By John Bean — Prior to Nick Griffin’s appearance on what was alleged to be a BBC Question Time programme, he had previously distinguished himself as a quick-witted interviewee when confronted by such figures as Jeremy Paxman, Gavin Estler, Andrew Marr, et  al. In responding to their efforts to trip him up, Nick “took them to the cleaners”. Several establishment media journalists acknowledged this ability.

How come that following Nick’s appearance on the travesty of a programme that had more resemblance to a Spanish Inquisition than a democratic exchange of political viewpoints, the Lib-Lab-Con lickspitalls described him as being nervous and hesitant? This is in addition to crowing: “Aren’t we marvellous? We saw off the wicked Griffin and democracy is safe”. They hope this may offset the growing public sympathy for Nick at being the under-dog at the lynch-mob’s circus.

In 1994 I appeared on a BBC Timewatch programme looking at the history of post-war immigration to Britain. There were ten participants who thought it was good for us, and Enoch Powell and myself who stated otherwise – a typical BBC idea of a fair balance. I had had plenty of experience in public speaking, often to a hostile audience who wished to dismember me, but to begin with I was indeed nervous (petrified almost) and certainly hesitant. And this was with no demonstrators crying for my blood outside the Television Centre and no purposely-picked hostile audience to boo every word I was to say!

When David Dimbledum’s brother Jonathan glowered at me over his glasses and fired off a hostile question all the facts and figures I had tried to memorise over the previous 48 hours had vaporised. And I resorted to some hesitant ad-libbing. However, when questioned later the facts started coming back and my delivery improved.

The point of this reminiscence is not vanity over a past minor success, but to give some indication of what it is like to have to face such a BBC set-up (perhaps ‘stich-up’). Of course, Nick must have been nervous to begin with – and even he is not super-human. But the significant thing is that in the latter third of the farce arranged by that so-called chairman David Dimbledum, Nick Griffin managed to get out several well put points that registered and were delivered in his normal , almost laid-back, style – unlike some he has never tried to mimic the tones of a Thirties orator such as Oswald Mosley. I only wish the programme had lasted another half an hour. He had already overcome the efforts of the man of Straw and he would possibly have even silenced the rent-a-mouth Baroness of the Tory Party.

I do have some idea of what Nick faced and I think in these circumstances he was brilliant.