Student politics being what they are I’ve left most of mine behind.  The one bit that I’ve always thought sensible was the no platform position for racists.

When I was a student, those further to the left than me argued (and occasionally a bit more than argued) that this should extend to the Conservative Party – who to be fair were winding us lefties up by inviting the apartheid era High Commissioner/Ambassador onto campus.  So I’d have thought that parties that take more extreme positions than the early 1990s Conservative Students had and have a history of racist propaganda might raise the same concerns.

Maybe things have moved on across the piece and the far left no longer support a no platform policy.  Anyway, a bit disappointing to see Ian Page (Socialist Party councillor for Telegraph Hill) seems to be comfortable to share a television studio with Hizb-ut Tahrir.

If I’ve misunderstood Ian’s position I’ll be happy to correct the impression I’ve been left with.

Further Reading:

Newsnight programme from 2003 – BBC

Hizb ut Tahrir’s different faces - Pickled Politics

Hizb ut Tahrir; Controversy over Anti-Semitism – Wikipedia