BBC's Question Time 22/10/09

Panel included: Jack Straw, Baroness Warsi, Chris Huhne, Nick Griffin and Bonnie Greer.

Key Topics; Winston Churchill, Issues of Race and Religion, Immigration Policies, Stephen Gately lifestyle portrayal in the Daily Mail and Homosexuality, and whether it was in the BNP favour to be broadcasted on BBC’s Question Time.

Here are some key quotes and questions asked on the show:

Given that the Second World War was fuelled by the need to disarm a racists’ regime, is it fair that the BNP hijack Churchill as its own?

Jack Straw:
“It’s certainly not fair, and one of the extraordinary things about the Second World War and the First World War, is not only that we fought Nazis in the Second World War and defeated it. A party and an ideology based on race, just like another party represented here today based on race. Fundamentally to its constitution by the way that the BNP defines themselves on race, which distinguishes it from every other party, and what is common with every other political party that I can think, regardless of the differences, that they each have a moral compass and show respect – a recognizable moral compass for them based on long-standing cultural, philosophical and religious values in western society. Nazism didn’t and neither does the constitution of the BNP.

Another thing I’ll say is this – we only won the First World War and only won the Second World War because we were joined in those wars by millions of Black and Asian people from around the world.”.....

Nick Griffin:
“If Churchill were alive today, his own place would be in BNP.”......

Baroness Warsi:
“I think any political party, which has the values of the BNP, does not share the values of Churchill or our armed forces, therefore its’ disgusting that they use those images. And I think if I can follow on from what Jack was said there were many, many people from different coloured backgrounds and religions who fought alongside British Soldiers to fight Fascism.”.....

Issues on Race and Religion – Policy of Islam

Nick Griffin:
“My policy on Islam is a truce with Islam. I am not the one with blood of 8000 Iraqis on my hands after a legal war as Jack Straw is. I’ve never hurt one single Muslim. I believe that if the west should try to stop the de-Islamise the Middle East, and should leave those countries to their own affairs. We shouldn’t have gone into Iraq, and we must never go into Iran undisputed, that’s where the Tories will take us in due course, we should leave them alone and we should ensure that if Muslims are staying in this country, they do follow the understanding that our country must remain fundamentally British and Christian Country.”

Queries were raised amongst our tutorial group on 30/10/09 about the previous week’s Question Time and whether holding a charity in favour of Help for Heroes would cause a negative backlash.

However, after viewing the show again, I feel that the show barely touched upon issues surrounding the armed forces and the Iraq and Afghanistan War, and other topics such as race and immigration were the main focus of the show. I also feel that the general public would not instinctively associate Help for Heroes and our event with Nick Griffin or the BNP.

It is good that from now on as a group, we consider regularly viewing political shows, who try to broadcast a variety of opinions, because our charity cause links so closely with politics.
As well as conduct our own primary research to get a good idea of what people think about the War, the armed forces and Help for Heroes as an organisation.

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen