The peacekeepers and the war officer: living dangerously at the bbc by allowing the bnp onto question time

The BBC has been at the forefront of producing some excellent documentaries about the rise of the Nazi’s to power and the horror of their rule in the 1930’s. Whoever allowed the bnp into their studios would do well to watch historical documentaries they funded and produced, that are available within their own archives and buildings.

Letting the bnp onto Question Time is alarming for every Deaf person who values diversity in society. The Nazi’s killed or sterlised deaf and disabled people as well as Jewish people, Trade Unionists, and just about everyone who disagreed with them.

Fascists play by totally different rules. It is too simplistic to say they are lying and evading arguments put to them, even though that may be true: it just doesn’t tell the whole story. One of the strategies of fascists is to make use of the media to try to influence people. But their target is not the ‘educated’ audience or politicians who already see through them, it’s the ‘mass’ who they are interested in, and their message is always intended to be simple and short…and emotive…to appeal to that mass. [In this case it's the 'fears' of immigration into the UK, terrorism by extremists passing as follows of Islam, the powers of the European Union, and many others.]

The points being made by liberals as to why griffin should appear are ridiculously, naively hollow. Their two key beliefs that (a) it is in the interests of impartiality, and (b) doing so will expose their racism and fascism, are not even the basis of an argument, but a shift away from it.  The issue here is not about ensuring impartiality and is even less about exposure of hidden beliefs.

I have tried to think of a metaphor that I’ll entitle ‘the peacekeepers and the war officer’.

The context of the debate is fundamental.  For griffin, the entry into Question Time is an essential part of a war manoeuvre. Real life peacekeepers would hardly see any sense of inviting a war officer into a room so they can argue about the merits of peace when the visit is considered by him to be a manoeuvre towards war.

It is griffin and the bnp who are constantly stating ‘indigenous’ British people are under siege by multiculturalism, i.e. using the language of war. They are said to be under attack, from immigrants, terrorists, followers of Islam, everybody who just happens to not agree with their politics. The action, the tactics, are ones being employed to suit peacetime, but the mentality or agenda, is one aimed for war.

It therefore makes more sense for the peacekeepers to keep the war officer out of the meeting, in order to keep the peace.

Was there some requirement to invite the war officer into the room in the first place? Was there a legal obligation? Was there a threat to the BBC by the public or politicians or others that they had to allow the bnp onto Question Time?

Impartiality, like choice, requires context, not mantra. There is certainly a liberal good that comes from impartiality, but allowing a fascist on a flagship political programme can hardly be deemed a liberal good.

It’s extremely dangerous that this has happened.  It is easy to lose faith, trust and hope in liberal polity.  ‘How can they allow it?’ But they did, that is the point, and the UK is not the only country to have done so; when France’s fascist Le Pen first took part in a Question Time style progamme his vote doubled. (As reported by the BBC on its own news website, are the invitee’s reading it?) It seriously exposes the shortcomings of liberals who try to do good.

I was utterly horrified with the programme. It was a hollow feeling to watch the Nazi totally outnumbered, attacked on all fronts politically, by the audience, panel and presenters.  [Not, I add, due to any sympathy on my part, but the sense that a viewer might start to sympathise for griffin being attacked by politicians.] You cannot choose an easier argument to win in a liberal democratic society. Almost too easy. But fascists do not care for liberals, they are not their audience. To fascists, liberals are part of the problem to be sorted out once power is achieved.  They have a broader perspective that goes way beyond the media.  The politicians and the presenter seemingly using a united strategy of bringing into the studio quotes that griffin had made and examples of his past violent life was futile in that regard.

It is absurd to see BBC liberals handing fascists an opportunity to promote their warplan.

The next time the BBC makes an excellent documentary about the rise of fascism in the 1930’s, those who are responsible for making the decision to let a 21st century fascist into their midst under the guise of liberal impartiality, would do well to watch their own programme. They might learn something from it.