“Give them enough rope and they’ll hang themselves.”

I first read that quote in Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls, although it applies equally well for racist politicians trying to enter the mainstream debate. Enter Nick “...immigration...is destroying this and every other white nation in the world” Griffin, Grand High Wizard of the KKK British National Party.

Recently, Griffin appeared on Question Time, a BBC panel show featuring political figures from across the spectrum. During the show, he made various hilarious statements-most notably, that the Ku Klux Klan is "non-violent" and that he does “not have a conviction for Holocaust denial.”

That quote exposes the problem for the Fuhrer and his party; that they are fundamentally too extreme. The reason for the BNP’s increased vote is due to widespread disillusion at the major parties (Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Dems) and the extensive corruption that their MPs have shown. Hence, the increased support for the BNP is more of a protest vote than anything else. But when Nick goes on national television and gives openly sympathises with one of the most infamous white supremacist organisations in history, that create serious problems of allegiance for all BNP voters outside of the hatecore bonehead supporters.

Nick, in his Holocaust statement was clearly trying to have his cake and eat it too: not explicitly denying the Holocaust, but still sending a message to the Brownshirts watching at home that he’s still a died-in-the-wool anti-Semite. The BNP, when previously quizzed on its openly neo-Nazi views, stated that, its political ideals have shifted over time and that the Party is more moderate than before (see point vii). Statements such their leader, however, expose how superficial Nick’s shift to the centre is.

That's why I think giving the BNP this sort of publicity is needed, as it exposes the Party for what it is: a front for neo-Nazism. Gordon Brown stated “We’ve got a duty to expose the BNP for what are racist and sectarian politics.” I agree entirely; give Nick enough time on air, and the BNP’s support will implode harder than One Nation (although hopefully for different reasons).