The BBC undercover film which exposed the tactics of the far-right British National Party should be a goad for soul searching.

So says Dr Philip Lewis, the inter-faith advisor to the Bishop of Bradford and a member of Bradford University's Peace Studies Department.

He says a lot of people have grievances which aren't being addressed and that situation is being exploited by the BNP. It raises, says Dr Lewis, sharp questions for us as a district.

He also believes the programme has cleared the air and it could be an incentive for us all to work harder. There are tensions and defects, and we have to devise a vocabulary to talk responsibly about those defects.

After the shock election results which saw two BNP candidates selected for Keighley, this newspaper called for a local body to have the courage to take the lead and put these grievances on the agenda for further public debate and discussion.

We said it was vital that we got our hands dirty and hopefully through full, open and frank discussion, addressed and began resolving some of these cross community issues. That soul-searching plea was to all sections of the community

The truth about BNP extremism needed to be told.

Yet, another serious television investigation into a truly awful crime was deferred, just before the elections, because police feared it might inflame racial tensions.

Channel 4 agreed to postpone, until next month, their documentary on how girls as young as twelve are being lured into prostitution, mainly it is alleged by Asian men.

Surely now it must be accepted that decisions such as that can only feed ignorance and suspicion and give openings to the likes of the BNP.

We will never achieve true community accord unless we find, as Dr Lewis says, the vocabulary to talk about the defects in our society -- and eliminate, no matter how faint, the scent of double standards.