No Sense of Humour

The British sense of humour is a funny thing, enabling us to laugh at ourselves in a way that other countries just don't understand. It is harmless, wry, and, if recent media reports are anything to go by, a very seriously endangered species.

Today, the Sun reports that Mr Craig Taylor, a supermarket manager from Somerfield, was unfairly dismissed after posting a short video of colleagues clowning around with plastic bags to YouTube. I can't imagine why Somerfield would want to sack him for showing one guy whacking another over the head with a plastic bag filled with other plastic bags, and neither could the Employment Tribunal, who awarded Mr Taylor over £2000 for his trouble.

If the bags had been filled with something more solid, or the video had shown someone getting hurt, then maybe Somerfield might have had a point. But plastic bags? Oh come on, get a life.

And then there's the Daily Mail article about the 17 men and women who dressed up in fake Muslim burkas for a carnival. Calling themselves the "Page Three Beauties from the Ramalama Ding-Dong Times", they carried placards with made-up names such as "Miss Hairyarmpitsbad", "Miss Slackistan", "Miss Notbadinbedabad" and "Miss Reallyamanistan", and were shortlisted for a prize until some miserable bugger complained and the police were called.

In the Mail's article, various individuals from the carnival make half-hearted and embarrassed attempts to "defuse" things by pointing out that there was no intention to cause offence etc.

No, I'm sure there wasn't. It's called HUMOUR, and is a very good sign that cultural integration is getting along very well indeed. As I've said, British humour mocks itself more than anything - the fact that these guys and girls chose this subject means they see it as part of British society. Congrats, guys, you're well integrated. Now quit moaning and join in the fun.

Clearly, the whole idea of fun is no longer acceptable in the UK, which probably explains why the Telegraph reports record numbers of people leaving this country. That, in turn, might explain why we're so reluctant to deport illegal immigrants - it's just a stunt to keep the population up!

Billy Seggars.