Frankie Boyle's Calais Crisis Column Has Everyone Agreeing With Him (Once Again)
Frankie Boyle's Calais Crisis Column Has *Almost* Everyone Agreeing With Him
George Bowden— The Huffington Post UK
|
Controversial comedian Frankie Boyle has used his latest opinion column to contrast Britain’s response to the slaughter of Cecil the Zimbabwean lion with the death of a migrant at Calais.
Boyle, who has established a theme of surprising people with his political missives, writes for Comment Is Free in the Guardian: “Last week a proud, beautiful, beloved African creature, who’d lived the last years of his life in a fenced compound, was killed by a train in the Channel tunnel.
“That’s the British for you: criticising people fleeing genocide for pushing their children over a perimeter fence, when we’d do it for a 40% discount off an Asda telly.”
Boyle had a few choice words for those running to be Ed Miliband's successor. He accused Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper of giving interviews "with the halting, guarded intonation of a hostage". He blasted Liz Kendall for having the "alarming air of an Apprentice candidate" but saved rare praise for Jeremy Corbyn, calling him "one of the few decent politicians remaining in the Labour party". (credit: PA/GETTY/REX)
Blistering battering of Branson(02 of10)
Open Image Modal
Virgin owner and millionaire mogul Richard Branson probably didn't expect to get much criticism for writing a blog calling for a crackdown on global warming. But Boyle, in his time honoured fashion, retorted, saying: "You own an airline you mad c*nt." The exchange wasn't pretty... (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Crippling critique of Cameron(03 of10)
Open Image Modal
It may comes as little surprise to most that Conservative leader David Cameron is not a politicians for whom Boyle has a particular penchant. The Scottish comedian laid into him recently, describing the Prime Minister as "a shrewd and malevolent psychopath". It's probably one of his kinder comments on Cameron... (credit:Clara Molden/PA Archive)
Clegg's cutting castigation (04 of10)
Open Image Modal
The former Deputy Prime Minster Nick Clegg is one of Boyle's favourite subjects on which to muse. He has previously referred to the ex Lib Dem leader as a "c*nt", "like one of those terrified mouse faces that you find in an owl pellet", and said of Clegg: "If he died today, you'd be able to cater Nick Clegg's funeral with a packet of Space Raiders". Ouch! (credit:Dominic Lipinski/PA Archive)
Fuming at Farage(05 of10)
Open Image Modal
Comedian colleague Andrew Lawrence lambasted Boyle's old stomping ground show, Mock the Week, criticising it of a liberal bias. In a Facebook post he attacked it for its "aging, balding, fat men, ethnic comedians and women-posing-as-comedians, sit congratulating themselves on how enlightened they are about the fact that Ukip are ridiculous and pathetic". The comments were shared by Nigel Farage on Twitter, but were swiftly rebutted by Boyle, who said: "There are a lot of honest people in comedy, which is why they keep calling you a c*nt." Then ensued a battle between the two. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Expletives for X Factor star(06 of10)
Open Image Modal
James Arthur, a finalist on ITV's X Factor, recieved a double-barreled helping of stinging critique from Boyle on Twitter back in 2012. In two posts, the Tramadol Nights creator wrote of the TV show contestant: "James McArthur is like a cross between a tramp and a duckling". He followed it up swiftly with: "James Arthur looks like someone put a sheep's teeth into a baby's head". Arthur announced he was "quitting Twitter" days later. (credit:Dominic Lipinski/PA Archive)
Musings on the media(07 of10)
Open Image Modal
Boyle was an unapologetic independence supporter in the run-up to last year's referendum in Scotland. In the aftermath of the result he criticised the media, accusing outlets of carrying a pro-Union bias in their reporting. On independence, he said: "I'm all for it. It won't happen. One of the reasons it won't happen is the media is just completely against it. There's a huge level of media bias." He also said that broadcast bosses were censoring comedy, and observed that current TV guides look like "the entertainment programme on a f****** cruise ship". (credit:JUAN MABROMATA via Getty Images)
Thundering thumping of two million Scots(08 of10)
Open Image Modal
The c-bomb is a certain favourite of Boyle's. But in a world first he used it to decry 2 million people, rather than just a choice selection of victims. Following Scotland's delivery of a slim 'no' majority in last year's independence referendum, Boyle blasted the two million Union supporters "c*nts". In a post on Twitter, he wrote: "I should have expected this, because if you'd asked me to estimate how many c*nts there were in Scotland I'd have said about 2 million." (credit:Jeff J Mitchell via Getty Images)
Censure of Clarkson(09 of10)
Open Image Modal
Ousted Top Gear frontman Jeremy Clarkson didn't escape Boyle's firing line, after the motoring show presenter was revealed to have mumbled the N-word singing a nursery rhyme in an outtake. Boyle called for Clarkson to be sacked from his top position because he was a "cultural tumour". (credit:Brian Lawless/PA Wire)
Saving sweet words for Sturgeon(10 of10)
Open Image Modal
There is one person for whom Boyle has some rare praise, though. SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was the subject of "muted horror" in the English media, he claimed. "People feel much more comfortable with the Fifty Shades of Grey version of women’s liberation: possibly feeling life would be much simpler if the suffragettes hadn’t wanted the vote and just really enjoyed chaining themselves to railings," Boyle said. "It feels almost as if the establishment is still assessing her. Which of the traditional tactics to employ: scorn or vilification? Do you call her the most dangerous woman in Britain or stage a smear where she’s a gossipy woman? Decisions, decisions." (credit:ANDY BUCHANAN via Getty Images)