Question Time this Thursday

[The Large One]

therin lies the rub. The common people are thick. People being treated with contempt like that is a direct contributing cause to the rise of the BNP.

Sort of.

People being treated with contempt by the main political parties is one thing. But you've also got a highly irresponsible media, specifically the press, who really talk down to people.

It's no coincidence that The Sun is the best-selling newspaper, or that when you have the Daily Mail, for example, forever blathering on about immigration, then wondering why on the next page there are racist attacks in Burnley, you wonder how they set themselves up as being virtuous.

 

[clapham_gull]

therin lies the rub. The common people are thick. People being treated with contempt like that is a direct contributing cause to the rise of the BNP.

Yep, have to agree with you there but it goes well beyond the behaivour of politicians.

If there is any instance of "white racism" in this country, it's middle class white people looking down on the poor white educated working class.

I'm been guilty of itself but just recently I cringe when I hear people talk about "Chavs" and "Scum" on housing estates.

Have to disagree with the Large One on picking out the Sun in this instance.

Their anti-BNP coverage this week has been remarkable and journalistically very very clever.

Targeted the oldies with stories of black SAS heroes and today and ran a full page anti-BNP piece from Russell Brand , knowing full well he is very much flavour of the month for teenagers.

For all the mistakes the Sun has made in the past, they should be applauded for what they've been up to this week. They are currently being far more anti-BNP, then pro-Tory.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

...is absolutely the correct answer.

THis has been brewing for years. I remember commenting (on NSC) about an issue of Question Time from Oldham where an old woman in the audience complained about standards of behaviour. She then dared to mention that most of the people causing the trouble were Asian. You could feel most of the chattering middle class audience curl up with embarrassment that someone local had mentioned that a particular racial minority in this instance was causing trouble. The politicians on the panel of course jumped on this and trotted out the usual shit sound bites designed to belittle her irritation and give fluffy "solutions" to the problem. At the time, I remember feeling pissed off at the audience who let them get away with this, presumably before they f***ed off back to Cheshire in their 4x4s.

Conversely whenever you hear minority representatives complaining about poor behaviour from white locals, whether it be in reference to alleged racism at work or in other areas of public life the same Politicians are the first ones to start ranting about how this should be stamped out, not tolerated, challenged etc etc. so there really is no medium where these sorts of issues can be properly aired.

Just drives people to extremes at either end of the scale, whether it be Blacks joining gangs, Muslims going radical or whites joining the BNP.

Surprise surprise these polarisations are most visible where people are actually living side by side in poorer areas that Politicians have written off years ago.

 

[The Large One]

Yep, have to agree with you there but it goes well beyond the behaivour of politicians.

If there is any instance of "white racism" in this country, it's middle class white people looking down on the poor white educated working class.

I'm been guilty of itself but just recently I cringe when I hear people talk about "Chavs" and "Scum" on housing estates.

Have to disagree with the Large One on picking out the Sun in this instance.

Their anti-BNP coverage this week has been remarkable and journalistically very very clever.

Targeted the oldies with stories of black SAS heroes and today and ran a full page anti-BNP piece from Russell Brand , knowing full well he is very much flavour of the month for teenagers.

For all the mistakes the Sun has made in the past, they should be applauded for what they've been up to this week. They are currently being far more anti-BNP, then pro-Tory.

I wasn't so much talking about The Sun's stance on the BNP, more about the ease with which they can manipulate the electorate to vote for whoever they recommend.

They know their power, and don't always use it responsibly, though in this case, it may be slightly different.

 

[clapham_gull]

I wasn't so much talking about The Sun's stance on the BNP, more about the ease with which they can manipulate the electorate to vote for whoever they recommend.

They know their power, and don't always use it responsibly, though in this case, it may be slightly different.

Fair enough, but this week they seem to be pulling out all the stops.

Ex editor McKenzie (he of Hillsborough cock up) is gutted he didn't get on the panel tonight. He has a particular hatred of them.

James Whale (not exactly known for his left wing views) was giving them a right going over on Sky News this morning as well. He used to pull their supporters to bits on his late night TalkSport radio show.

Their stance comes very much from the "hold on a minute, didn't we fight a war to stop this sort of thing happening.." and that's the message that needs to be got across.

The Guardian and UAF will never turn people away from them, because quite frankly anyone prone to voting for them isn't going to listen.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

I wasn't so much talking about The Sun's stance on the BNP, more about the ease with which they can manipulate the electorate to vote for whoever they recommend.

They know their power, and don't always use it responsibly, though in this case, it may be slightly different.

You are coming across as a bit "middle class" here fella. I'm not sure what you are saying really.

Don't despair about the electorate being too thick to see things properly, which is, presumably, a reference to how you see things or bemoan the popular press for weilding undue influence on thickos.

