It seems, then, that the BNP’s appearance on Question Time (22 October) failed to incite the nationalistic fervour which had some critics biting their nails. The closest we seemed to get to some decent violence came, ironically enough, from the anti-fascist demonstrators outside the BBC London studio. The whole furore has been, quite frankly, a huge anticlimax.

What was all the fuss about? It’s not like this was Nick (or ‘Dick’, as one audience wit dubbed him) Griffin’s debut on television. He has already appeared on Andrew Marr’s Sunday morning show and Radio Four, after all. Nor would his appearance on Dave Dimbleby’s panel signify his importance as a political heavyweight, as Eddie Izzard, another former guest, would testify.

Naturally, there was always a chance that Nick Griffin would come across as sensible, suave, and quite a decent chap. The same has happened to Le Pen in a similar television programme aired in France, in the 1980s. As a result of the broadcast, Le Pen managed to dispel something of the ‘bogeyman’ status of the National Front party, which subsequently almost doubled its vote.

The difference, of course, is that whereas Le Pen has been capable of some truly compelling oratory in his time, Griffin has all the demagogic appeal of a teaspoon. His appearance on Question Time proves this quite nicely. Fifteen minutes into the programme, he had managed to tie himself into knots over his former claims of Holocaust denial. He pleaded innocence to many of the racist quotes printed under his name, claiming that “the vast majority” were not true. When he claimed he had transformed the BNP from being a racist and anti-Semitic party into “the only party that stood full square behind Israel”, people laughed. Even his fellow BNP officials have since claimed that it was not their leader’s finest moment.

So, it seems to be one - nil to democratic values, and a resounding slap in the face for radical politics. Far from legitimising his political position, Griffin has been exposed as the irrational extremist he is, reduced to a quivering mass on camera. It was clear to see, just minutes into the show, how uncomfortable Griffin looked. His face had a sweaty sheen; his hands trembled.

And it is this which was so uncomfortable about the whole thing. The BBC was right to allow far right politics a platform. But the way in which they staged the BNP’s appearance is unforgiveable. Griffin was heckled, hassled and insulted by the audience and panel. Dimbelby himself encouraged booing from audience members. The presenter explicitly claimed the programme was “not just about Nick Griffin”, but it was. Even worse was the self-serving coverage which the BBC allowed to the Griffin debacle, as they chronicled the commotion surrounding his appearance on the programme.

No wonder, then, that Griffin is now claiming that what he experienced was not an interview, but a “lynch mob.” No wonder also that support for the BNP has risen hugely in one day alone. Griffin was not interviewed; he was martyred. The BNP claim they would like to be interviewed again soon on television, and I for one am all for it. The best way to beat extremism is through debate. Let’s hope that is what the BNP get the next time round.

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