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‘Get a new joke’: Spectator diary editor criticised over Welsh language jibe

23 Jul 2021 1 minute read
The tweet

An editor at the Spectator has been told to “get a new joke” after seeming to suggest that the Welsh language is made of random letters.

The magazine’s Diary Editor, James Heale, was responding to an accidental nonsense tweet by Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner which read ‘M nbchffgy. Nhfyohreuhhuijh’. She later deleted the tweet.

James Heale however uploaded a screenshot of her mistake to Twitter with the caption: “Labour campaign to win in Wales going well.”

The joke did not go down well with Labour’s candidate in Dwyfor Meirionnydd in the Senedd election, Cian Ireland, responding: “Get a new joke challenge.”

“Wow amazing. Original. Show stopping. Give this man all the awards,” responded another.

“About as funny as gonorrhea,” responded another.

It’s not the first time the Spectator has been at the centre of controversy about the Welsh language.  Rod Liddle, who complained in the magazine in 2018 that joking about the Welsh language was “treated like a hate crime”, is a regular columnist.

 


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16 Comments
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Marc Arkless
Marc Arkless
3 years ago

The Spectator has the greatest joke in ‘journalism’ it’s Rod Liddle,

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
3 years ago
Reply to  Marc Arkless

I like that, very funny 😂 😂 😂

defaid
defaid
3 years ago
Reply to  Marc Arkless

If only they would get a new one.

Chris
Chris
3 years ago

If only the Spectator would just spectate.
But they always feel they need to comment. An appalling rag. You’d have to be to retain a pompous hack like Rob the knob Liddle.
That said, I though the joke was funny. To those too idle and too insular to learn about cultures outside of their own, ours must sometimes look a confusing language lacking in THEIR perception of what vowels are.

Last edited 3 years ago by Chris
Huw Davies
Huw Davies
3 years ago
Reply to  Chris

Jokes like this were amusing once, or twice. Now, after decades, they’re boring. Like knock knock jokes you’ve heard a dozen times. The real amusement is finding people who seem to think they’re being witty and amusing by repeating an old trope about an old language with no vowels. The joke really is on them. In future I will refer to Rod Liddle as Liddle Rod. It sounds a bit rude and nobody could possibly have ever called him that before so it will be thought highly amusing and witty. The Spectator editor JAHeale, I will refer to as James… Read more »

j humphrys
j humphrys
3 years ago
Reply to  Huw Davies

Remember the Irish jokes? Now the Irish just roar off………………..in a Mercedes.

Huw Davies
Huw Davies
3 years ago
Reply to  j humphrys

Absolutely!

gareth
gareth
3 years ago

Not much intelligence there unfortunately

Alan Reilly
Alan Reilly
3 years ago

According to his LinkedIn profile, it took him four years to get a degree which would usually take people three.

Oh well. 🤔

arthur owen
3 years ago

Shouldn’t this be under ‘culture’.

defaid
defaid
3 years ago
Reply to  arthur owen

Or lack thereof?

Rhian
Rhian
3 years ago

You know what they say about Sticks & stones.

Notta Bott
Notta Bott
3 years ago

Since deleted

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
3 years ago

Nothing unusual – it’s been happening for years and I’m glad they are still doing it ! It will remind the Welsh population it’s one of the reasons why independence is such a good idea !

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
3 years ago

Bit of a non-article though I do agree with one sentence; Rod Liddle is a hate crime.

Bruce
Bruce
3 years ago

Just remember these are the tw*ts who once had Bojo the Clown as their editor.

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