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How the Question Time panellists performed
23 Oct 2009Who? Host of BBC's Question Time
Style: Judicious, nimble and firm
Best moment: Pinning Griffin: “Did you deny the Holocaust? Why are you smiling — it's not a particularly amusing issue?”
Dimbleby, 70, saved the BBC from accusations of giving the BNP leader a free ride. After Griffin repeatedly shook his head when reminded of past quotes, he chided: “You say you are misquoted but I can't find the misquotations and neither, apparently, can you.” He also slapped down Jack Straw for evasiveness.
Marks: 8/10
JACK STRAW
Who? Justice Secretary and Labour MP for Blackburn
Style: Breathless, angry, combative
Best moment: “This guy is the Dr Strangelove of British politics.”
Sounded uncharacteristically nervous at first but he was soon throwing punches. “What about Auschwitz?” he demanded when Griffin explained he finally accepted the reality of the Holocaust after reading decoded Nazi signals. Worst moment was when Griffin claimed that while his father served in the RAF Straw's was jailed for “refusing to fight Adolf Hitler”.
Marks: 7/10
SA YEEDA WARSI
Who? Shadow minister for community cohesion and social action. Tory peer
Style: Northern and normal
Best moment: Telling Jack Straw: “That was not an honest answer.” In a combative performance, she called Griffin a “thoroughly deceptive man”.
Her grandfathers served in the war, and it was “disgusting” for the BNP to claim Churchill as their own. But she also lashed the Government's record on immigration control.
Marks: 8/10
Who? American-born black playwright; deputy chair of the British Museum
Style: Gently mocking and chilled.
Best moment: Chiding Griffin. She said Churchill would not have been accepted into the BNP as his mother was part Native American Indian.
Marks: 6/10
Who? Lib-Dem Home Affairs spokesman
Style: Dogged but dull
Best moment: Asking Griffin: “Which bit did Adolf Hitler go a bit too far?”
He got into a tangle by appearing to criticise the Government for allowing too many eastern Europeans into the country — which Straw quickly pointed out had been Lib Dem policy.
Marks: 6/10
NICK GRIFFIN
Who? Leader of the British National Party and MEP for NW England
Style: Evasive, often boring
Best moment: “I am the most loathed man in Britain in the eyes of Britain's Nazis.”
Asked about past denials of the Holocaust, he claimed: “I can't tell you why I used to say those things.” The audience sniggered when he praised a KKK leader as “non-violent”.
A gay woman drew cheers when she told him “the feeling of revulsion is mutual”, which made him pretend to laugh along. He called gay men kissing “very creepy” and attacked Islam as “a wicked, vicious faith”.
Marks: 5/10
Reader views (5)
A predictable media circus, which I failed to observe, preferring instead to be tucked up in bed reading a good book.
By all accounts I have read, Griffin condemned himself, and won't have changed anyone's mind on the BNP. However, I do take issue with the Tories and Labour.
Conservatives in Europe are busy hopping into bed with some alarmingly right-wing outfits, yet at home they are at pains to distance themselves from the BNP. Are the Tories hopelessly split or just hypocritical.
As for Labour, it is a fact that through Blair taking us into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Muslim civilians have been killed and injured on a scale that not even the BNP would dream of.
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
- C Nichol, London, 23/10/2009 13:38
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Jack Straw epitomised why we have all had enough of Labour. Evasive, rambling, not answering the questions and on immigration showed why a vote for Labour is a vote to continue the destruction of our great nation.
- Nickspurs, London, 23/10/2009 13:19
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You think Jack Straw was 7/10? He was by far the worst performer. I'd give Griffin only 5/10 as well. But lets be honest here; it was a solid hour of concentrated attacks on him and was unlike any Question Time ever.
- Jules_London, london, 23/10/2009 12:31
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Straw, 7/10...unbelievable...
- St, London, 23/10/2009 11:06
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Warsi was excellent and made a much better case for a debate on unchecked immigration than Griffin did, although there would be no debate without him and the BNP.
Jack Straw was woeful throughout and summed up the BNP have got a toe hold in British politics.
I don't usually take to her but I thought Greer was good although to use the fact that we all evolved from Africa to suggest that there is no such thing as indigenous Britons (Griffin countered that nobody argues that Australian Aboriginals and North American Indians. Fair point)was a bit disingenuous. Who built Avebury and Stonehenge? Who fought the Romans? It is very easy to see who would not be indigenous to this small Northern European island, so if you discount those whoever is left must be the indigenous Britons.
Griffin was useless, both love him or loathe him he is one of the only reason why there is any debate on immigration.
Who is exactly was that Hulme fella?
To the young Jewish fella in the audience who said something like "Churchill risked all to save his ancestors". Nice try but you really need to study your history.
- Mark, South-East London, 23/10/2009 11:03
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