Ding-Dong, Free Speech is Dead. Maybe.

Dear You,

I've had another epiphany. And this time, steady yourself, it's a political one. As you probably know, unless you've been living under a rock, Radio 1 is not going to play 'Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead' because of Thatcher reasons. If you're not sure who that is, you should hate yourself.

Anyway, my thought was this:

In the film (The Wizard of Oz, since you ask), the munchkins sing the song because they're happy that someone they hate is dead, and are thought of as the good, diminutive guys. Therefore: why is it not acceptable to play this song, seeing as many people hated Thatcher? Also, just as the Wicked Witch of the East is presented as a villain, many people see ol' Maggie as the antagonist of their lives. Ironically, 'I Love Maggie Thatcher', initially used as a japey protest song, is being played. Strange. And has anyone considered those people who just fancied a bit of Garland in their lives? Whose purchase of the song had no relevance to her death? Don't think not playing it is fair to them, frankly.

Certainly makes my father's claim that "the BBC is the most left-wing thing ever" (or words to that effect) seem a tad false; I mean, it's not like they call each other 'Comrade'. Perhaps he confused 'the BBC' with 'the Communist Party'.

In other, less opinionated news, I finished my hat. Not during a sitcom, alas, but I'm quite happy with it. The pattern is by Sirdar, for anyone interested.

Yours musically,

M