The left is planning to silence Elon Musk – and we all know the real reason why

The public has been shocked anew by the scandal of gangs. So, in response, the Government has jumped into action.

Not by investigating the scandal itself. But by investigating the man who attracted everyone's attention.

According to the A mirrorThe Government's counter-extremism unit has launched an “investigation” into Elon Musk's tweets “to determine whether they pose a danger to Britain”. Apparently there is a “fear” that his “thugs” will “create violence”. The claim suggests that any such violence will be Mr Musk's fault. Rather than say, the parties are correcting themselves, or the politicians who refuse to hold an investigation about them.

However, it is not only our Government that is panicking. It seems that the entire Western Left wants to shut him down.

Humza Yousaf, the former First Minister of Scotland, says Mr Musk “should be stopped”, because he is “one of the most dangerous men in the world”. The chief executive of Hope Not Hate, a left-wing activist group, called Mr Musk an “international extremist”. Meanwhile, according to Politics“up to 150 European Commission officials” watched Mr Musk's live-streamed interview with the leader of the AfD party on Thursday night, to check whether he was “breaking EU law” and “promoting far-right Germany”.

You might ask why so many on the left seem more outraged by Mr. Musk than by the horrors he tweets. However, personally, I think they have good reason to be afraid.

Not because Mr. Musk is a danger to social order, as they say. It is because he is a danger to the Left itself. He does a better job of exposing their cowardice and hypocrisy than any opposition party.

So they are not afraid of us. They fear their jobs.

Modern comedy is not a funny story

In 1949, the BBC drew up a set of strict rules for the producers of its comedy programmes. “Humors must be clean and not directly contaminated or associated with profanity and suggestive innuendo,” it firmly ruled. “There is a complete ban on the following. Jokes about bathrooms, success in men, immorality of any kind, suggestive references to honeymoon couples…”

Today such situations may seem strange. However, in truth, we are not in a position to ridicule them. Because the comic gatekeepers of 2020 are even more comical.

For proof, book a ticket to the Glasgow International Comedy Festival. Its organizers have drawn up a “Code of Conduct”, which must be strictly followed by everyone involved – including real comedians.

To help make the festival a “safe, beautiful and inclusive place for everyone”, they should “think about what influences your words, ideas and feelings and who they can exclude or hurt”. They must not say “derogatory remarks about a person's body, manner or sexual acts”. Also, although the editors “believe that artists should be free to express their feelings, it is not acceptable to increase or reinforce behavior or ideas that are discriminatory or harmful”. All “content and work shared on our sites” must be done “carefully and without malicious intent”.

You may be wondering if comedians are allowed to tell jokes, and if so, what. But it gets worse. Because, “Ethically”, everyone involved must “acknowledge that racism is pervasive and entrenched in our industry and wider society”.

All I can say is, I feel sorry for the poor comedians. Because only God knows how they will press this requirement into their action.

Perhaps: “Why did the chicken cross the road? Joining the massive protest against the apartheid regime of killing Israelis in Gaza.”

Or: “An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a pub. Rightly so, the Irishman and the Scotsman hold the Englishman accountable for his country's shameful legacy of colonialism, slavery and oppression. The Englishman promises to educate himself and do better.”

Little devil

Congratulations The Northern Echo. It's not even mid-January, yet what will be the biggest local story of the year has already been published.

It's about a young couple in Redcar who name their baby boy Lucifer – and you can't understand why most people don't agree.

“Most of the time it was people of the older generation who told us: 'You can't call him that, what will it be like when he's at school?'” said Jess Bell, the mother of a 25-year-old boy. “But we are just normal, loving parents and we don't care about associating our son with the devil, that's not it. The word is beautiful, and it actually means 'bringer of light' – which is exactly what he has done for our lives.”

Little Lucifer's father – Stefan Wake, 27 – was also surprised by the controversy. He notes, however, that the child was born in the sixth delivery room, and was taken with his mother to sleep in the sixth room. He says: “The 666 has been a mystery.

In any case, I personally am willing to believe that the couple's intentions were pure. Anyway, I'll be on the lookout The TelegraphBirth column for any other arrivals.

“To Stefan and Jess, a beautiful son, Beelzebub. Brother of Lucifer, Mephistopheles, Old Nick and the Prince of Darkness.”

The Way of the World is a bi-weekly satirical look at topics intended to satirize the absurdities of today's world. It is published at 7am every Tuesday and Saturday

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