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Listed below are comments made by dotconnect between Tuesday, 20th October 2009 and Monday, 23rd November 2009 (17 Hours Ago) .

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Changing headlines 6:05pm on 23 Nov 2009 Glad I'm not the only one who has absolutely no idea what SSnotbanned is on about.
Changing headlines 3:19pm on 20 Nov 2009 This seems reasonable to me.

No doubt sometimes, the journalists (or headline writers) will get it wrong. But broadly, I see no problem here. If anything, I'm happier with slightly longer and less tabloidy headlines.
Website problems 09:38am on 09 Nov 2009 Steve - I would just like to register my horrendous lack of disgust. I didn't even notice there was a problem (and I use the site all the time).

I don't know why I pay my licence fee...

Yours
in Tunbridge Wells
Nutt gets the sack 8:03pm on 30 Oct 2009 #1,noleafclover1000

"Politics before academics and intelligence - the labour way."

Indeed. But be under no doubt - it would also be the Tory way.
Nick Griffin on Question Time 4:35pm on 24 Oct 2009 @perfectbluelauren
"Griffin is a legend! he is only intrested in makin britain better and saying what other people are thinkin but too scared to say"

Most likely too scared because the intellectual bankruptcy of their views will be shown up, as was Griffin's when he started on about what he deemed the indigenous population of Britain. And then the Holocaust. And the KKK...

To any reasonably intelligent and sane person, Griffin should be an embarrassment. He should have had you squirming in your seats.

That he has 'apparently' gained support from his appearance on QT is not a sign of his intellectual strength. It's a sign of the public's intellectual weakness. (Anyone offended by that statement should perhaps stick to their favourite maxim that political correctness should not trump honesty.)

You don't have to agree with the main parties' immigration policies to recognise Griffin's party for the sinister joke that it is. Oh sure, it's easy (and fashionable) to glibly dismiss Labour as "just the same, or worse" - but it's intellectually dishonest. Labour are an authoritarian, tired, mess of a party. But to downplay the huge moral difference between the main parties and the BNP is to delude yourself - and it's a mistake that may one day cost us all dearly.

As for this great myth that everyone's too scared to talk about immigration - what tired and tedious exaggeration this is. Sure, a few people might be too quick to shout racist, a few organisations might be too quick to moderate comments, but other than that, you'll find everywhere from the pubs to the press (including BBC platforms like HYS) are full of comments about immigration, and outrageous generalisations about Muslims.

The trouble with the silent majority is that, too often, they are neither.
Nick Griffin on Question Time 12:21pm on 23 Oct 2009 @NorthernPunk

"but you know what, i do feel uncomfortable seeing grown men kiss one another, its a fact, and i think many people feel the same, even though they do not hate gay people."

And you know what? I feel uncomfortable seeing old people kiss one another. Or ugly people. Or obese people. And I think many people feel the same, even though they do not hate old, ugly or obese people. A truly enlightened person doesn't base their morality on visceral reactions.

"I don't think we should teach homosexuality in schools"

Whenever people word it like this, it makes it sound like the mechanics of gay sex are being taught in schools! They are not and never have been. The only thing schools do is acknowledge that gay people exist and gay relationships exist. And yes it is NORMAL - it's normal that there is a minority of people who are gay. That's as normal as there being a minority who are left-handed. No-one tries to suggest it's a majority characteristic, or tries to persuade children to become gay. People like Griffin who use words like "teaching" and "promoting" homosexuality are tapping into that fear, trying to scare parents by appealing to that visceral discomfort I just spoke of.

"we should provide support to children who are sexually confused, but it should be on their terms, and not imposed through teaching."

Agreed. And on adoption...

Can you imagine the bullying beyond the school gates?"
That's a circular argument - essentially, gay adoption is wrong because there are people who think it's wrong. We would never have moved forward if odious views hadn't been challenged. Now if your argument is about the strengths and weaknesses of two fathers/mothers rather than one of each, then that's a valid one. I don't have an answer because I'm not a psychologist/sociologist and I realise that what people think of as "common sense" can sometimes be way off base.
Nick Griffin on Question Time 09:22am on 23 Oct 2009 It's hilarious to see all the right wing extremists flooding the boards this morning, accusing the QT audience of being "full of Guardian readers" and the BBC of orchestrating this.

