[Tommy]

It's misleading to suggest that any tangible rise in BNP support will be down to exposure on the BBC. Their meteoric rise to mediocrity is the fault not of the BBC, but of the current government and its abject failure to deal with increasing racial segregation in British society.

It's also misleading to suggest that letting them on Question Time is somehow irresponsible. It is by no means the purpose or the job of the BBC to influence popular support for political parties, wherever they lie on any spectrum. It might be considered irresponsible to allow them airtime in the current political climate, but again, such judgements do not fall under the remit of the BBC. The current government gutted the corporation of quality journalism and demanded it maintain impartiality in coverage of political and social affairs, which it did on Thursday night. The BNP are not going to go away because the mainstream parties attack them without offering alternatives to racism and fascism, and in a society where mainstream politicians are loathed and distrusted by a majority of the population, such negative propaganda will only continue to boost their support. To quell the growing tide, the mainstream parties first need to allow the BNP to expose itself for what it is, and then need to offer tangible alternatives to economic and immigration policies based on outright racism.