STARKEY OVER EGGS HIS POINT.

Dr. David Starkey may have gone a touch over the top regarding his remarks on Newsnight recently; although I didn't see it, apparently others present got their knickers in a real twist.

The nub of his airings appears to have been the ease with which the indigenous Brits copy jargon and mannerisms from the Afro Caribbean community as a sense of belonging. The expressions such as 'cool' and 'chill out' are so obviously from this culture, along with 'high fives'. All this is part of a way of apologizing.

We have remarked recently how television educates (or under educates) children with deplorable English, highlighting the stupid superfluous 'like' and the irritating 'Hi'. Our language is bristling with adjectives, and yet the word 'amazing' seems to be used for most situations.

Dr. Starkey, therefore, certainly has a point about the way so many of us are influenced by a semi-literate culture.



FREE SPEECH IS SACRED.