What if some people in poor areas are genuinely f***ed off with things as they are and have decided they want to change things for themselves?

 

[Monsieur Le Plonk]

Conversely whenever you hear minority representatives complaining about poor behaviour from white locals, whether it be in reference to alleged racism at work or in other areas of public life the same Politicians are the first ones to start ranting about how this should be stamped out, not tolerated, challenged etc etc. so there really is no medium where these sorts of issues can be properly aired.

Just drives people to extremes at either end of the scale, whether it be Blacks joining gangs, Muslims going radical or whites joining the BNP.

Surprise surprise these polarisations are most visible where people are actually living side by side in poorer areas that Politicians have written off years ago.

Such a true post. And the poor are less and less in the minority themselves which is why Griffin only has to make a couple of points that the man in the street can relate to but daren't say and he's off and running. This is teed up nicely for Griffin tonight and the government and BBC combined have managed to turn this into such a big event that it's win/win for the BNP.

 

[The Large One]

You are coming across as a bit "middle class" here fella. I'm not sure what you are saying really.

Don't despair about the electorate being too thick to see things properly, which is, presumably, a reference to how you see things or bemoan the popular press for weilding undue influence on thickos.

What if some people in poor areas are genuinely f***ed off with things as they are and have decided they want to change things for themselves?

'Middle class?' Bit lazy from you, isn't it?

You're associating 'poor' with 'stupid', and while there is some correlation between poverty and lack of education, they're not mutually exclusive.

If people are f***ed off, that's one thing. Changing things for themselves (whatever that means) is another. But what kind of change is required to society by which the BNP becomes the answer?

Besides - if I'm being 'middle class', aren't you? This part of the thread is a response to The Spanish's point (about being treated with contempt) which many, including you and me, broadly agree with.

 

[keaton]

What if some people in poor areas are genuinely f***ed off with things as they are and have decided they want to change things for themselves?

If they've voted BNP as a way of doing this, that's makes them proper thick, rather than just normal thick

 

[auschr]

The rise of the BNP could have been simply avoided if the fourth estate spent less time trying to shamelessly convince people that their respective parties aren't that bad because another one is worse. Read any polls from the past year or more about peoples trust in the Libdems/Lab/Con and you could a pretty large amount of people saying they don't trust any of them. Sad indictment of our political process when people feel the need to ignore their own views when expressing their vote and instead treating it as a tactical game. I would not be surprised if a large amount of BNP supporters are just disenfranchised voters who wanted a choice outside the 3 main parties, maybe if the fourth estate spent more time on other parties perhaps it could have been avoided.

 

[London Calling]

We don't have a thick population, we have a population that successive Governments have not been prepared to fully resource their Education and a media, that with few exceptions run stories based around a short time frame.

Look at our television news, the dummed down ITV news is appalling, the BBC news is going that way. Out of our National Newspapers, only a couple discuss news fairly and equitability with their readers.

 

[Common as Mook]

It's all kicking off at Television centre.

 

[tedebear]

What if some people in poor areas are genuinely f***ed off with things as they are and have decided they want to change things for themselves?

I think that is the view of the general population, but you would be downright irresponsible if you voted BNP because you believed the BNP would be a better move...

 

[Simster]

If they've voted BNP as a way of doing this, that's makes them proper thick, rather than just normal thick

I disagree. Those same people were thick when they were voting Tory or Labour or whoever. You just have to accept that there are thick people amongst the electorate, so why is it only an issue when they vote for somebody you don't like?

So actually, it simply makes them desperate, because they have been let down by a succession of career politicians who give bluster, easy-way-out answers to every single problem, because speaking as they see fit goes against the party line and might blight their career.

 

[tedebear]

My question is, is if we had compulsory voting, would the BNP have actually got a look in?

 

[bhaexpress]

My question is, is if we had compulsory voting, would the BNP have actually got a look in?

I bet they would have done better, partly because people would be annoyed at being forced out to vote and partly because the lazy chavs would vote for them in all probability.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

The BNP have already won this little PR war , & if as i suspect protestors will interupt and maybe launch an attack on Nick Griffin it will fall straight into the BNP's hands. I for one will be watching, this is going to be one hell of a show.

 

[looney]

I wont be watching, and will rely on someone sane like frutos or bevenden manbag hillbilly for a report and not the swivel eyed socialist or bnp halfwits who clog up this forun.

 

[The Large One]

I wont be watching, and will rely on someone sane like frutos or bevenden manbag hillbilly for a report and not the swivel eyed socialist or bnp halfwits who clog up this forun.

Well, that's your right to comment blown out of the water.

 

[The Spanish]

It's all kicking off at Television centre.

there is a proper sort with blonde hair pushing at television centre gates I have just seen on sky news. i would lie through my teeth about my views on mass immigration for her.