I have to confess I am not the greatest follower of politics , but I did watch the Question time program this week.
I felt it uncomfortable viewing, but for all the wrong reasons.
Over the last 12 years or so I have had the priviledge of working with highly professional people from countries all over the world, all kinds of colours and religions. The vast majority of them have been decent hard working individuals who want to get on with the task in hand. So, I hold no truck with the politics based on colour or religion. I am a great exponent of live and let live, though it should be noted that this is a two way street.
Anyhow, back to question time. I had to keep turning over because I found it uncomfortable viewing, its very rare that a television program makes me feel physically uncomfortable but QT managed it. I am not a regular viewer of the program, I watch it occasionally and I would imagine like many other people, made a note of watching this one.
I have never really given the BNP much thought, educated through the media of their political leanings, I have never really looked into their manifestos or policies. To be honest nothing I saw will change that. However, a number of things struck me out of the whole days events.
Firstly the antifascist protestors raised an interesting juxtaposition with the demonstrations against Mr Griffin. To deny someones freedom to speech would seem like a fascist trait, now I want to make it clear that I am not casting aspersions on any bodies politics. I am sure the demonstrator’s intent was to prevent the preaching of what they thought would have been the politics of hate. But I cannot see that the BBC would have allowed the BNP to use Question Time as a political spring board. However, what they did do was give his peers(?) on the panel the chance to have at him at every turn. So what? Maybe he deserved it?
Now in the days of conspiracy films such as the Da-Vinci Code, where the public see cunning subterfuge as the political norm what is the upshot of this?
Did the constant Griffin bashing drum up sympathy for the man and the cause? I dont know!
Was the pre-QT demonstration organised in part by the BNP to draw attention to the show? again I dont know.
All I do know is that I had to turn over the program, and not for the reasons I would have expected. I tuned in expecting to see a (excuse the pun) black and white characterisation of the BNP. I thought that Mr Griffin would expose himself as a bigoted racist. Instead I had to turn over because I saw what amounted to picking on the fat kid in the playground.
My politics are my business and thats the way I am going to keep them. I have friends from all over the globe, people that I respect for themselves, their colour, race, religion or belief has never been a factor. I guess you can draw your on political conclusions from that. All I know is that I am now more confused than before I watched the program.
