Thursday, March 20, 2008

Its Goodbye to Humour.

Don't visit this blog in future, if you are looking for any attempt at humour. The BBC have seen to that today. I've had to accept that my sense of humour must be eliminated from this blog, because no matter how inoffensive I try to be, it has the capacity to self-inflict embarrassment. And me a declared feminist as well.



A few days ago, I blogged about Heather Mills pouring a jug of water over her ex-husbands barrister's head. It was an attempt to be funny, but the BBC's David Cornock reported me to the Shadow Secretary of Wales, and I suspect several others as well. The BBC have also run a story about this on their internet news site and Good Evening Wales asked me on to explain myself on air. For the first time in my life, I refused to appear, and I'm not going to approve any more comments on the offending post either. I would delete it, except that I think it would give the story more legs. I'm rather surprised by this turn of events.



For me, there is an important point in all this though. Now I'm not racist, homophobic, sexist, fatist, or any other ist for that matter. But I do see humour in most things. But if my humour is going to produce stories which undermine my commitment to equality, its just got to stop. I thought I had become fairly politically correct, but there clearly remain a few loose ends for me to tie up before I become a fully-fledged 'identikit' parliamentary candidate. In the meantime dear readers, you will now have to visit elsewhere to find pathetic attempts at humour.

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should be pleased that you are getting some coverage Glyn. At least you are funnier than Lembit Opik.

Anonymous said...

How would you like it if a man told you to wear a wet t shirt. I bet you would lose votes if you did. LOL. Maybe this will you the man's vote.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

Glyn> don’t be too taken with Lib Dem MP Jenny Willott's game of "PC gotcha".

While the Lib-Dems are so very keen on trying to convince the public that they are camped out on the moral high ground - let's not forget that the Lib-Dems treat our seniors with utter contempt and despite there many public utterances on giving more power to the people at local level the Lib-Dems apply "Animal Farm doctrine" as evidenced in Cardiff where the Lib-Dem Council run roughshod over the objections of working people in Llanrumney (re: Eastern Leisure Centre), but listen attentively to you if you happen to live in upper class Cyn Coed.

In short, the Lib-Dem party is all show and no substance.

Anonymous said...

Glyn, I think the most offensive thing about your post was that it wasn't really all that funny..

Still, you are now in good company, now that the rozzers have taken Basil Brush into custody...

Anonymous said...

I hope you grind the Liberal Democrats to dust at the next General Election. Keep going. We will back you all the way.

Southpaw Grammar said...

Glyn,

Honestly your tone has the common touch, and is based in real world. I wouldnt worry about it...

strapworld said...

Glyn,

Why respond in this way?
Eamon Holmes on Sky the other morning in the newsppaer review with John Gaunt both agreed that she looked much better! as does a letter in the Telegraph this day!

We all know the Liberal Democrats are devoid of humour.

The public are wiser!

As for the BBC Brown's Broadcasting Corporation. Ignore them. When the tories are elected there will be the biggest purge of that organisation and all the left dominated newsrooms will be out looking for jobs!

Anonymous said...

Lib Dems know all about humour - after all, they've been a joke for years. Remember that great comedy moment from David Steel: "Go back to your constituencies - and prepare for government" what century did he mean they'd win a general election?

Glyn Davies said...

All - I'm afraid that I do worry about it. I do not want to cause offence to Jenny Willott, or anyone else for that matter. What I thought to be entirely innocuous turned out not to be so. The BBC are clearly looking through my posts, searching for a comment that is inappropriate, and giving it big coverage. I had already decided to switch my blogging to my Welsh Language blog when I reached 1000 posts - and there's still 50 to go. Just don't expect any more attempts at humour.

Deleted said...

I've always found you the funniest with your self-deprecating humour. i.e. the record shop story.

Please keep that up, it shows you're human and politically won't do you any harm either. The Brits love those who can laugh at themselves.

