There was an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman. We’ve all heard the jokes. But have you ever heard one that includes a Welshman as well?
That is the current topic for discussion in the Welsh Assembly, it would appear. Spokesman Hugh Kyddyng said this at a press conference:
“It’s nothing more than institutionalised racism, excluding the Welsh from these jokes,” he said. “Everywhere it’s an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman, but never do they include a Welshman. They are purposefully excluding us, and we want change.”
He could be right. After all, Wales has never been represented on the Union Jack.
“Don’t get me started on that!” Mr Kyddyng put in when I mentioned this to him. “All they have to do is change the blue bits at the bottom to green and hey presto! But no, nothing. It’s not right.”
Comedy expert professor Joe King had this to say:
“It’s the Rule Of Three, you see. Everywhere in jokes, it’s always things happening in threes. You get the first character to set the norm, then the second to follow it, and then the third does something different to make it funny. With an extra character in the joke, it wouldn’t add anything to the humour content, you see?”
We see.
Welsh comedian Dai Llaffyng was not impressed. “We Welsh are quite happy joking about ourselves without involving foreigners!” he said. “For example, did you hear the one about the Welshman who crossed a sheep with a toilet roll, and invented ewe-tube?!”
We left Dai to chuckle at his own jokes.
There is support for the Welsh case from north of the border. Nicola Sturgeon had this to say:
“If we have a second referendum and vote to leave the UK, then as part of the settlement we shall bequeath to the people of Wales our place in those jokes.”
That will mean the jokes will start, “there was an Englishman, an Irishman and a Welshman.” That would probably work OK.
Meanwhile Irish people both sides of the border are creating jokes about stupid English people.