20/07/2010

The Daily Star: ferty percent out of ten more stupider

I knew it was a mistake. I looked at the coverage of the 'Mulsim drivers banning guide dogs' story in the Star and now I am ferty percent out of ten more stupider.

'GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS ACTION OVER MUSLIM CABBIES' DOG BAN' is the headline, whch shows that even hacks the Star have managed to see through the 'bus driver' nonsense. Well, either that or they're too stupid to join in with the other papers' tricks.



"SO many Muslim bus drivers and cabbies are refusing to let dogs on board that the Government is stepping in," it says. Really? The government is stepping in?

Apparently:
Ministers are being urged to make it illegal for the drivers to ban guide dogs as the problem “gets worse”.
Ministers are being urged to make something illegal that already is illegal? Well done, the urgers. Remember, usually when papers talk about people 'urging' Ministers or 'calling for' stuff, they're usually just talking about themselves, so well done, the Star. I reckon you should urge Ministers to make shooting people illegal next. It might stop the next 'Taxi Terminator' or something. Doing both would ensure there will never be a Muslim Taxi Terminator.

Anyway:
The Guide Dogs For The Blind Association said it could be considered illegal under disability discrimination laws.
Oh - maybe those Star hacks aren't as stupid as they look. Maybe they've seen the Guide Dogs statement I quoted over at MailWatch and actually saw that it already is illegal for cab drivers and at least against regulations for bus drivers, but decided to soften that to a 'could be considered' to shoehorn in a standard tabloid 'Ministers were being urged' slant into the story. But surely,a Star journalist wouldn't be that dishonest.

The Star says:
But it revealed it had received many complaints from members left stranded by religious drivers.
Which is odd, since the Guide Dogs statement does not say that at all.

Weirdly, the Star eschews the mention of the human interest angle and doesn't even mention George Herridge. Maybe 'Daily Star Reporter' was so stupid, he actually looked closely at the story to see if there was enough evidence to suggest he'd been thrown off the bus by Muslim bus drivers who objected on religious grounds.

The thickie. When he got home, I hope he enjoyed his spaghetti 'oops in front of the Dukes of Hazzard.

Unless of course he was tucking into stuffed guinea fowl and laughing at how he tricked the common people at work that day.

4 comments:

jtalent1878 said...

i'm sorry, what does this have to do with jordan?

Five Chinese Crackers said...

Eh? That's today's front page.

Hang on. Jordan? I thought you meant Syria, sorry.

Ernie Goggins said...

And what's wrong with the Dukes of Hazzard? They may have done just that little bit more than the law will allow but they wouldn't have thrown a guide dog out of the General Lee.

Tom Evans said...

It certainly used to be illegal. Then the train wreck of Lewisham LBC v Malcolm and wrecked the concept of disability discrimination.

It could still be illegal as a failure to make reasonable adjustments, and certainly will be when the Equality Act comes into force.