Tony Banks was always best at that.

Anonymous said...

Glyn I am a feminist and yu didnt upset me.For heavens sake have we now got the Thought Police watching the blogs
OMg I put whole load of Tommy Cooper Jokes on mine this week I have better watch.
Glyn please stay English too,I dont read Welsh and enjoy your Blog.

Benny said...

Well I'd better rethink my introduction to British politics if we're not allowed a sense of humour.
I'm ashamed to say that Jenny is my MP, I hope this makes people realise how much of a left-wing feminist she is.

Miss Wagstaff said...

I find it hard to believe that people found it offensive. It was merely a light hearted remark, and I'm more saddened that it has got this much coverage.

The wet look did give Ms Shackleton a 'rather fetching appearance', and I agree with Marcus, that your tone has the common touch, and is based in the real world. Wet T-shirt remarks won't affect your standing among the electorate, and as for Jenny Willott's comment, "It does suggest same old Tories" - God only knows what she means by that, other than a cheap political remark.

Anonymous said...

For Heaven's sake, don't ever relinquish humour to the politically correct. You and the world will be the worse for it. More tellingly, you'll lose votes.

Anonymous said...

Acually the barrister is a good Roman Catholic Welshman by the name of Mostyn ....

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

It's more likely Glyn that someone reading your posts (not directly connected to the BBC, just someone who saw a "news story") who then contacted a friend or contact at the BBC. The BBC is known as a great manufacturer of news stories - Brit Hume, a very respected news anchor man reported that the BBC had "manufactured a news story about the Israelis destroying the house of the person who shot dead several people at a Jewish seminary within hours of the shootings - just one problem with this BBC news story, the house is still standing".

The BBC news side has simply lost it. The BBC are biased, left-wing, and intent on changing the world, and in particular, what Britain stands for - all on your coin.

What the BBC doesn’t do is provide objective news coverage - for example, they publish the Lib-Dem mock upset while forgetting to mention that a Lib-Dem front bench member recently engaged in rent boy sex, another in random sex, then there was the big push to get out Ming because he looked/sounded old.

The Lib-Dem Party is all about show - all about form and no substance. Their’s is a shallow party, so I don't know why you worry about upsetting one of them.

I just loved Ms Willott's cheap shot comment: "It does suggest same old Tories."

So Ms Willott, what does the rent boy antics of a Lib-Dem MP say about the Lib-Dems? Do you apply the same PC standards to your fellow Lib-Dem MPs? Do you agree that a Lib-Dem MP paying for rent boy sex "suggest same old Lib-Dems"? Or are you going to stay silent on that score? What does this say about your credibility and judgment Ms. Willott?

What about Simon Hughes, the Lib Dem leader? His random sex scandal, he's still a Lib-Dem MP - but only because he wasn't caught doing rent boy sex like Lib-Dem member Mark Oaten.

What is your view Ms. Willott on Simon Hughes practicing random risky sex - via newspaper ads?

Simon Hughes actually attacked Peter Tatchell with a "straight choice" campaign leaflet. What say you Ms. Willott about that disgusting attack on Peter Tatchell? The hypocrisy of the attack? What say you Ms. Willott? One newspaper noted that these actions led to "the dirtiest and most notorious by election in British political history". What a short or disjointed memory Ms. Willott must have.

It is amazing that Ms. Willott can stand there with a straight face playing "political gotcha" when some members of the Lib-Dem front bench team have engaged in rent boy sex and hypocritical libel.

Savonarola said...

Why take any notice of either the BBC or some MP who feels she must comment on a perfectly harmless and non offensive comment on Miss S's dunking. And I do think the lady looked rather more interesting apres her water treatment. Your tongue in cheek T shirt recommendation would have brought a smile to Miss S's cheery face in sharp contrast to Ms Willott's wasp chewing reaction.

