AND so - after the agonised debate about free speech, the screaming headlines, the furious protests outside the Question Time studios - here was the man at the centre of the storm.
Nick Griffin, the great charismatic leader of the far right. Nick Griffin, the towering intellect.
Except he was neither. Stripped of his thuggish bodyguards and media machine, he cut a pathetic, huddled figure, grinning and simpering like a guilty schoolboy.
Opinion: Should Griffin have appeared on Question Time?
As soon as the lights were switched on, the monster under the bed turned out to be a mouse. Or perhaps a weasel.
Confronted with the evil things he had said, Griffin first used his tried-and-tested method of lying. When that didn't work - when David Dimbleby repeatedly asked him if he had denied the Holocaust - he wriggled and writhed and eventually sniggered.
Some of the things he said were patently ridiculous. His Ku Klux Klan friends were 'almost totally non-violent'. Gay people were 'creepy'. Winston Churchill was 'Islamophobic'. Griffin would later claim he 'landed some punches'. He did. Mainly on himself.
The audience went in for the kill. An Asian man - referring to the BNP's policy of 'firm but voluntary incentives' for non-whites to leave Britain - told Griffin: "You'd be surprised how many people would have a whip-round to see you and your supporters go to the South Pole. It is a colourless landscape. It would suit you fine."
Another audience member said: "The vast majority of people in this audience find what you stand for completely disgusting." Griffin had no adequate response.
Baroness Warsi, for the Conservatives, said she was pleased the programme had been aired. "He has been exposed as what he really is," she added. And it was true. Strip away the self-mythologizing and Griffin isn't that charismatic, or that clever. If he hadn't entered far-right politics, you would probably never have heard of him.
He'd be the oddball who runs that pub you never go to; he'd be the bank worker constantly passed over for promotion, who goes home and shouts at his wife. Griffin - almost pathologically self-absorbed - knows this.
He may have dismissed the BBC as part of 'part of a thoroughly unpleasant ultra-leftist establishment', but he was clearly delighted to be in its spotlight.
If Nick Griffin were the problem, we wouldn't have a problem at all.
But he isn't. There are two reasons he is now a north west Euro-MP; two reasons he was on Question Time last night.
The first is that record numbers of right-thinking people didn't bother to vote for a legitimate party.
The second is more complex, and more disturbing. A small but significant minority are so angry, so alienated, that they will vote for anyone and anything who gives them a channel for their frustrations.
Even a weasel with nothing coherent to say; nothing to offer but hate itself.
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1970, hell (23/10/2009 at 08:49)
Squire of Newton, Newton nr. Hyde (23/10/2009 at 08:58)
One thing to be said in his favour is that he belittled Jack Straw and the Labour govenment for having blood on their hands in relation the conflicts in Iraq and Afganistan.
But Mr Griffin needs to get a better publisist and script writer if he wants to get on a equal footing debate with the other parties, but having said all that, the electorate did vote him in, and thats because the other parties are just hiding their heads in the sand regarding immigration.
Its alright David Ottewell coming out with all his critisisms but at the end of the day, their are a lot of disgruntled voters out there who are just about pee'd off with the present immigration policies ...and I can see the BNP getting more votes still, if the so called main parties don't get their act's together.
Mancunian Way, Australia ex Failsworth (23/10/2009 at 09:13)
Glad Im no longer there to see whats happening.
Will the last decent hard working Englishman turn out the light when you've had enough.
selfexiled (23/10/2009 at 09:18)
I thought the most enlightening moments came from Warsi who genuinly raised the problems of immigration without pandering to anybody.As for the BBCs part in this I say well done start talking about it in the open forum and people such as Griffin will be exposed before serious damage is done to our society.
Anthony , Accrington,Lancashire (23/10/2009 at 09:31)
Seemingly Ignored, Heald Green (23/10/2009 at 09:52)
Roadrunner, Irlam (23/10/2009 at 09:54)
All in all the programme was geared to attacking Griffin and exposing him....'exposing him' you only have to look at the BNP website to see where he and his party are coming from.
Almighty God, Salford (23/10/2009 at 09:55)
I eat cheese occasionally, Manchester (23/10/2009 at 09:55)
A Saracen (23/10/2009 at 09:56)
Im not fond of MEN, but id rather have the audience made up of their reporters than Nazi thugs and holocaust deniers.
Theowolfe (23/10/2009 at 10:17)
This was not a victory for freedom of speech but censorship was the winner. The people who voted for the BNP at the European elections contributed £114m to the BBC coffers. I think they were short changed.
The BNP are never going to be serious contenders for power but the panelists, chairman and audience barracked Griffin to feel good about themselves. Many of these people are the very people who can't get to the estate agents quickly enough when 2 or 3 Pakistani families move into their road.
P&L Account, Prestbury, Macclesfield (23/10/2009 at 10:19)
United 18, Huddersfield Town 3, City 2 (League Titles), Wilmslow (23/10/2009 at 10:19)
Griffin should of responded by saying "The Vast majority of people in this audience were put together by the BBC who are prodominantly Left Wing organisation"
The subject of the BNP getting increased votes being down to the country's dissmay at how this government lets foreigners pour into this country is true, and thats why I voted for them. Thats the ONLY reason I voted for them because the Government need to know we are p*ssed off.
I will be turning back to Conservative again next time - I was very impressed with Baroness Warsi and what she had to say.
The Man, Sat on a chair (23/10/2009 at 10:32)
They pass the BNP off as Nazis but are not willing to listen to the views of the people who voted them in.
