How refreshing it would be if the BBC aired a comedy show that poked fun at the twisted left-wing mentality that currently dominates British public life.
He would have a wide range of targets to choose from – from the absurdity of our border force operating as a glorified ferry link for illegal migrants across the English Channel, to ministers secretly accepting free donations from millionaires for new clothes, to Ed Miliband's Net Zero program which could mean importing solar panels from China caused by Uyghur forced labor and the abandonment of British families in exchange for the privilege of paying sky-high energy bills.
But there's no such fun on the airwaves.
Instead, too many so-called comedians act like guardians of progressive orthodoxy and constantly take pathetic pictures of Conservatives as if they were still in government.
Nothing highlights this better than Have I Got News For You on BBC One. Now in its 34th year, the once sharp and sour show has become stale and predictable. The flamethrower of wild wit has been replaced by a loudspeaker of political bias.
BBC One's Have I Got News For You is now 34 years old and outdated and predictable. (The photo shows a still from the movie I've Got News for You)
One of the panel's guests, former Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns (pictured), fell victim to an avalanche of character denigration, which resulted in her remaining almost silent
Conversely, today's “comedians”, marinated in their anti-conservative prejudices, cannot tolerate attacks on the left. (Boris Johnson pictured)
After 14 years of vilifying the “cruel and wicked” Tories, producers and performers seem unable to change direction.
Last Friday's offer was typical. Everyone knows that Labour's first 100 days were plagued by scandals – even Sir Keir Starmer was forced to admit that they were “shaky”. However, this rich resource of materials barely appeared.
Instead, one of the invited panelists, former Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns, fell victim to an avalanche of character denigration and remained virtually silent as a result.
At the head of the prosecution was Ian Hislop, who, with increasingly puritanical self-satisfaction, established himself as one of the nation's chief moralizers. Yet he is part of Britain's privileged elite who uphold the gospel of political correctness while earning £20,000 per show. He has a seemingly neurotic obsession with Boris Johnson – someone who last occupied number 10 three premierships ago.
When Dame Andrea defended her former boss against Hislop calling him a “liar”, the studio audience groaned loudly, which understandably prompted her to tell Hislop that the BBC had “picked” the audience it wanted.
Indeed, they constantly cheered and cheered every leftist phrase uttered.
Conversely, today's “comedians”, marinated in their anti-conservative prejudices, cannot tolerate attacks on the left.
In the previous episode of Have I Got News For You, Hislop took aim at the fraudsters and the Starmer government in his most masterful style, simply declaring: “It's very disappointing.” The only reaction from the audience was awkward squirming in their seats.
The truth is that the health of the national political debate is best served when its most important satirical program freely ridicules the government of the day
Everyone knows Labour's first 100 days were plagued by scandal – even Sir Keir Starmer was forced to admit they were 'shaky'
The program also featured two leftists as panellists, journalist Helen Lewis and comedian Chloe Petts, whose predictable opinions were an argument for reducing the mandatory BBC license fee.
Elsewhere, social justice activists posing as “comedians” abound. BBC Radio Four's News Quiz is another proven vehicle for anti-conservative hostility, while Channel Four's The Last Leg often degenerates into left-wing hatred.
But the problem is particularly acute for Have I Got News for You because of its prestige and wide reach – some 4.5 million viewers (compared with the 60,000 people who buy copies of the left-wing daily The Guardian on weekdays).
The truth is that the health of national political debate is best served when its main satirical agenda freely ridicules the government of the day without fear or favor, exposes the hypocrisy of parliamentarians of all stripes, and skewers every fashionable ideology.
Instead, British audiences are served a spectacle seemingly horribly confused by its own prejudices.