I suspect she is a busybody.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry.You've proved beyond reasonable doubt that Cornock & co at the Beeb are a bunch of po-faced,humourless,politically correct Stalinists who can dish it out but cannot take it.As for the libdems,I am tempted to use the words of the immortal Peter Cook,but your blog may be in too much trouble already.Given Opik's antics,you need not worry about losing any votes.

Unknown said...

It has to be said the "freedom of speech" belonged to the 20th Century.
The present century has introduced "political correctness" to replace it along with "spin" and it is pervading and undermining the values which still remain.
Stand firm, resist the trend, and make full use of humour and satire.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

Come on Glyn, don't be upset with the silly Taleban of PC, Ms. Willott. Learn the political version of Jujutsu - use the attacker's attack against the attacker. Learn it like an art form until it becomes a reflex action. Only use it when an opponent attacks you. "Be soft like a butterfly but sting like a bee" - who said that or something like that? But don't crumble like apple pie because a member of the PC Taliban has a poke at you. By next week it will all be forgotten, but I don't see why you are so soft on Ms. PC Taliban.

Anonymous said...

I don't remember Jenny Willot complaining when one of her male colleagues in the bay put around an offensive e-mail about Elinor Burnham.

A case of double standards perhaps?

Anonymous said...

I see your point, but this is the price you pay to have the want to be an MP.
The BBC will no doubt look at most blogs.
How do you know that the shadow Sec has taken a dim view?
Was a bollocking in orderor have you prempted any action?

Anonymous said...

"I had already decided to switch my blogging to my Welsh Language blog when I reached 1000 posts."

Well that's really going to increase your readership!

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

Sorry, I've been worked off my feet and missed your remark, "... the BBC's David Cornock reported me to the Shadow Secretary of Wales".

Well this figures - it seems to be BBC news policy to manufacture news, so reporting you to the Shadow Secretary of Wales is another synthetic news-feather in the BBC's cap.

I have caught out the BBC so many times for manufacturing news stories, the latest one was even picked up here in the USA wherein the BBC news fabricated a news story about Israel claiming Israeli authorities leveled the home of a murderer "within hours" of the shooting at a Jewish seminary. Not true - but yes, there is a debate going on to do just that, but the house was still standing.

The BBC ran a manufactured news story some years ago, which I asked them to look into (got no reply). About a doctor in the DC metro area refusing treat a patient because she didn't have health insurance. I asked the BBC to provide me with the name and address of the doctor and the patient who according to the BBC couldn't get treatment from the doctor - I volunteered to take this matter up on behalf of the patient - got no reply from the BBC and later couldn't find the article on their online 'news' website.

The BBC is in the game of manufacturing and/or twisting news that fits their hidden political agenda. So nothing they do surprises me ... I mean to say, a BBC news journalist making a news story by reporting a politician to the Shadow Secretary of Wales just speaks to the inbred bias at the BBC synthetic news business.

Unknown said...

Don't go PC Glyn, it wouldn't suit you! Keep it up! One of our very few (and welcome) off-message politicians of the real world

Anonymous said...

You made a joke. Perhaps not a great joke, maybe even a lousy joke. Maybe at the right time/place a lacerating joke that would have people peeing their pants.

WHERE'S THE PROBLEM??

Thee hypocrisy of the criticism is disgusting.

Anonymous said...

Humour?

My site couldn't exist without it dear boy!

Lembit Opik has the funniest face I've seen for years, it must look even funnier in the rain!

Keep up the good work.

Glyn Davies said...

