Nick Griffin’s weaselly voice
No doubting what's going to be the star of Question Time this week - Nick Griffin's weaselly voice.
I have to admit I hadn't really heard it very much until earlier today, when he popped up on the radio to whine about how the BNP are 'non-PC' (that's 'non-PC' in the sense of 'actually being racist', I think) and why it was well within their rights to use images of Winston Churchill and a (Polish!*) Spitfire in their election communications.
I've said before how I don't think there's anything to fear from Griffin being invited onto Question Time - and, as I wrote earlier, the BNP love to be victims. The Griffinfuehrer would love to walk into the QT studios covered in freshly-chucked eggs and claim that 'the Left' was trying to silence debate. He loves playing the victim as much as all racists do and will make the most of anyone trying to physically stop him from attending the broadcast. That in turn will bring even more attention to the debate - which, let's remember, is Question Time; not Griffin Time - whereas it would be better for it to slip by, as every other episode of the programme generally does, rather than it being a big deal.**
And when I heard him on the radio earlier, I thought: hang on a minute. He sounds rubbish. Not just the content of what he says - that's objectionable enough, of course, but I had expected that - but there was something inherently ridiculous about the way he sounded. It's like those days when Gerry Adams was on telly and the pointless broadcasting rules (let's not forget the right can 'silence debate' just as stupidly as the left) make him look like someone out of a 1970s dubbed martial arts film, albeit beardy and Irish. When you finally heard his real voice you thought to yourself: Oh, how dull.
And it's similar with Griffin. The BNP thrives on a bit of mystique, if you can call it that. They love not just being victims but also the idea that they're a bit naughty. Do you know what I mean? It's the 'No-one likes us, we don't care' attitude. But once their leader turns out to be a whiney twerp who sounds like a very tiny moped over-revving at traffic lights to try and overtake a milk float - the only other public figure I can think of with such a laughably terrible voice is Mike Tyson, but his job was never to present political statements - some of that toughness and mystique will fade away.
Griffin's nothing special. Sure, he's private-school educated, went to Cambridge and had a clever idea to try and mask the BNP's inherent racism and cruel streak for minorities with a load of specious waffle about disenfranchised working classes - but I can't help wondering if keeping him out of the limelight has done the BNP a bit of a favour. All the enormous potholes in his logic notwithstanding, his presentation is pretty pisspoor. His weaselly voice makes everything he says sound like a rather irate mosquito bubbling with rage, not an insightful politician trying to speak for anyone other than himself.
Will this all backfire, and Griffin produce a sparkling display of rhetoric that will delight the QT audience, and the wider TV audience? I doubt it. Probably what will happen is that there'll be a bit of disruption before, maybe even during, and possibly after. Griffin wants that. He wants to get the headlines for being the stoical defender of free speech, attacked by all sides - because the truth is that he's a whiney bastard, a racist and a fool, who looks like an idiot and sounds like an idiot. It's great to protest about him, but let's not give him what he wants. The public can see him for who he is - and what he is.
* The Griffinmeister later claimed this was a deliberate move to celebrate the role of Polish pilots in the Second World War. Which is of course absolute toss.
** "Aha!" you might well say. "Then why are you writing this? Won't your impenetrably dull blog contribute to a sense of anticipation about the tubby bigot's appearance on Thursday night?" - to which I say, I can see where you're coming from on this one, but no. So much noise is already being created about this matter, and I think a lot of it is needlessly panicky; that awful turd turning up on the QT panel isn't going to be the end of the world, and we mustn't get ourselves into a tizzy about it. Chill out. Think of some nice images. Kittens. Puppies. Racists dying in horrific accidents. See? You're feeling better already.
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Hello. I'm a Bristol-based writer and soon-to-be-redundant journalist. You can read more about me and the Enemies site here, or follow me on Twitter. Email me if you like - antonvowl at live dot co dot uk
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October 20th, 2009 - 12:41
I think the problem with this argument is that it analyses Griffin from the point of view of an ordinary reasonable human being – and unsurprisingly finds him wanting.
But Griffin doesn't give a flying one what ordinary reasonable human beings think of him. Nor does he particularly care about whether he comes across as clever or stupid, or beaten in debate.
Griffin's concern is to appeal to a minority of racist bigots in the audience and to signal to them that he is their man, and that the BNP is their party. Everything he says is subordinated to this goal – to build the BNP as a fascist organisation.
