You can’t “expose” the BNP on Question Time:
There is also no prospect of such a programme resulting in the BNP’s being ‘exposed’. It is said that since most BNP members can’t put together a coherent argument, they will easily be shown up and ridiculed. But they do not need coherent arguments. Most guests on Question Time do not have coherent arguments. It is a programme, like Have I Got News For You, or Mock the Week, in which the key is to have a good line at the right time. It is carefully choreographed and practised. What the BNP need, therefore, is carefully phrased incitements, presented in a plausible manner. The fascists have demonstrated on the streets and in previous media appearances that they are capable of this much. Even if they were as dumb as an American Idol contestant, there would still be no chance of their being ‘exposed’. The important things that would require exposure – the matter of the BNP’s record, its ideological lineage, the violence and criminality of its members, etc. – are points that require time, patience and evidence to explain. None of those assets are available on a panel quiz show.