Hain scores own goal against Griffin

Whatever possessed cabinet minister Peter Hain? Is he thick or what? I'm referring of course to his apparently one man intervention to try and stop odious BNP leader Nick Griffin appearing on BBC1's 'Question Time' tonight. The BBC, perfectly correctly in my opinion, have allowed the BNP, a minority party, to have its say on the flagship programme. After all the BNP garnered a considerable number of votes in the European elections earlier this year and now I think have two MEPs, one of which is the said Mr Griffin. I hope that I've got my facts right here but I think that Hain's complaint was that the BNP were breaking the law by prohibiting certain people from joining their party because of their ethnic origin for example. The BNP say they will amend their rules to allow such people to join them.

Now if this is the case it just shows the total idiocy of our laws. I would prefer that if organisations want to preclude people because of the colour of their skin then that is their affair. We know that the BNP are racist thugs but if they allowed coloured people to join (and just how many such people would wish to join them I ask) then they would be gaining some sort of legitimacy in the eyes of the general public perhaps. It is noticeable how they are doing what they can to shed the very nasty image they have had and are targeting disaffected Labour voters particularly in areas of high immigration. The reality of course is that this leopard is certainly not changing its spots! The right questions eg about his denial of the Holocaust could really do him down. Let's hope so.

Hain has been mightily stupid as the one cabinet minister going out on a limb in trying to stop Griffin from appearing on the programme when in fact senior Labour cabinet man Jack Straw has already agreed to be in the line up. All that Hain has achieved is giving Griffin the oxygen of publicity that the latter so clearly craves. Talk about an own goal!

Interesting question for the Beeb now is "where abouts on the platform do they put Griffin?" My guess will be on one end so that only one other person on the panel has to be next to him. One prediction I think I can make is that there will be plenty of people in the blogosphere having a say about the programme, and Griffin in particular, after the event.