Comments on: Miss Adlington and Mr. Boyle

By: Fishy

Fishy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:52:52 +0000

Frankie Boyle is probably the funniest person around at the moment. 75 people complained about this (Adlington and 74 mates) and a million people laughed. Yes it’s not nice when people make fun of you but it’s life. Get over it. The worst thing to come out of thiswould be that we go back to the sanitised, regurgitated comedy we had many years back, when the best comedians weren’t shown on TV. Today’s world seems to be about people being ‘hurt’ far too easily, complaining loudly, and the establishment caving in for fear of litigation. Very sad. The BBC’s new policy is another body-blow for free speech and democracy. We’ll be like China, Russia or Iran before you know it.

By: The Remittance Man

The Remittance Man — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:44:54 +0000

Congratulations Messrs White and Diogenes. You have given us all clear examples of how someone in a free society can react to insults: respond in kind or go to court.

Alternatively Miss Adlington could have simply stayed quiet and the vast majority would never have heard Mr Boyle’s “joke” at all.

There is, of course, a fourth option. Sadly, I doubt Mr Boyle has a club from which he can be dragged, local authorities have become grossly negligent in the provision of parish pumps and I doubt Miss Adlington owns a horsewhip.

By: diogenes1960

diogenes1960 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:16:40 +0000

the obvious retort is that if Frankie Boyle looked at himself in a spoon, the spoon would shatter. That someone as physically and intellectually ugly as Boyle should choose to make fun of someone’s beauty, and presumabnly raise a laugh from the captive audience of drugged heifers, is itself a sign that the man needs to be punished. I suggest banishment from lucrative TV contracts to the remote outskirts of YouTube where he can vie for airtime with videos of Richard Murphy in full cry. Actually, he is the Richard Murphy of satire.

By: JuliaM

JuliaM — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:48:41 +0000

“Hmm. Steven Berkoff successfully sued Julie Burchill for libel after she wrote that he was “hideously ugly”.”

…

* irony failure: reboot y/n? *

By: Optimistic Cynic

Optimistic Cynic — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:12:14 +0000

“As commenters have correctly pointed out, the bit that sticks in the craw for us we libertarians is the licence fee tax.”

We libertarians also pay for Rebecca Adlington to go swimming up and down a pool (a sport which no-one gives a toss about acquiring the broadcasting rights to).

By: chris white

chris white — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:04:05 +0000

Hmm. Steven Berkoff successfully sued Julie Burchill for libel after she wrote that he was “hideously ugly”.

By: JuliaM

JuliaM — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:34:23 +0000

Yes, he was paid for his appearance. But I doubt his job offer was for a post insulting Addlington and only Addlington…

By: Johnathan Pearce

Johnathan Pearce — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:07:23 +0000

As commenters have correctly pointed out, the bit that sticks in the craw for us we libertarians is the licence fee tax.

By: Effing and Blinding

Effing and Blinding — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:01:26 +0000

Julia, I assume Boyle was paid for his appearance – I could be wrong, but assume he doesnt work for free.

By: JuliaM

JuliaM — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:48:28 +0000

“But Miss Adlington is forced on the pain of imprisonment to pay for someone to insult her…”

What, that’s his day job now? Insulting Addlington 24/7?

By: Kay Tie

Kay Tie — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:34:27 +0000

“Addlington is also perfectly free to complain about him doing so”

And the BBC should be free to ignore her. But they aren’t, because of the unique way the BBC is funded.

By: dearieme

dearieme — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:42:37 +0000

I mean in general, not just in the context of Miss Piggy.

By: dearieme

dearieme — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:41:59 +0000

They could always sack Boyle for being criminally unfunny.

By: Costello

Costello — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:41:57 +0000

Of course Boyle is free to make unfunny, crude and cruel jokes but Addlington is also perfectly free to complain about him doing so – especially when he is paid by money taken by threat from our (and her) pockets.

By: Optimistic Cynic

Optimistic Cynic — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:24:16 +0000

“No, it wasn’t kind, it wasn’t nice and it wasn’t polite.”

But it was funny, if you find the whole joke.

She should be grateful for the attention. She won a gold medal in a sporting event that no-one normally gives a toss about and isn’t as fit as Sharon Davies.

By: Effing and Blinding

Effing and Blinding — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:15:22 +0000

Free speech?

But Miss Adlington is forced on the pain of imprisonment to pay for someone to insult her (if she wishes to own a TV). Hardly free.

Will she be given a chance to use licence payers money to insult him?