VOA标准英语2009年-British Far Right Politician's TV Appearan

By Jennifer Glasse
London
23 October 2009

 
Demonstrators in London protest TV appearance by Nick Griffin
The appearance of a far-right politician on a BBC political program has sparked controversy¹. Anti-fascist protesters broke through the BBC gates demonstrating against the appearance of the British National Party leader Nick Griffin's TV appearance. The free speech debate focused on the issues of having Griffin on the program and whether his appearance benefited, or detracted from, his party.

The decision to invite Griffin to appear on the program was controversial from the start. Griffin and the BNP hold extremist views on immigration and race. The party's constitution bans non-whites from being members.

Much of the debate about the BBC program was on the BBC itself. Before the TV program was broadcast, former London Mayor Ken² Livingstone told BBC radio the corporation was wrong. "It seems to me the BBC has lost the moral compass… in the last year we've had the decision the BBC wouldn't broadcast the conference against climate change because they thought it was too partisan³, wouldn't have an appeal for the fund for the victims in Gaza, but is quite prepared to give Nick Griffin prime time TV," he said.

On the same program, the BBC's Deputy Director General Mark Byford defended the decision. "The BBC's job is to secure due impartiality⁴ and in securing due impartiality on what is a premiere political discussion program, it is right in our belief that the BNP should have an appearance," he said.

Byford said because the BNP had garnered⁵ a million votes in the European Parliament elections, about the same support as the environmental Green Party, its leader was invited on the broadcaster's premiere political program, Question Time. "It is for the BBC, knowing that the party was allowed to stand in the European elections and other elections, then to judge their level of support, to then say, it is therefore fair for them to have a place on Question Time to be challenged along side other political parties as well. And for the public to hear their views and for the public to make up their own minds," he said.

Gideon Rachman, a chief commentator⁶ for London's "Financial Times" newspaper says the decision made sense. "I think it was an upholding of the basic principles of freedom of speech. After all it's very easy to defend the rights for people to speak who you agree with. The point is to defend the rights of people you don't agree with. That's the idea of a democracy, that all opinions are heard," he said.

As Nick Griffin arrived at the studios for the show, protesters had to be held back. Some anti-fascist demonstrators had earlier broken through the BBC security barriers.

On the program itself, Griffin was constantly challenged, as in this exchange, where he tries to explain his stance on immigration.

NICK GRIFFIN: "The government's own figures, according to demographers⁷ at Oxford⁸ University, show that the indigenous⁹ British the people who've been here... "

JACK¹⁰ STRAW: "The whites, the whites"

NICK GRIFFIN: "Skin color's irrelevant¹¹ Jack, skin color's irrelevant."

JACK STRAW: "what do you mean by whiteness, indigenous"

OTHER PANELIST: "Why are you against mixed marriage"

HOST DAVID DIMBLEBY: "Wait wait, if you all attack on different fronts we'll get nowhere."

A main criticism of Griffin and the BNP , is that it's predjudiced against non-whites. On the program, Griffin tried to distance himself from that stance.

NICK GRIFFIN: "The indigenous people of these islands, the English, the Scots the Irish and the Welsh"

JACK STRAW: "The whites"

NICK GRIFFIN: "The color is irrelevant it's the people who have been here overwhelmingly for the last 17,000 years, we are the aborigines here."

The BNP is unhappy with the way the program was run, says John Walker, the party's spokesman. "There were so many issues that they should have been discussing. It wasn't a normal question time, it was let's have a go at Nick Griffin time," he said.

Kelvin MacKenzie, a former newspaper editor and commentator says the show had to be about Griffin. "This was a first and therefore you had to deal with his absurd and vile¹² policies and the analysis of them had to take a long time and you had to get right down deep into him and how he thought," he said.

The BNP leader himself plans to launch a formal complaint about the program. "The British public, millions of extra people that tuned¹³ in last night, are aghast by the display of bias¹⁴ from the BBC, the venom¹⁵ from the political class, and the sheer unfairness. That was not a genuine Question Time, that was a lynch mob," he said,

One commentator called the appearance the biggest TV event since David Frost interviewed Richard Nixon in 1977. Whether it has done anything to help or hinder the right wing BNP party won't be clear until the next round of British public opinion polls or until Britain's next country-wide election, expected in 2010.

 

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

3 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

4 impartiality   

n. 公平, 无私, 不偏

参考例句：

• He shows impartiality and detachment. 他表现得不偏不倚，超然事外。
• Impartiality is essential to a judge. 公平是当法官所必需的。

5 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句

6 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

7 demographers   

n.人口统计学( demography的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Demographers, however, point out that the'single" trend will have a profound effect on American institutions. 不过，人口学家们指出，“单身”趋势将对美国的公共机构产生深远的影响。 来自时文部分
• Selectivity of human migration long been the focus of demographers and economists. 人口迁移的选择性一直以来都是人口学家和经济学家关注的焦点。 来自互联网

8 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

9 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

10 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

11 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

12 vile   

adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的

参考例句：

• Who could have carried out such a vile attack?会是谁发起这么卑鄙的攻击呢？
• Her talk was full of vile curses.她的话里充满着恶毒的咒骂。

13 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

15 venom   

n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨

参考例句：

• The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.毒蛇咬住猎物之后马上注入毒液。
• In fact,some components of the venom may benefit human health.事实上，毒液的某些成分可能有益于人类健康。