Using legal measures to keep Griffin off-air will only benefit their target

Any attempt to use legal measures to keep the BNP off Question Time will only have one winner: the BNP. The more of a fuss that is made about the BNP appearing on Question Time, the better for the BNP—it means that Griffin will get more publicity and if he is clever enough to disguise his vile views when on the programme then he could make some progress. Using the law is particularly foolish as it plays right into the BNP’s narrative that there is an establishment conspiracy to prevent any debate about immigration.

The BBC, the political parties and the media have handled the BNP’s appearance on Question Time appallingly. The actions of all three groups have combined to create huge amounts of pre-publicity for this edition of Question Time.