Actually Edthefolkie, your statement regarding the Times article is both incorrect and misleading. For what it's worth,the scorecard which Sam Coates used allocated 7/10 to both Jack Straw and Nick Griffin - in fact David Dimbleby was the winner (if there was such a thing) with an overall of 8/10, whilst Bonnie Greer came out bottom of the poll with 2/10.

Your analysis completely ignores the fact that the so called score card was based on a total of five facets of the individual's performance each of which presumably contributed towards the overall score -
Game plan
Vote winner
Vote loser
Crowd pleaser
Exit poll


Just to set out exactly what Mr Coates said in his analysis for each of the individuals

Jack Straw

Game plan: Arguing that the BNP is a one-policy party where everything flows from their views on race

Vote winner: Demolishing Mr Griffin's argument that European law prevented him from giving his views on the Holocaust

Vote loser:Claiming that Labour has immigration under control and that it was not the reason people vote for the BNP in the North West

Crowd pleaser:Pointing out Mr Griffin went to Libya "to get the funding they gave to the IRA"

Exit Poll: Of all the politicians Mr Straw was the most passionate and quick witted. But he disputed rather than acknowledged voter dissatisfaction.



Nick Griffin

Game Plan:To acknowledge that "the elite" hates him, deny extremisim and concentrate on key messagees on standing up for "the English"

Vote winner:Looking sincere when saying that journalists misquoted him, and make him look like "a monster"


Vote loser: Suggesting a wizard of the Ku Klux Klan is "non violent"

Crowd pleaser: "You people (pointing to Mr Straw) wouldn't let us have our name (the English) on the census form"

Exit Poll: Despite a couple of early wobbles, he got his key dog whistle messages across in an hour of prime time TV and by portraying himself as hated, made himself look like a victim of "an establishment"

On the basis of that it is clear that Griffin did not earn points from Mr Coates on the strength of his political debate ... more by playing to the gallery, and manipulating the situation to his own ends ... witness the use of the words "key dog whistle messages".

And nowhere in his section of the article is there any mention of the matter of the parentage of either of the protagonists.

(Points achieved in the article by the other panellists were : Chris Huhne 5/10, Baroness Warsi 4/10, David Dimbleby 8/10 and Bonnie Greer 2/10)