Pipe Down Or Else

A plucky little entrepreneur, whose name and profession are so British as to make him sound like something from a Carry On film, is suffering persecution from his local authority over his exercise of freedom of speech. Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers and citizen of nowhere by Prime Ministerial decree, has been ordered to remove a Bollocks to Brexit sign from his premises near (where else but) Waterloo station, apparently on the grounds that Brexit is not relevant to business. There have also been complaints from commuters, who apparently are unaware that the word bollocks was ruled decent enough for advertising purposes more than forty years ago, thanks to the sterling efforts of the Sex Pistols and the creator of Rumpole of the Bailey. It remains as yet unclear whether the free, cantankerous British press will promote Mullins to cause célèbre with the same alacrity as it has promoted those free-speech enthusiasts who advocate a more robust attitude towards the lesser breeds.