If Radio 1 do play that wretched song.....

And of, course, as soon as something is censored then the natural desire is to find out what it is, what it says and why. And then, the whole matter achieves a much greater notoriety than it would otherwise have done.

The law of unintended consequenses.

Quite, mice. It amazes me that people don't seem to realise there is far more to be feared from censorship than from perceived verbal or ideological offensiveness. One can separate oneself from offensiveness, but not from state censorship. Dangerous stuff.

Bags, that is a brilliant link. The issue is not about the tastefulness or otherwise of an ancient song, but about a publicly funded institution censoring what the public has a right to hear. If they find it offensive, or trivial, or silly, or in bad taste they can switch it off. But it is utterly disgraceful that the payers of the licence fee are deemed to be so sensitive, that their delicate ears need protecting from a 70 year old ditty, whatever the resonances of the last few days have been.

Cohen on the censorship ding dong – BBC as bad as China.

someone agrees with me (as well as others on this thread of course.

Thanks for making jings...

!!!!!!!!

For several years I managed to convince my grandson that I was a witch in my spare time. Hmmm....

#planningfuneralmusic

I am saddened by the political statement taking over the charts but if it is in there so be it. I think the 'compromise' will just have to be accepted and is probably the best of a bad job. Very difficult decision to make, damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario.

I think the BBC has a 'written' duty to produce unbiased reporting, not that it stops it from being the biggest hypocritical body in this country after Parliament, which at times makes me want to laugh at some MP.S and what they say, what they do and how they live.

I don't think Margaret Thatcher would be too worried about it. Her family yes.

In a way I am glad now that it has happened as it has made people realise what hatred looks like, worse to come. My daughter has always laughed at comments I make but even she told me she has now realised I may have had a point.

Oh yeah. You're right absent. I'm sure there have been songs banned just because of sexual content though. It does seem to depend on who is currently making the decisions.

As a counter political statement.

Although I have been a labour supporter for many years I could probably say I loathed Tony Blair far more than I ever did MT.

However, I see the bigging up of MT's funeral as a political statement by the present government and for that reason I bought the song in order to help push it up the charts in the same spirit that I once marched against the invasion if Iraq.

So, here are the two sides:

1. I don't like the 'joke' / I am offended, therefore it shouldn't be part of the news (even though it is).

2. The joke is in bad taste and some people find it offensive, but it is news and the BBC's job is to report what is happening (whether they happen to like the news or not).

I think the educational side of the BBC was never meant to cover news broadcasting. Giving information without bias is educating though.

The first is censorship and the second is news broadcasting.

The words are:
Ding dong, the witch is dead!
Which old witch?
The wicked witch.
Ding dong the wicked witch is dead!

I don't think they're talking about a white witch.

I agree GinnyI think we all realise that in its original context it was not offensive, but as it is being used out of context to describe a human being it most certainly is, unless they thing M T was a white witch, of couse,but I don't know the rest of the words.

It's another form of anti Thatcher demonstration. It's not about what her family want but about how she made people feel. They're simply expressing that feeling.

I don't think it's a joke. I think it's an act of celebration.

Throughout history people have celebrated the death of people who made them suffer. This is simply another such celebration.

Was the Sex Pistols' banning sex or politics or both? Wasn't it some kind of parody of God Save the Queen somewhere around the time of the Silver Jubilee? I am not in favour of censorship in general but the issue with the Sex Pistols would have been an intrinsic and integral part of their record. That is not the case with a song from The Wizard of Oz written when Margaret Thatcher was still Margaret Roberts and hadn't entered politics.

You don't think "the joke" is in bad taste VQ?!

Would anyone want it played about their recently deceased mother?

No. I'm with old Reeth on this. Purpose of bbc is to educate, inform and to entertain. No mention of mocking the recently deceased.

Hopefully the "few words" the snippet of the song is to be preceded by, will do a good job of the "educating".

Who's standards should be set? Yours, mine or someone else's.

I don't think the joke is 'tasteless' but I accept that others do. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be played. One man's standard setting could be another man's censorship.

I didn't like what was said in the Conservative Party Political Broadcast last night but I wouldn't expect it to be censored.

I agree with jings that we need to set good standards now – of no censorship of news even if there is a risk of someone taking offence. The offence-taking doesn't change the reality of what is at the top pf the charts.

BTW, I agree that the 'joke' is tasteless and would prefer that what has happened hadn't happened. But it has. The Beeb's job is to report, not to judge.

No. Indeed. We have to set standards here and now.

Nothing political about this. (Post went wrong)

The Sex Pistols record was banned some years ago - society has moved on since then (for better or worse), you can't judge things done yesterday by today's standards.

How can you call this an "important political issue"? I object to it on grounds of decency, and consideration to grieving family and friends. The is nothing g politically this.