Sacked For Speaking His Mind

My, isn't there a difference between working in the public and private sector ?

Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross can leave distasteful messages on someone's answering machine and the BBC does nothing for a week until a Sunday newspaper writes about it. One of them resigns early doors but the one who doesn't is simply suspended for three months. The BBC has already publicised Jonathan Ross's return date. Still, it's nice to see the BBC making some effort to defend free speech for a change.

On the other hand, calling some State-sponsored toerag a "Nazi" earned presenter Jon Gaunt an immediate suspension, and, within a week, the sack from privately-owned Talksport. Gaunt threw his insult at Conservative councillor Michael Stark, who was attempting to defend Redbridge Council's ban on smokers becoming foster parents. Jon Gaunt was himself a foster child (to a mother who smoked like a chimney) and admitted afterwards that he lost his rag with the totalitarian tosser partly, at least, because it's an issue that's very close to his heart. He issued an on-air apology but obviously if you offend anyone these days then unless you work for the BBC you're pretty much finished.

(There is a further career option, for those who want to fail completely in the jobs, which is to work for Harringey Council. But I digress).

Actually, there's some justifcation in likening the anti-smoking lobby to Nazis. Hitler introduced what were, at that time, the most dragonian anti-smoking policies in history. Smoking was banned from trams, post offices, government workplaces and rest homes by the Nationalist Socialists.

It just goes to show: if you want to "offend" people, you're better off working for the BBC; if you want smoking banned, vote for socialism in one form or other.