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Friday 24 October 2014

Mike Read's song is 'racist'?

Mike Read's song is 'racist'? Because Mike Read was singing in a Jamaican accent? What about UB40, Ali Campbell sang in a Caribbean accent and made millions from it. I don't remember the BBC banning UB40's songs.

Here's Mike Read...



Predictably the BBC have been doing their best to create a 'racist' furore over this story. Here's the BBC's Lance Percival back in 1965 doing his version of the calypso classic "Shame and Scandal in the Family", in a Trinidad accent. Lance Percival was a BBC regular, no accusations of racism then.



One of the BBC's favourite bands, Madness, covered the same song albeit with no faux Caribbean accent on the Dangerman Sessions album, well worth buying.




Mitch Benn, a regular on BBC Radio 4's Now Show, sang this song with a fake Jamaican accent - is he a racist too? One could argue that Mitch Benn's accent is stronger than Mike Read's.



Of course Mike Read, Ali Campbell and Mitch Benn aren't racist for singing with a Caribbean accent. But that doesn't serve the BBC's anti-UKIP agenda. They are desperate to protect their Labour allies from UKIP's inroads and any slur is worth making.

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