[talkSAFT]

"......speaking up, challenging them and saying "actually mate, you're wrong about that, and this is why" is the better option."
Agree with you, Ska'd.
"People in power" or in the public eye have an obligation to help work towards a happy and friendly society, and BNP, UKIP, and other extremists should be laughed off the stage.
Challenging bigots in pubs will probably never work, though, because it will only fuel their fire and make them worse. So will PCers, telling them what to think.