I think the one sided reporting and the one sided attack on Mr Griffin on question time will strengthen the resolve of BNP supporters. I seriously don't think anyone who was going to vote the BNP in the elections would have been pursuaded not to because of last nights program and the subsequent reporting.
Remember the british like to support the underdog who is continualy beaten by their peers and yet keep coming back.
The people in the audience were clearly not BNP's target voters and will probably think they did a job on Mr Griffin last night. I think they did and no immigrant or leftist will be voting for them now(but this was allways the case) however, unless voter apathy can be addressed then they will gain seats in the next election.
Gaz M (23/10/2009 at 10:57)
The only strong labour supporter with a senior position in the BBC Current Affairs department is Andrew Marr who does an excellent job of being as impartial as possible. As do the three others who have been mentioned.
It's true that the BNP just work off the basis that if you lie enough about something eventually people will believe it.
The QT audience seemed to be a fair reflection of the country: where a few percent of those in there seemed to support the BNP.
Anyway, I thought all United fans were supposed to be ardent socialists?
Seemingly Ignored, Heald Green (23/10/2009 at 11:01)
Jack Straw bumbled, avoided, repeated and lost track more than I realised.
The British Museum woman, Bonnie something, came across as an affected clever dick who thought she was there to inject humour.
The Lib Dem - erm ...well what can you say.
Nick looked better the second time around. Considering the hostile, hand-picked audience and him being completely isolated, I think he managed ok. Not sure he'll have attracted any voted from the people they wanted to convert.
I doubt you'll see him on TV again.
Helen The Bells Swollen Ankles, M40 (23/10/2009 at 11:04)
Everyone here now is here to stay fair enough live and let live, but what's wrong in saying right, thats the lot! No houses left, no jobs left, were trying to make 60,000 postal staff work part time as it is without you lot coming over and taking what you can get.
Can someone tell me why that is racist? cos I can't see it myself.
I dont want replies on Griffins other views, Id just like to hear your points on immigration if you would kindly share them with me. Danke
Local lad, outsidethebox (23/10/2009 at 11:09)
IS IT REALLY 33 YEARS, TAMESIDE (23/10/2009 at 11:14)
Harry Jackson (23/10/2009 at 11:20)
With the exception of its thinly disguised racism, and ridiculous policy of sending 'non indiginous people back where they came from' (whatever that means) the BNP is very similar to the original Labour party. There is nothing right wing about racism, it is just wrong.
Ran Droid, Manchester (23/10/2009 at 11:20)
I doubt they did. He held himself up quite well against an amazingly hostile panel and audience, a crucible many would find themselves destroyed in. Yes he slimed, evaded and dissembled like any other politician, but he got a few good shots in - Straws father for example. Huhne was a nonentity, Straw was almost as bad as Griffin without the excuse of being the target for a rooms ire - watch him squirm as he tried to get out of admitting Labour had a part to play in the rise of the BNP - leaving it up to Warsi and Greer, both who did quite well, but not brilliantly.
What many will have seen is a bunch of middle class liberals beat-up and bully someone who claims to represent the working class. Somehow I don't think they'll be swayed against voting BNP, and a quick read on the BBC's HYS pages indicate that its actually swayed people to the BNP's side.
Last night was the latte-drinking snobs getting their kicks, but they're not the ones the BNP cater to are they?
Seemingly Ignored, Heald Green (23/10/2009 at 11:25)
Local lad, outsidethebox (23/10/2009 at 11:28)
ergo (23/10/2009 at 11:34)
Bonnie Greer a director of the British museum lectured Griffin on history,her version if anything was even more ignorant than his.We are truly dumbed down because people have seized on one half understood fact, and ignored the fact there is a lot westill don't know.
According to DNA and fossil evidence humans began to evolve in Africa from other apes over 3million years ago.They remained in Africa until 160,000 years ago. An awful lot has happened since then. Too much to explain here.Aborigines arrived in Australia 40,000 years ago and never changed.Even now the tribes of the Nicobar islands have to be kept separate from encroaching Indians.
Entering Europe homo Sapiens met Neanderthals,no one knows where they came from
I visited a pharoahs tomb in the valley of the Kings.The depiction of the Pharoahs 24 hour journey
to the after life went down under and showed black people.The pharoahs did not think themselves black, in fact the conflict with Nubians was a central part of Egyptian evolution.
The Greeks arrived from Asia in successive waves,Acheans,Dorians,Ionians.they became highly civilised and resisted the Persians.They did not come from Africa.Due to civil war the Greeks were weakened and taken over by Macedonians, similar but different.Under Alexander they conquered the Middle East formed 3 kingdoms that developed separately created a new culture Hellenism,became weaker and were taken over by the Romans,who in turnedabsorbed other cultures and finished up run by barbarian guards who elected their own emperors, and were finally overrun by barbarians including the Saxons.
It is strange that DNA can distinguish between Saxons and Celts but not between Saxons and Danes or Vikings.I think we should all retire for quiet reflection before getting dogmatic about anything.
United 18, Huddersfield Town 3, City 2 (League Titles), Wilmslow (23/10/2009 at 11:43)
23/10/2009 at 10:57
Are you for real??
The BBC are predominantly LEFT WING appart from a couple of presenters you've mentioned. If you can't see that you are a fool.
90% of this country is white, however at least 40% of that audience last night was not. I was watching the local BBC news last night before QT and the presenter was of asian origin, the weather girl of african origin and the reported of asian origin. Not 1 white person.