It's maddening to see the sacking of a journalist of the calibre of Radio 4's Ed Stourton, pouts Mrs. M, when we have to go on putting up with over-paid and over-pleased-with- himself Jonathan Ross.  Ed Stourton was sacked as presenter of the Today program after ten unblemished years, some believe for his comments that the Queen Mother was a ‘bigot,' who used politically incorrect terms such as Huns, Wogs, and Nazis.  This controversial utterance in his recent book, The Queen, was politely retracted by Stourton, who said he now realized what she meant.

One of the sneaking suspicions about his dismissal is that Mr. Stourton sounded 'too posh' to fit into the dumbed down, classless Britain which Brown has his sights on.  Another is that the BBC is so chippy, they just couldn't handle the likes of gentlemanly, Cambridge educated Stourton, who comes from an ancient Roman Catholic family.  Stourton is known for his highly intelligent and entertaining programs, which are not normal fare for the X-Factor loving public.

One wonders what kind of dolts run the BBC, if in their wisdom, they banish the best and the brightest from their own prejudice and leave us with uneducated and uninteresting presenters, who earn grotesque benefits at our expense.  Rumour has it that Radio 4 is reconsidering their action.  Let's hope that 2009 sees the return of Ed Stourton and more rather than less of him and his ilk.