The BBC is trying to censor a tidal wave of angry sentiment as the people of Britain speak out about the legacy of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who died this week. As far as I was aware, the job of the BBC is to report the news and educate people, informing them of current affairs. But the surging popularity of Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead from the Wizard of Oz OST shows the world (and the British government) that hatred of the former Premier is much deeper and more far-reaching than anyone could have predicted. The fact that the song may reach number one on the UK Charts is an uncomfortable situation for the BBC and the British media in general as they await the result of the new chart tomorrow (Sunday 14th April 2013.) The global media is already standing by, popcorn at the ready.
One thing I’ve learnt, particularly from Facebook, is that people will sympathise with extreme politics rather than risk appearing mean-spirited or unpopular. It’s a Miss Congeniality Contest now. It certainly wasn’t back in 1988.
the vibes 
The BBC are in a difficult position as they’re going to be criticised by both sides. They seem to have struck a compromise. It does show how fixable the charts are these days, what with this and PJ & Duncan manipulating the charts with old had a fortnight ago.
And in these “edgy” (?) days of Radio 1, giving more back to the “youth” again, none of this stuff should be played at all. They’ve already banned Cliff Richard and Robbie Williams, generally, for just that reason. Either way I imagine a chart show aimed at kids (?) is going to get a wider audience this week. You can tell by the question marks that I’m not a Radio 1 listener any more, but I think people are going to tune in on Sunday just to be offended!
Oh, sorry that was me buying PJ & Duncan. I think I pressed ‘purchase’ more than once. My fingers were trembling with excitement – they are astonishingly talented and haven’t dated at all.
It’s a horrible compromise that no one wants to face up to the real damage done by successive Tory governments, and now that we have a voice in digital downloads and social media, the sentiment of real people is stifled.
Don’t scare the horses! It’s just not cricket. Keep Calm and Lie to Yourself. It’s true that Radio One has a poor grip on music, and it’s good to see their hand forced by public opinion. The ‘public’ that pay for the service the BBC provides.
They shouldn’t sensor it. I don’t like that it might reach number 1 but that’s not the Beeb’s problem!
It does seem that we as a people have voted with our iTunes accounts. Here’s to that song reaching number 1 today.
I think it reached number two, but it’s still making the revisionists squirm. To see just how dumb our Conservatives really are, you have to look at their choice of retaliation song. ‘I’m in Love With Margaret Thatcher’ is actually a punk protest song itself, but the irony was lost on the knee-jerk Tories. Which just underlines the fact that right wing politics is never people-shaped.
Oh yeah, those Thatcher days were good, for a certain kind of person in a certain kind of business. What a delicious form of sedition to have Ding Dong climb the charts in the UK. Here in the US, if you dare to raise a questioning pinky about the legacy of her comrade in arms, oh-no-here-come-the-commies Reagan, it’s all tar and feathers.
Which is strange, because hearing Obama pay tribute to The Iron Lady, I’m guessing he’s forgotten that she called Nelson Mandela ‘That nasty little terrorist.’ I like Obama, but there seems to be a type of mass amnesia at work here.