All - lots of comments on this. I, too thought the original post to be innocuous, but that doesn't make much difference. The reality is that the BBC's Parliamentary correspondent thought them sufficiently inappropriate that he approached the Shadow Secretary for Wales and others. The BBC then decided that the issue was so serious that the Corporation gave it top billing on its Online service and ran the story on their flagship programme Good Evening Wales. The BBC dominate the Welsh media news service. Their decision will have been carefully considered. I have a lot of respect for BBC Wales. I simply cannot take the risk of this happening again.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

Yes, the BBC dominate the news service – the BBC thinks your humour is a more important news story than the BBC’s latest bit of news manufacturing – the leveling of a house that was not leveled within a few hours of the Jewish seminary shooting as falsely reported by the ‘great’ BBC. I can’t say that their decision to manufacture a news story was carefully considered. It seems the BBC doesn’t care about publishing accurate news stories. The BBC routinely twists the facts to suit their political agenda – and of course, c/o the British taxpayer. Glyn, I wouldn't cow to the BBC - but I realize since they are a very powerful 'news' service in Wales, I realize your predicament.

Anonymous said...

Glyn,
if you're not prepared to be yourself, you're not ready to be a blogger. If the political parties want to embrace the whole web 2.0 culture, they need to accept that sometimes people say things other people find tasteless.

I'm not, and never have been a conservative. You therefore didn't have my vote to lose. You still haven't got it (but since I'm not in your constituency, anyway, that doesn't really matter). You do however have my sympathy and backing in this issue... (although I'll happily argue with you on other things!)

I understand your reaction ("I'd better be more careful in future") but frankly this is one of the reasons for increased disillusionment in politics; the country don't want rent-a-quote self-assembly DIY identikit MPs. They want people who actually represent them. Who share their views, their bad jokes and so on.

Anonymous said...

Of course there's room for humour in politics, all politicians are clowns.


I wonder how you'd feel if every other door you canvessed at threw a jug of water over you. Maybe you should try the wet t-shirt look, 'cos as a Tory, you've nothing original to add to the clown-fest the other 'major' parties can offer.

Good luck in getting elected, get your 'snout' in the trough of public money, two houses-minimum, jobs for family and friends as 'assistants', jet around the world and preach to the 'common man' about global warming, tax the arse off them for what ever reason one can think off, plant a tree to save the environment, loads of expenses and 18 weeks off a year + weekends. It's a hard life.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

What of the BBC – it’s ‘news’ man David Cornock complaining about Glyn Davies to the Shadow Secretary of Wales over an alleged un-PC comment all the while the BBC is reduced to sending its own staff on courses to underscore the importance of the relationship of trust which should exist between the broadcaster and the viewer. This is in response to the series of BBC scandals about faked competition-winners and BBC phone-in scandals.

johnny foreigner said...

Glyn.

You may have noticed that this pathetic attempt at discrediting you, coincides with the LibDems support for Lembit's moaning about Sian Lloyds newly published book, which doesn't portray him in a particularly good light. We knew all about him anyway. It's no secret.

You have clearly got them rattled with your prospective candidature and they will probably try further smear tactics.

I really don't see the point in confining your blogging activities to the Welsh language. The BBC can read Welsh you know. You would also deprive we monoglots of an interesting, frequently visited and worthwhile blog.

You have plainly shown that you have the 'common touch', I'm reading it afterall and a close relationship with reality which, maybe, makes your opponents somewhat envious. Do you know of a good LibDem blog? I sure I don't.

I hope that the majority of comments to date have assured you that you have a great deal of support out here for you as a person irrespective of our political differences.

You're not a bad bloke really, despite what they say about you.

I would suggest to the po-faced Ms. Willott that she takes herself off to Guido Fawkes blog, order-order, for a reality check on general opinion about the LibDems and their antics. I would suggest that she puts a clothes peg on her nose as the smell of poo can get a bit heavy.

I would heartily echo jackp's comment above.

If you choose to moderate this comment, I would fully understand. The main thing is that you get the message.

Your pal.

johnny.

Anonymous said...

Have you seen the BBC website headline: "A Conservative makes no apology for his jokes about the soaking given to Sir Paul McCartney's divorce lawyer"?

A public apology would be a good idea. Get the kicking out of the way and move on. Otherwise the whole issue will continue.

Anonymous said...

