Casual insidious "paddy bashing" common in England?

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Maybe I'm making too much of this but over the past few weeks i've heard this a number of times. Basically, John & Edward being used as the butt of jokes that imply stupidity "Oh Jedward probably think a budget is a small bird" etc etc This happens quite a lot.

Then on QI, Danny Baker used Louis Walsh for the same purpose - he was describing a particularly unintelligent fish as "the Louis Walsh of the sea"

Am I reading into things? I mean I know John and Edward aren't exactly genuises - and they are annoying - but christ there are far far less intelligent people in showbiz if you really must make jokes like this.

And poor Louis? Since when is he the standard reference for a thicko ?!

I can't help thinking this is only because they are Irish.

I know anti-Irish remarks aren't exactly unusual in British papers - particularly the Mail - but just how widespread is this I wonder?
 
yea it was always beneath the surface but now with all the problems affecting ireland it has come to the surface. There is no point in getting hot and bothered about it. I think ireland is too concerned about what others think of them. Maybe you are referring to the story of brian lenihan being heckled by financial traders. Those that work in the city and in high powered finance are generally the lowest of the low anyway motivated only by money and greed. They are just an extension of the bankers that ruined this country and are a clique in their own right
 

Do you not think that the 2 examples you quote are deserving of ridicule, regardless of where it's from? They have to be the most blatent examples of cultural pollution today. And they are being mocked because of this and not because they are Irish.

Ask yourself this - do you not think that anti-English feeling in Ireland is worse than anti-irish feeling in UK? Or is that OK because of 800 years, famine etc?
 
I know anti-Irish remarks aren't exactly unusual in British papers - particularly the Mail - but just how widespread is this I wonder?
A lot more widespread after the events of the last couple of weeks I'd imagine.

Really, what do you expect when we've the two brians embarrassing us?
 
I'd make jokes about Louis Walsh and JEdward too.

Idiots the lot of them.
 
OK fair enough. Maybe it's just me.

I know however if I was making some sort of joke associating a well known TV person with stupidity, Louis Walsh is certainly not the first person I'd think of. Not even John & Edward either.
 
A lot more widespread after the events of the last couple of weeks I'd imagine.

Really, what do you expect when we've the two brians embarrassing us?
why be embarrassed? It's not like they have led us into an unjust war or mocked the special olympics is it?
 
why be embarrassed? It's not like they have led us into an unjust war or mocked the special olympics is it?
Well the unjust war is at least about securing oil.
 
Im wondering about that myself. If thats idiocy I wish I was an idiot.

Just because he is wealthy doesn't mean he is someone you would like to invite to a dinner party! Although I think idiot is probably not the description I would have for him, annoying, smug and pointless would be more words that spring to mind!
 
Don't we spend most of our time laughing at the antics of Wayne Rooney and other English "ceelebrities"