Have I Got News For You

Sent by e-mail.   After watching The Thick Of It on Saturday I left the television on and Have I Got News For You appeared, presented by Jo Brand ("I saw that – she looked like Marj Proops with the glasses and hairdo").    This show had a live audience (the camera showed them at the end) but the laughter sounded canned.  The show format includes four satirists / comedians who are asked questions about current news stories.  They are supposed to respond with witty comments and the audience laughs.   The panel comprised Ian Hislop, Paul Merton, a stand-up comedian called Jon Richardson, and Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts.  Most of the show seemed to consist of Quentin Letts sparring with the other panelists (including Jo Brand), possibly because they disapprove of the Daily Mail newspaper.  Generally Quentin Letts got the better of them.   I have stopped watching these shows mainly because the humour has become so dated (tired and predictable targets).  It is as if they are stuck in 1995 and still need to attack John Major's pathetically inadequate Tory government.  There was also an odd, unfunny episode when the panel stopped being entertainers and started discussing the future of the BBC, as if the show had suddenly become Question Time.   One of the reasons Tony Blair was able to get away with so much was because the satirists gave him such an easy time.  It was only when Armando Iannucci began to challenge the new establishment that others began to do the same.  Possibly the satirists should be in the dock of the Chilcot Enquiry along with the lying politicos, cowed diplomats and put-upon civil servants.   "Political bias within the BBC" is a perennial topic, and normally I don't pay any attention to the claims and counter-claims.  But comedy shows seem to be a legitimate area of concern.  Jo Brand makes no secret of her affiliations, nor does Dermot O'Leary (a gormless twit who recently fronted Never Mind The Buzzcocks), nor does Stephen Fry.   My fear is that this lobby are attacking the Conservative Party in an effort to steal the election.  Not that I am under any illusions about the Conservatives.  When they start making mistakes and behaving arrogantly the satirists will need to attack them.    But at this stage in my life, and speaking entirely personally, I REALLY WANT TO SEE THE BACK OF THIS GOVERNMENT.   And not only see them defeated, but also punished for what they have done (two Middle Eastern wars, one recession, and so many examples of incompetence it would be difficult to list them all).  Punished means not one single member of this current government should "pop up" in any new administration.  It is time for a completely new start.