rights Commission of that for not attacking the government over its human rights violations in relation to prisoners votes and yet taking the BNP to court over its non-blacks policy.
I think the jury is still out on whether it is the best policy to sideline the BNP or air its dirty washing in public.
iain dale – moral compass
hmmmmmmmm
john i agree that we just don’t know what to do with the bnp. all the liberals would love to boil them alive but bravely resist the urge and are prepared to defend their right to be heard.
I sometimes think that there is too much heat and not nearly enough light!
i think that depends on your fascist-boiling technique, charon
“simplywondered
unsinn – the name says it all…
charon, you really are attracting them these days!”
Yes, I’ve lifted it a class or two, but I’m not staying, so it’ll be back to the 3 of you, talking amongst yourselves.
Rainer Unsinn – lifted it a class or two? Shame on you… class is a thing of the past, surely?
🙂
Yes, boiling! Wish I had thought of that. Does wonders for lobsters.
Fact.
I agree that the interview is no – or at least insufficient – reason to boycott Dale but that doesn’t mean he is right to give a platform to the fat ugly slug and thus treat him as a ‘normal’ politician.
the point was made elsewhere that iain dale is said to have a policy of not linking to some blogs as he does not wish to legitimise their views. if that’s correct, how does it sit with the decision to interview griffin?
White Rabbit- it isn’t Iain Dale that treats Nick Griffin as a ‘normal politician’, it is the fact that you can actually vote BNP, that means Nick Griffin has to be treated as a ‘normal politician, and until that has changed then I am sorry- but this endless debate every time Nick Griffin gets interviewed, really doesn’t help.
The people who vote for Nick Griffin, do in fact view this as a valid political choice.
They view an manifesto that is devoid of politics, and is entirely about race= as a valid choice- because it is a choice that is on their ballot paper.
Every time a news organisation refuses to give a platform to the BNP, it adds to their claims that it is an infringement of free speech, and discrimination against a political party- and this helps his cause more than any interview.
The ‘No Platform’ policy adopted has clearly not worked, it has been counter productive to say the least.
The challenge to the BNP has to be the legitimacy their status as a political party gives them. But asking the media to only report on the parties they agree with, or making membership of a recognised political party- are in fact discrimination on the grounds of political affiliation-until that status as a recognised party is removed.