Bad Joke, Good Joke

While I was getting my head around how to start blogging last week, one of the big stories in the media was Jeremy Clarkson's comments about shooting striking public sector workers in front of their families.

I wouldn't expect anything else from the likes of Clarkson and despite his eventual half-hearted apology I can well believe he holds these views, what was scandalous is that he was given the chance to express his extreme right-wing opinions on prime time BBC One, dressed up as a joke as he later claimed, especially given his track record of offending the Welsh, Gypsies, Mexicans and very recently the families of suicide victims.

Of course he was always going to spew his venom towards the Unions and anyone else who dared to protest against the government cuts that certainly won’t be affecting his life much. There have been many calls for him to be sacked, which now seems unlikely as he makes the BBC too much money, and it has since been reported in the Daily Mail online (7.12.11) that the strike question was arranged beforehand with the producers.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069493/Jeremy-Clarkson.html

I don't want to stop chat show guests having opinions and I'm not calling for more censorship, I'm not even against people cracking sick jokes now and again, but on the BBC as a Public Service Provider, it needs to be balanced.

So I've got an idea for the One Show to balance things up and provide some 'provocative humour' for their more left-wing viewers. Maybe when Margaret Thatcher dies they should invite Arthur Scargill onto the show and let the former leader of The National Union of Mineworkers and the producers agree on him saying something a bit witty, something like saving the nation a load of money instead of wasting it on an expensive state funeral, especially during these tough times. How about simply throwing her down one of the many coal mines she helped close, it'll be fine and Arthur can always say sorry the next day, after all it was only a joke.