It's the only way the poor dears have of saving face.

They can't possibly accept that their hero showed himself up badly last night and revealed his true colours. The guy didn't need editing or selective questioning - he dug his own grave with his ludicrous nonsense.

He's been exposed and his fans are embarrassed and frustrated.

(And I say that as someone who has absolutely no time for the 3 main parties, but at least recognizes there is a scale of unpleasantness to be judged here)
Is all publicity good publicity? 4:34pm on 21 Oct 2009 @uk-anti-racist

"There is not one passage in the Koran that tells muslims to love anyone but another muslim. This is why the majority of alleged moderate muslims do not take to the streets to say that terrorism and murder of opponents is wrong."

Oh really? That's the reason? So it's not that moderate Muslims are just getting on with their lives like the rest of us? The reason the 30 Muslim members of my family don't take to the streets protesting is because they don't love anyone but other Muslims, and has nothing to do with working all day, coming home, seeing to the kids, and so on? Come on! Get real.

"Let's not talk about extremeist islam. Let's talk about the Koran. It contains many specific commands on muslims to go to war and to kill non-muslims."

The problem with your argument is that the Bible, while not as bloodthirsty, IS STILL bloodthirsty. And not just the Old Testament. Fortunately there are progressive moderate Christians and there are progressive moderate Muslims. That there is a greater proportion of the former than the latter is not something I would dispute, but I would strongly disagree with you on (a) the causes of that disparity, and (b) the best way to nurture moderation and progressivism in Muslims. The BNP solution will encourage extremism and division and make the problem a lot worse.

I'm not even going to tackle you on your casual downplaying of their position towards homosexuality - your own (alleged) sexual orientation - because I don't for a minute believe you are who you say you are. BNP plants are going to have to come up with more credible 'profiles' for opinion-forming than you have here. Thankfully most people can see through you.
Is all publicity good publicity? 10:46am on 21 Oct 2009 uk-anti-racist:

"I'm gay and married to an asian..."
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Same here.

"...we are more worried about the failure of successive governments to stem the rise of islam in Europe"
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Islam is a perfectly legitimate religion or belief system. You obviously don't hold freedom of belief (and expression) in very high regard if you think governments should be trying to "stem" it. In that sense, it's easy to see why the BNP might appeal to you.

By all means stem extremism, stem criminality, counter backwards attitudes to homosexuality and people of different colours and beliefs to ourselves - but then that's what us opponents of the BNP have been doing for donkey's years.

And that's the funny thing. When it comes to freedom of belief and expression, the BNP have more in common with extremist Islam than their adherents ever care to admit. It's one of the great ironies of our time.

Personally, I just wish both nasty sects of this right-wing (BNP supporters and Islamists) could be bundled off somewhere, leaving us progressives - Muslim and non-Muslim - to get on with living sensibly and maturely.
BNP's 'hang generals' just 'humour' 9:42pm on 20 Oct 2009 Question Time is simply not the best platform to challenge Griffin (or ANYONE for that matter). It's just spectacle and confrontation dressed up as debate. It's entertaining, it's well-chaired by Dimbleby, but it's not the place to engage in serious debate. The bar is set too low.

And that's my fear with Griffin - that this plays to his advantage. There's the very real risk that he will come across well - as the underdog, the anti-establishment figure. He'll reveal his anti-war credentials, he'll correct some of the incorrect myths about the BNP (legitimate ones) and he'll attack the 3 main parties, which is always a popular thing to do. I hope I'm wrong, but I honestly think his party's image will benefit from this.

If the BBC was serious about challenging him, they should have got him a 30min slot on Hard Talk where he can be grilled with real questions by someone like Stephen Sackur, and where each point is followed-up. Now that would have exposed him.

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