Is there anything likeable about the Swiss?

One of the top stories over at the BBC today is the Swiss minaret vote; according to exit polls the Swiss have voted to ban the building of the Islamic spires:

the BBC's correspondent in Berne says if it is confirmed, it would be a surprise

I can only suggest that the BBC needs a new Berne correspondent. The Swiss are a particularly conservative country (never a nice quality), with a tendency towards isolationism, and their particular form of direct democracy enables some of the more abhorrent public opinions get passed into law. I would have been surprised if the vote went the other way.

Switzerland is one of those countries Europe would be better off without.

BNP Debate 'illegal': Hain regains some credibility

Once upon a time, based on his work as an anti-apartheid campaigner, Peter Hain had a lot of credibility. He then fell from grace in 2008 due to failure to declare donations in his campaign to be Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. As Jeremy Hardy said on the News Quiz at the time (if memory serves me correctly), something strange happens to people when they enter the House of Commons. It is therefore good to see Hain speaking out on a topic he believes in and is respected for.

There is no place for the BNP in British Politics or on the BBC

Amongst the majority there is no debate about the BNP: They are a disgusting party built on fear and ignorance. There is however a debate on whether the mainstream parties should engage in political debate with them. Whilst some argue that you can only expose their ignorance through open debate, others argue that providing them with a forum provides them with credibility they don't warrant. I'm with Alan Johnson on this one, as he said on the Politics Show a few weeks ago: "I’ve gone 59 years without sharing a platform with a fascist, and I don’t intend to start doing it now."

Question Time will offer a forum for the BNP to offer very simplistic solutions to very complicated problems. It is a format that generally leaves me exasperated by the stupidity of the general population; panelists play to the crowd and those offering the opinions of the most popular papers get the biggest rounds of applause. When the popular papers are the Daily Mail and the Sun, both of which love to support the ignorance of the little Englander, it is easy to see how the stupidity of the BNP can appeal to the stupidity of the masses.

Whilst I have little hope that the BNP's trip to question time will be canceled, it's good to hear that there are MPs still willing to say that it is wrong.