BNP's Burnley success was long ago

There are those who worry that everyone else on Question Time was seen to be ganging up on poor hapless Nick.

But if the BNP are indeed a small isolated group of extremists why should the BBC fix it to look otherwise?

It's possible that all the front page and TV stuff about the BNP will give them a short-term boost.

But beyond the immediate, it will surely do them no good at all.

TV is above all a visual medium and Mr Griffin's shifty grin and obvious discomfort sitting next to the wonderful Bonnie Greer said so much.

It's interesting how iconic Burnley remains to the BNP.

Mr Griffin claims it would have been different if it had taken place in Burnley instead of London. I'm not so sure!

Burnley was a centre of early BNP success but that was years ago when there were eight BNP councillors in Burnley and only seven Liberal Democrats.

Now the Liberal Democrats hold a majority on the council and the BNP are down to only four seats.

In the European elections the BNP came fifth behind all three main parties and UKIP – and in Pendle and Rossendale too.

As Chris Huhne said, this is the way to beat them at the polls. If they are exposed as unpleasant buffoons, it can only help. The people who expected a well-groomed and polished performance from Mr Griffin were disappointed. Those of us who hoped he would reveal some of the nonsense in the BNP's mantra couldn't believe our luck.

One of their daftest ideas is that the true British are descended from the pure blood of "aborigines living 17,000 years ago".

Much of Britain was still covered in ice then with a few stone age dwellers in the south possibly living in caves or crude shelters.

Presumably the BNP think the Celts (who were here when the Romans invaded), the later Anglo-Saxon, Danish and Viking settlers, and everyone since are all undesirable immigrants!

The BNP may be dangerous but they are also fools and it does no harm for that to be seen.