Who do we blame for BNP appearance on 'Question Time'?

The news has been dominated by the BNP gaining access to mainstream political debate through Nick Griffin’s appearance on Question Time. So who do we blame for the leader of a party, whose constitution is defined along racial lines, getting a slot on prime time BBC? First we should be dismayed that a fascist, holocaust denying, racist party had the opportunity to spread their poison on the BBC. Nevertheless I do not blame the BBC for giving the BNP the right to be on the panel. Over a million UK citizens voted BNP, giving them 2 MEPs and as a matter of freedom of speech they have a right to be heard and exposed for being the dreadful party they are.

If not the BBC, what about us MPs, given that the expenses scandal contaminated the 2009 European Elections? The scandal gave credence to the distorted view that politicians are not primarily governing for the good of the people, but for their own self advancement. So yes, there is responsibility to be laid at the door of some MPs as the scandal contributed to voters deciding not to turn out.

Next up, was the main stream political parties for not engaging with the issues that concern people such as immigration. There is some truth in this point. For too long a grown up debate about controlling the level of immigration has been ceded to the BNP’s politics of fear. My constituency's diversity is one of its great strengths yet the BNP has been able to feed off understandable concerns about the Government's failed multi cultural experiment which has driven some communities apart rather than together.

Let us not get carried away with the supposed rise of the BNP. We need to remember that in the North West England, the BNP vote was down from 134,959 in 2004 to 132,094 in 2009 so the reason the NW MEP was elected was the massive slump in turnout from 40.9% to 31.7% in NW England. As Edmund Burke said, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men do nothing”.

Before we get too comfortable by thinking it is an issue for only some areas I know from my time knocking on doors around my constituency that a minority of people either vote BNP or would do given the chance. Until recently our borough neighbours in Broxbourne had a BNP local councillor. We need to ensure that trust in mainstream politics is restored, that we have considered debate about policies like immigration and that we get out and vote away the BNP vermin into the dark corners from where they came.