Nick Griffin

Nicholas John Griffin (born 1 March 1959) is a British politician who represented North West England as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 to 2014. He served as chairman and then president of the far-right British National Party (BNP) from 1999 to 2014, when he was expelled from the party.

Born in Barnet, Griffin was educated at Woodbridge School in Suffolk. He joined the National Front at the age of fourteen and, following his graduation from the University of Cambridge, became a political worker for the party. In 1980 he became a member of its governing body, and later wrote articles for several right-wing magazines. He was the National Front's candidate for the seat of Croydon North West in 1981 and 1983, but left the party in 1989. In 1995 he joined the BNP and in 1999 became its leader. He stood as the party's candidate in several elections and became a member of the European Parliament for North West England in the 2009 European elections.

In 1998 Griffin was convicted of distributing material likely to incite racial hatred, for which he received a suspended prison sentence. In 2006 he was acquitted of separate charges of inciting racial hatred. Griffin has been criticised for many of his comments on political, social, ethical and religious matters, but after becoming leader of the BNP he sought to distance himself from some of his previously held positions, which include Holocaust denial. In recent years, events where Griffin has been invited to participate in public debates or political discussions have proven controversial and often resulted in protests and cancellations.

Nick

Nick may refer to:

People, names, and nicknames

Griffin

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Greek: γρύφων, grýphōn, or γρύπων, grýpōn, early form γρύψ, grýps; Latin: gryphus) is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle the king of birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. The griffin was also thought of as king of all creatures. Griffins are known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions.Adrienne Mayor, a classical folklorist, proposes that the griffin was an ancient misconception derived from the fossilized remains of the Protoceratops found in gold mines in the Altai mountains of Scythia, in present-day southeastern Kazakhstan, or in Mongolia. In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine.

Etymology

The derivation of this word remains uncertain. It could be related to the Greek word γρυπός (grypos), meaning 'curved', or 'hooked'. Also, this could have been an Anatolian loan word, compare Akkadian karūbu (winged creature), and similar to Cherub. A related Hebrew word is כרוב (kerúv).

Question Time (TV series)

Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions? The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer pre-selected questions put to them by an audience selected on the basis of its political views and demographic. The independent production company Mentorn has made the programme for the BBC since 1998.Question Time is presented by David Dimbleby.

It is usually recorded about two hours prior to transmission, but occasionally it has been broadcast live.

Until 2010 BBC One Northern Ireland replaced Question Time with the more local debate show Let's Talk at least once a month hosted by Mark Carruthers but this show has been axed and brought under the Spotlight brand and is now shown once a month on Tuesday night with Noel Thompson. Nowadays BBC One NI have their own political show called The View: this is broadcast live from 10.35pm to 11.05pm, presented by Mark Carruthers, and is followed by Question Time. Occasionally, if Question Time is made in Northern Ireland, it would be broadcast at the same time as the rest of the UK; as in September 2011 when it was broadcast from Derry, and in May 2013 when the programme was from Belfast.

Andrew Marr

Andrew William Stevenson Marr (born 31 July 1959) is a British broadcaster and journalist. Beginning his career as a political commentator, he subsequently edited The Independent (1996–98), and was political editor of BBC News (2000–05). He began hosting a political programme—Sunday AM, now called The Andrew Marr Show—on Sunday mornings on BBC One from September 2005. In 2002, Marr took over as host of BBC Radio 4's long-running Start the Week Monday morning discussion programme .

In 2007 he presented a political history of post-war Britain on BBC Two, Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain, followed by a prequel in 2009, Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain, focusing on the period between 1901 and 1945. In 2010, he presented a series, Andrew Marr's Megacities (the title distinguishes it from another Megacities series), examining the life, development and challenges of some of the largest cities in the world. In early 2012 he presented The Diamond Queen, a three-part series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. In late September 2012, Marr began presenting Andrew Marr's History of the World, a new series examining the history of human civilisation.