Which is why all this speculation about whether or how he can be bested in "rational debate" is ultimately beside the point. There's a famous quote from Griffin in which he spells out quite frankly what he thinks of "rational debate".
The BNP grows not through convincing anyone of anything rationally, but through irrational means, by spreading racism and hatred. To do that Griffin needs merely to be given a platform to do so. And that is what the BBC has done by inviting him onto Panorama.
October 20th, 2009 - 13:58
I tend to agree with your points, that as soon as Griffin is on the spot, answering real political questions, he'll be able to put forward about as convincing an argument as my dead goldfish.
I only hope that the BBC allow the usual range of topical questions, that will make Griffin stick out as a one-answer politician who won't be able to discuss the nuances of any question other than "it's them muslims!".
Can you imagine if he was asked about tax credits? The deficit? PFI deals? the NHS? He simply wouldn't be able to answer, beyond a few feeble and irrelevant lies on immigration.
What I fear is, that the BBC will choose questions which specifically allow him to speak up on immigration and race, which will give him a platform to spout filth that will attract certain audience members. It would make a confrontational and entertaining ratings hit, but would not show him up as the idiot he is.
If a question either isn't topical or wouldn't be asked on any other edition, then it shouldn't be asked of Griffin.
I'm also very disappointed by the panel. I'd have thought Griffin should be at least balanced by Sharmi Chakrabati or Mark Thomas – someone who could eloquently demolish him in a second.
October 20th, 2009 - 16:00
Have you seen this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFEBMjkKC-0
Rubbish.
October 20th, 2009 - 16:02
P.S. Absolutely love the blog!
October 20th, 2009 - 20:03
I tend to agree with the bat on this one I'm afraid Anton. I appreciate your position, but I can't agree with it. I honestly can't countenance the idea of allowing Nazis on telly. Apart from anything else*, what's the point? We already know what Nazis want, and we already know that it's beyond stupid. Giving them a platform is just the establishment's way of allowing them a toehold, and I fail to see the merit in that, really.
*and anyone who saw Panorama last night's probably got a clue about what the'else' is I'm thinking of.
October 20th, 2009 - 20:14
Griffin was also given, imho, an unduly large amount of time on the channel 4 news tonight to witter on about hanging generals or whatever it was.
I think c4 ought to bear in mind that there may be people who are watching whilst eating their teas, and the last thing they need whilst scarfing down fish fingers is an extreme close-up of Griffins wobbly, and in all likelihood, smelly face. Do you think Ofcom will back me up on this?
October 21st, 2009 - 00:38
Well if Griffin does actually appear on the BBC's Question Time programme – and he's still insisting he will, as is the BBC – then it looks like they'll be a pretty loud and concerted protest from a number of quarters, if these reports are to be believed. And it's refreshing to think that these protesters are the same common-clay folks who fought Moseley's Blackshirts. Thank God they're still prepared to stand against bigotry and racism.
The obvious downer is that Griffin will love all this attention – and his followers will take heart at it too; but frankly we were always going to reach this point after the BNP took those two Euro seats in the last elections. The danger always was them entering the 'mainstream' of British politics by legitimate means.
So, given where are, we can only hope that the other panellists are sufficiently jacked-up (no pun intended, Mr Straw) to have him on the ropes and looking every-inch the bigot he is.
And ultimately, and this is important, we must all have faith in the decency and common-sense of the watching British voter in being savvy enough to be able to see through his and the BNP's bile-based bombast and reject them in the wider forum of ideas.
Protesting against these people's vile ideas is important – but they will only be squarely beaten in the arena of failed experiments in which they reside.
October 21st, 2009 - 04:29
I recall another nazi party which spent ten years looking preposterous – being the standard political joke in Germany. Then they got democratically elected, partly because the left didn't take them as a serious threat.
October 21st, 2009 - 09:55
I agree entirely with your points concerning Griffin's presentation. Also, don't forget, he's pig ugly which helps enormously. Heaven forbid the BNP ever get themselves a smooth-talking dreamboat as a leader. Never underestimate the appeal of an attractive politician.
Enjoying your blog immensely.
October 21st, 2009 - 14:04
Nick Robinson, the BBC's Political Editor's blog on how the recent publicity is, and might, affect Griffin and the BNP is worth a look:
Is all publicity good publicity?