The Lady looks so much nicier after the waterfall. BBC is playing bad games.
Sur I like her so much more with wet hair, and that smile!
Forget it, i'm married, alas.
Yan from Surbiton

Anonymous said...

Just remember that George Orwell based the Ministry of Truth in "1984" on his experiences in working as a producer for the BBC.

Ian Titherington said...

Glyn, I doubt that Lembit will thank Jenny Willot for making such a fuss; it is not going to cost you any votes. Let's face it, you are a little 'unreconstructed' but that is part of your charm.

I noticed the comment from 'anon' about the e-mail sent around a few months ago by Peter Black's Assembly office PC, making very offensive remarks about Ms. Burnham. It was supposed to be done with humour but from the copy I saw, it was more bitter, twisted and rather personal. Yet Ms. Willot had nothing to say on this?
As a trade union rep, such actions are classed as clear harassment and bullying. The Lib Dems have always defined hypocricy in politics for me.

Don't sweat over it and have a good Easter.

Glyn Davies said...

all - the comment about me being 'unreconstucted' hurt. Its the case that what is acceptable as humour has changed hugely through my lifetime - and I've worked at 'restructuring' myself. Its just that there's a bit more to do. I'm always ready to apologise to anyone to whom I have inadvertantly caused offence, so next time I see Jenny, I will apologise. I did once offend Eleanor Burnham, and had to apologise for that. As for meeting Ms Shackleton, I think I'll just run for it.

Anonymous said...

Poor old Glyn
It's the price of politics by the look of it.
Yet here appears to be a man that would do some one a good turn, what ever their politics may be.
I sell gollies in my shop on principle, they are a soft toy.
Glyn,
sod the lot of them, stand for council again and enjoy the rest of your free time,and your family.

Anonymous said...

"next time I see Jenny, I will apologise."

Don't you dare! That's exactly what the harridan wants! She is a (sort of) politician so she is playing a political game. Ignore her!

Anonymous said...

just wanted to say the bigger story here is why the BBC wont put the sort of scrutiny on the Labour Party and its Ministers in Cardiff Bay as they did for what you did or didn't mean when you wrote a blog post the other day,
speaks volumes of BBC Wales's priorities and im not a supporter of either party.

Keep up the good work Glyn.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

Glyn,

The public can discern that the Lib-Dems are all about matters of form and not substance.

I know you don’t want to criticize Lembit Opik, but it is a fair comment to make that Lembit has engaged in antics that don't speak to representing the needs of the people of Montgomeryshire

If the people of Montgomeryshire want change but don't vote for you they are going to wake up one morning to another five years of Lembit Opik.

I think Boris (source of the raw material) would approve the above comments.

Glyn Davies said...

anon - thanks for the kind advice, but actually, poor old Glyn can look after himself.

notmaxclifford - its just too ungallant to refer to Jenny as a 'harridan'. One of the features of the 'unreconstucted' is that we tend to be polite to women, and do things like insist they go through doors first and offer up our seats to them - and only under the most extreme provocation would we refer to them as harridans

Anonymous said...

"Humour - very difficult"

was how the trainer at our induction programme deflated the embarrassed silence after one group tried to make everyone laugh

Anonymous said...

Oh for goodness sake don't apologise. The Libs are masters at this dull point-the-finger-and-sneer sort of politics. They want to get you humbly apologising for something no-one gave a damn about. Then you start to look weak and they've got you by the sphericals.

Don't let the b------ get you on the back foot: tell them where to stick their humourless rubbish and get on with sticking up for the good people of Montgomeryshire, while they're too busy with their sneering.

Anonymous said...

Glyn, a word of advice (if you'll forgive me). Just calm down,work hard and say sensible things. Don't try to play to the nationalist gallery, concentrate on good Conservative issues. And do try to put the assembly behind you.

You have the opportunity of playing in the big league now. For God's sake don't blow it. The whole country needs Tories right now. Real Tories.