Not content with vaguely echoing the sentiments of noted race hate demagogue Stephin Merritt, the leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, David Cameron has gone even further in attacking my personal role model, Tim Westwood. From the Independent’s Nigel Morris.
David Cameron provoked a row with the BBC by accusing Radio 1 of encouraging knife and gun crime by playing rap and hip-hop tracks with violent lyrics.
In response to mounting concern over a spate of stabbings and shootings, the Tory leader called on the station’s disc jockeys to take more care over the music they play. His comments, in which he singled out Saturday night schedules which feature Tim Westwood’s hip-hop show, brought an angry response from the station denying irresponsibility.
At a meeting with magazine editors, Mr Cameron said legislation alone was not enough to cut knife crime and insisted youth culture bore some of the blame for violence. He said: “It means saying to Radio 1: ‘Do you realise that some of the stuff you play on Saturday nights encourages people to carry guns and knives?’ Some people say that’s part of the nanny state – I say the opposite.”
Concern over knife crime has been fuelled by the recent murders of the schoolboy Kiyan Prince and Special Constable Nisha Patel-Nasri in London. Police trying to tackle the problem have announced an amnesty for people who surrender knives and other weapons.
The DJ Tim Westwood has himself been the victim of gun crime when he was injured in a drive-by shooting seven years ago.
Five months ago, Mr Cameron appeared on Radio 1 in a bid to show youth credentials. He said he was a fan of the Smiths, Radiohead and Pulp. But when he appeared on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs a fortnight ago, the Tory leader revealed that Benny Hill’s 1971 chart-topper “Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)” was “the only song whose words I can remember”.
Lethal Bizzle responds that “David Cameron Is A Donut”. Not the delicious kind of donut, either.
UPDATE : Incredibly, Cameron would have us believe that Coronation Street’s Nick Tisley (above) is qualified to hold elective office. Clearly, having a half sister that was knocked up at the age of 12 (and a mother with the face of a chipmunk) is no longer considered suficient baggage to stop such a campaign, so perhaps the Tories are cooler than we thought. Or perhaps not.)