Jo Brand

I agree that she's misfired. I'm sure she realises that and I really hope she isn't sacked.

That said, we need to have a long hard look at what we are censoring and under which circumstances. We tread a fine line - many times - and often get it wrong.

Ricky Gervais
@rickygervais
Whether you're a lefty liberal making horrible jokes about right wingers, or a right winger making horrible jokes about lefty liberals, you should not expect to be prosecuted. You can expect to be criticised though. Even hated. But lets keep it fair. Anything else is hypocrisy.

'The campaigner who won a Brexit legal challenge against the government, has revealed that she has been receiving threats of acid attacks for months and is afraid to leave her home.
The businesswoman said that if the threats continued and became too much to bear she would “seriously consider” leaving the UK.
“I have been getting threats of having acid thrown in my face for months and months now. When I see someone walk towards me on the street with a bottle of water or something, I just freak out,” she told news website Verdict magazine.
With the backdrop of a spate of acid attacks across the country, she said: “My life has completely changed.”
Miller spoke of her fears for her life just weeks after Rhodri Phillips, 50, the 4th Viscount St Davids, was jailed for 12 weeks for racially abusing her on social media.
Four days after she won her supreme court case against the government, Phillips offered a bounty for her to be run over. He offered “£5,000 for the first person to ‘accidentally’ run over this bloody troublesome first generation immigrant”....this was from a year or so back; I have done a search and can't find 6 pages of people condemning this, but apologies if I'm wrong...

..and Farage said that his rifles and violence comments shouldn't be taken 'out of context'...

You can’t deny a certain right wing thuggery from the likes of Britain First and the football hooligans group who paraded with swastikas. The terrorist who killed Jo Cox and the nazi sympathiser who has been imprisoned for plotting to kill another female mp. Well obviously there are deluded souls who deny their existence.

BBC is inconsistent, they sacked Danny Baker for a “racist tweet”.

I like Jo Brand but I don't like this 'joke'. Acid attacks are on the increase, as are attacks and threats to politicians. Acid attacks are never funny. Milkshakes on the other hand, I can live with.

As far as I can recall, Boris Johnson, like him or loathe him, has never advocated maiming or disfiguring politicians he doesn't like in an acid attack.

Not averse to helping an old chum plan a punishment beating, though...

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/darius-boris-and-a-blast-from-the-past-1658043.html

His minders aren’t above a bit of heavy fisting either according to Beth Rigby, she was warned off yesterday after asking a question they didn’t like.

It was a joke in bad taste but its been turned into a mountain . Jo Brand is a good comedian. I love when she hosts HIGNFY. The remark has been censored now. Ridiculous.

I have never found her remotely funny

From what I've heard Beth was boo'd when she asked the question...

Apparently the police are to investigate Jo Brand after Farage complained .

I don’t think she works directly for the BBC so I doubt they can sack her . I could be wrong . I guess it would be easy for them to just not use her though .

The points raised re the far left BNP / EDL, Tommy Robinson have gravitas but the difference is nobody has condoned a word or action they say or do whereas Jo Brand is merely ' humour'.

This debacle reminds me of watching ' The Pleadge' on Sky last week.

Rachel Johnson was making the same defence of freedom of speech and saying why we should not be taking seriously the lyrics of the 2 activists in the punk band Killdren who ' were' to perform at Glastonbury. Another case of right wing censureship in her view. I was heartened the other panelists politely gave her short shrift.

Killdren wrote a song called ' KILL THE TORY Scum'. The lyrics jnclude:-

"Even if it’s yer Dad or yer Mum
Kill tory scum, kill tory scum
Even if it’s yer pal or yer chum
Kill tory scum, kill tory scum
If politics leaves you numb
Kill tory scum, kill tory scum
Murder them all to the beat of the drum
Kill tory scum, kill tory scum
Tory genocide is the perfect outcome
Kill tory scum, kill tory scum
We pay by the head, raise your income
Kill tory scum, kill tory scum"

This was another time Hope Not Hate voiced an opinion over the increasing use of vile, hate filled rhetoric and actions surrounding some and their model of politics.

Didn't Hope Not Hate sue Farage for some remarks he made about them? [I need to do some googling to jog my memory...]

I struggle a bit, with the issue of 'freedom of speech' and the reference of comments most of us would find offensive being dismissed as mere 'banter'.

The lyrics POGS quotes are plain unacceptable to me. Maybe it's because I'm getting older!

Joe Brands "joke" was indeed in very bad taste.
Neither was it funny but to be fair, I've never found her funny.

Police are looking into it.
I also have never found her funny , rather vulgar actually.

There's an interesting article in the DM on line this morning by Richard Littlejohn. I'm hopeless at links (sorry) but he points out Jo Brand added a caveat to her acid comment, not going to do it, it's just a fantasy. He fully supports her right to make this 'joke' on the grounds of freedom of speech. Says its clear she quickly pulled back, realising in current times, her comment may be seen as inflammatory rather than merely a joke.
He also has a go at Nigel F for involving the police.

I've just read the article, Iam. I got the feeling Richard Littlejohn would have preferred to be sticking the boot in but his name was pulled out of the hat to write some kind of defence. There's another article by the TV reviewer, Christopher Stevens, blaming JB's stroppy f**k you attitude on an abusive childhood. I don't remember Carol Thatcher heaping blame on her upbringing when she lost her career thanks to Brand and Adrian Chiles.

I'd have more respect for JB if she took full responsibility for her ill judged comment and faced the consequences without bragging that she 'can't be sacked by the BBC.'

If her popularity wanes, the Beeb will drop her like a hot potato and she'll have to keep her head down until another TV channel tentatively risks a re-launch. Maybe Johnathan Ross could give her a few pointers.

I can't stand hypocrisy, especially from overpaid TV comedians/presenters, who think they're untouchable, not to mention the BBC who appear to be standing by her - at the moment!

I didn’t find it funny and think it was ill advised, but all the fuss since is a bit OTT.

well imo incitement.... there are people out there who will take this on board, and act on it! and everyone is aware that this sort of thing does incite terrible behaviour..

I am astonished in this pc age that such language is allowed..
come one.... think about how "we" are not allowed to speak nowadays, far more innocent remarks than this are taken too seriously.

I took it as rhetorical not a question

Implying milk shake may be harmless but the next step might not be
I'm certain she was not saying she dislikes farige so let's throw acid on him....
I think she's actually saying none of this throwing is a good idea..
Where could it lead to.

Since they all work from scripts I can only think she was ok’d to say it. It was an awful thing to say.