UNTIE 4

How many people are there without a sense of humour?
21,335 apparently.
That is, as of this morning, the number of complaints which the BBC has received over Jeremy Clarkson's comments on the One Show. Asked what he thought of the strikers, at first he responded "Fabulous. Fantastic." He went on to twist this, indicating that his enthusiasm was because he could now drive through empty streets and get a seat in empty restaurants. Then he said "as this is the BBC we'd better show some balance." The balance he gave was to suggest that all the strikers should be shot - and for good emphasis, he added "taken out and executed in front of their families."
Furore.
Was it funny?
Yes.
How do I know?
Because a lot of people in the studio audience were laughing.
That's the trouble with jokes, isn't it? They're almost always going to upset someone. They are by nature, unfair.
Clarkson is a joker. I don't think he would see himself any other way. He positions his joke persona within reactionary, nationalistic zeal. He's apologized for offence. Laugh. Get over it.
There's a deeper thing, though. To the left wing overlords of the Unions, who have threatened to explore legal action and to see if there is a case for "inciting hatred", your sense of humour failure betrays you. Your political religion is based on a whinging about fairness, a teenage sounding tone of voice, kicking against a parental projection of class, advantage, privilege, "fairness" or whatever else you are whinging about. I could love the equality doctrine within it, were it not for this unattractive tone of voice -a marked lack of relaxed good humour, nowhere more exemplified than in the humorless, sneaky, tiresome adolescent Ed Millipede. Though I have sympathy for anyone, anywhere in any sector whose pension is being cut, these proposals are in line with the review of public sector pensions headed by thee labour Lord, Lord Hutton, which identified the clear unsustainability of the existing arrangements.
Fairness? Get over that and you are on the way to a political maturity. Treating a joker as a joker would indicate you are on the path.