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Gagging order

It’s not just Al Murray: British politics is increasingly about who has the most popular joke. The consequences won’t be funny

24 January 2015

9:00 AM

24 January 2015

9:00 AM

Something funny is happening in this country. Our comedians are becoming politicians and our politicians are becoming comedians — and public life is turning into an endless stream of jokes. Last week, the comedian Al Murray announced that he would be standing at the next general election in the constituency of South Thanet, the same seat that Nigel Farage is contesting.

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Andrew Watts is a stand-up comic. His show ‘Feminism for Chaps’ is at the Lantern Theatre, Liverpool, next week, and in Nottingham next month.

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