Where Were You?

For the first time in my life, and God hope the last, fascists interfered with my social life. I cast my mind several hours back to the early evening. The night was young and expectations were high, Gallery was in our sights. My fellow flat mates and I were having some pre-drinks in the Courtyard. While waiting for my drink a girl comes up to the bar (oi oi) and says something that has probably never been said in a bar in the history of the entire world ever.

‘Are you going to be showing Question Time?’ she asks the barman. ‘Yeah we’ll turn the TV on in a bit,’ he replies.

My immediate thoughts are (in this order): oh my God I completely forgot about Question Time, why aren’t I watching Question Time, where can I watch Question Time!? That reaction might come off a bit sad to some of you; but I ALWAYS watch QT, week in week out, racist or no racist. Post 7/7, I was there. Lib Dim post-conference, I was there. Countless episodes with Alan Duncan before everyone realised he was a tosser, I was there. There was no way I was going to miss the episode that everybody was going to watch. iPlayer was not an option, I’d be in the Vision office first thing the next day and I couldn’t risk anyone spoiling it for me. Something had to be done…-

Somehow in the excitement of moving from sunny south-London into the fogging rain of North Yorkshire, I have become insulated from non campus-based affairs. So after momentarily pondering how the panel were going to respond to questions about Portergate, I remembered the real reason I was power-walking out of our lush carpeted SU bar while still holding a half-full pint of beer.

Nick Griffin, a man unfortunate enough to have two lazy eyes, while also looking a little bit like a pirate, was to be appearing. More importantly however, this guy is leader of the British National party, sanctuary for this country’s racists and the disillusioned white working-class. There was no time to get to the South-Western suburb of campus that is James K block. My compatriots and I took base in the James College JCR and prepared for the largest TV spectacle since Cheryl Cole had to mime on The X Factor.

And it didn’t disappoint. In fact, for most of the people in the JCR, it was a barrel of laughs with the odd jeer thrown in for good measure. My personal highlights of the performance of the leader of the BNP included his mention that Jack Straw’s father was in prison during WW2, being called ‘Dick’ Griffin and his fear of ‘militant homosexuals’ preaching their sexuality to school children.

This was seriously entertaining stuff; not because the content of what was being discussed was frivolous, but because of Nick Griffin’s strikingly amateurish display. He was nervous, contradictory and denied every quotation put towards him. By the end of it I was surprised by how badly he came off, and it reconfirmed my initial stance that him going on QT was right in principle and that the show was the right format.

The next day it was the talk of the campus, and most of the civilised world. But I’m sure you saw it like everyone else did – though I almost didn’t – and I’m sure you agree that Question Time was right to let him on to show himself up.