RARELY has Question Time been such a political hot potato. Probably never has it allowed itself to be taken over by the presence of one man.
The basic premise of QT is to discuss the issues of the week with a group of politicians, not to focus on the politics of one of the panel.
But maybe this is what it takes for the BNP's home- made cloak of respectability to disintegrate in the thunderstorm of critical analysis.
What the BNP has dodged so far is a large audience, made up of people who don't just want a scapegoat served or a false promise made. It's easy to spin stories on the doorstep, but much harder to debate with an informed crowd. Asked if he was a Holocaust denier, he said he "was never convicted of that." Challenged, he then said: "I can't explain what I used to think."
Challenged that he was wrong to use an image of Churchill in an election campaign, he resorted to taking pot shots about Jack Straw's dad.
The researched answers from Straw and Lib-Dem Chris Huhne proved that Griffin crumbles when challenged.
Griffin was forced to say that "colour is irrelevant" in one breath, only to defend his notion that Islam is evil in another. Appearing before a crowd clearly not designed to lap up his every word was an experience he struggled with.
While Huhne and Straw won the ideological debate, it was Tory Baroness Warsi who spoke the language most likely to win votes on the streets: a cap on immigration. Host David Dimbleby did what politicians should have been doing for years: challenging every piece of rhetoric which fell from Griffin's mouth.
Without fail, Griffin's response was to stammer, stutter, or muster a laugh. Sometimes he even nodded when being insulted.
Anyone who witnessed Question Time will know Griffin was exposed for what he is. But his presence on QT will be a propaganda tool on the doorsteps of those who didn't watch.
Politicians need to remember the BNP could be the protest vote party of choice next year – and start challenging the BNP at every turn.
DAVID HIGGERSON'S political blog is at blogs. liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ outsidethebubble
