Isn't this kind of coverage exactly what you wanted though, harry? When you voted for the BNP in Europe you said that you wanted to be part of sending a message to shake up the main parties. This is how it works.. they win a European seat, they get media coverage and the main parties get up in arms. You don't think Labour or the Tories would be at all shook if the BNP didn't get the coverage do you?

This is completely what you wanted, and it couldn't happen any other way. Accept responsibility.

I was kind of looking for them to get coverage on the likes of Question Time and other political platforms to be honest.

It's not just the BNP I would like to see on that platform though. I'm all for any of the other smaller parties making some waves and getting in on the action.

Politics in this country is stale. We need some fresh faces and some new opinions on matters, from all sides of the spectrum.

But you didn't vote for them.. you voted for the BNP. Perhaps pragmatically because you saw that they had the best chance of making that impact, but then you still have to accept your part in the consequences of that decision... That's all I'm saying - it's wrong of you to pass the buck to the media.

No one, and I mean not one interviewee has said what if he cocks up... it could happen, he may not connect with people and the Tv perfomace could be a complete disaster..That he is bigging himself up ala Jean Marie Le Pen saying watch nme fly... would mean the fall would be even more hilarious

Thats because they probably know that he won't fuck up. The fellow panelists aren't qualified enough to challenge him.

The worst that can happen is that he gets heckled and shouted down.

Tony Benn, George Galloway, Claire Short, Ann Widdiecombe, Charles Kennedy, Ken Clarke Tommy Sheridan, Ian Hislop and so on and so forth and so on could have made it really fun!

George Galloway is no saint either to be honest, but i'd take a certain Mr Thomas Sheridan for the panel anyday!

The people who are being interviewed representing the protesters are doing themselves no favours at all.

Galloway may be a wanker, but he's great TV.

All kicking off in Shepherds Bush

Griffin on Question Time all over. He's left. Worth watching. He gets an absolute pasting.

He's been confirmed as supporting Hamas with financial aid and accused the British media of being controlled by "Zionism".

I also recall him saying something about the UK not being on decent terms with Syria because the country did "good" things like oppose Israel.

Galloway is as much of a tit as Griffin is.

Every single audience member, journalist or politician who has been interviewed on the news has basically said he made a complete dick of himself.

Sir Winston Churchill and his cabinet colleagues, concerned at the number of "coloured people" they thought were moving to Britain to take advantage of the welfare state, considered introducing immigration controls more than 50 years ago, according to records released yesterday from the National Archives.

In hand-written notebooks, the cabinet secretary, Sir Norman Brook, noted that the then home secretary thought there was a good case for excluding "riff-raff".

Brook stated that controls were discussed at a cabinet meeting on February 3 1954, six years after the ship the Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury with 492 immigrants from Jamaica.

Churchill commented: "Wd lke also to study possibility of a 'quota' - [number] not to be exceeded."

The prime minister began the discussion, saying: "Problems will arise if many coloured people settle here. Are we to saddle ourselves with colour problems in UK? Attracted by Welfare State. Public opinion in UK won't tolerate it once it gets beyond certain limits."

Florence Horsbrugh, the minister of education, added that the problem was becoming "serious" in Manchester. David Maxwell-Fyfe, the home secretary, reported that the total of "coloured people" in Britain had risen from 7,000 before the second world war to 40,000 at the time of writing, with 3,666 of those unemployed, and 1,870 on national assistance, or benefits.

He referred to those "living on immoral earnings". Of 62 people convicted the previous year in the Metropolitan police area, 24 were "coloured". He added: "All administrative measures to discourage have been taken. Only further step would be immigration control over admittance to the UK. We would have to admit in Parliament that purpose of legislation was to control [admission] of coloured. There is a case on merits for excluding riff-raff. But politically it would be represented & discussed on basis of a colour limitation. That would offend the floating vote, and the old Liberals. We should be reversing age-long tradition that British [subjects] have right of entry to mother-country of Empire. We should offend Liberals, also sentimentalists."

But fearing public feeling, he said the risk of introducing controls should not be taken "today". He warned: "The colored populations are resented in Lpl, Paddington & other areas By those who come into contact with them. But those who don't are apt to take Liberal view."

The British Army secretly restricted the number of recruits from ethnic minorities for 20 years, newly released official documents show.

From 1957 Army medical officers were instructed to note all new recruits with "Asiatic or Negroid features".

The data were used to limit the number of "non-white" troops in the Army.

The secret system was uncovered after about 50,000 government files were made public on the first working day of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says the report "does not reflect the current situation" within the armed forces.

Many of the government papers had been kept hidden from the public for decades under the 30-year rule.

But under the Act, implemented on 1 January, the public gains the right to see documents held by more than 100,000 bodies.

The army's recruiting system was even kept secret from government ministers and official race monitors, the documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show.

It appears from the documents, released to the National Archives, that the information was used to limit the number of ethnic minority troops, designated "D factor" personnel.

Medical officers were given considerable latitude in deciding who was classified as "D factor" or non-white. It could even include people of Mediterranean appearance or a "swarthy Frenchman", according to the documents.

The system was outlined in a confidential briefing paper, written for the Adjutant General of the Army in 1972.

"Officially, we state that we do not keep statistics of coloured soldiers," it says.

"In fact, we do have a record, resulting from the description put on the attestation paper by the medical officer, of the features of the recruit.

"At Manning and Record offices, a broad division is drawn between north European and all others, and punch cards for the latter are punched in such a way they can be identified if required."

It added: "The determination of the characteristics is at the discretion of various medical officers, and could include Chinamen, Maltese or even swarthy Frenchmen."

The system was supposed to help the Army ensure its quota restrictions on non-Europeans was adhered to.

In February 1974, Denis Brennan in the Adjutant General's office said the way the Army recorded colour was "complex".

He said: "We do not feel it would be appropriate to mention it to ministers."

The Army chose to lie when asked for a breakdown of serving coloured officers by the Institute of Race Relations in 1972. The Army had agonised over what to do for nine months.

The Institute was told by the Army it did not keep such data. In fact, the Army's "D factor" data showed how few non-white personnel there were.

Asked whether a misguided immigration policy had fuelled the BNP's popularity Mr Straw said he did not think it had and said he thought the BNP had been boosted by discontent with the main parties over issues like expenses.

I thought it was brilliant when Dimbleby asked him where he was misquoted and then read out quotes and he managed to look like a right pillock.

Didn't he actually sit there nodding his head while Dimbleby read out those quotes Haraga? He was agreeing with him.

"Almost a totally non-violent one"

But for that to happen directly after he said the things that he is hated for is all lies was terrific.

Churchill stuff still going on for the record.

He really got his arse kicked on the holocaust. That was actually embarrassing.

You reckon?

I don't think he's getting the grief he could and should have.

The other members keep mentioning Churchill, despite the fact that Griffin was right.

They aren't giving him the roasting I was kind of hoping for

I agree, as much as im enjoying this, its the biggest let down of the year.

The best thing to come out of this is somewhat of a good discussion on immigration, which wouldn't have happened if Griffin hadn't been there, so thank-you for that Nicholas

I expected Griffin to face the hairdryer treatment, and I don't think he came out of it as the "nasty nazi" he is, which is a shame.

But the Labour party took a real beating tonight.

Bad arrows on Question Time tonight unfortunately.

Judging by twitter and the like it seems that Griffin has become an after thought to the tit that Jack Straw made of himself.

I suppose if anyone could fuck it up, it would be the Labour Party.