"What do you call a Pakistani cloakroom attendant? Mahatma coat."

So said Sir David Jason on a radio broadcast on Tuesday, sparking no complaints and a media outrage. I would have thought that accusations of racism would require, at the very least, something racist to have been said. Mentioning race is not the same thing. The idea that this portrays Pakistanis as cloakroom assistants, a sentence I struggle to believe I have just typed, is sort of ridiculous. This accusation was made Mr Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadhan Foundation, a man who is in a position to help everyone understand better the delicate issues surrounding our multicutural society, should be ashamed for coming out with such mindless nonsense.

Now, if the joke had been, "What do you call a cloakroom attendant? Mahatma coat," then we'd be getting closer (similar alternatives would have included "What do you call a cloakroom attendant? A Pakistani"). I will concede that this joke does portray Pakistanis as being called Mahatma. This is obviously not true, and should be addressed. I know one called Rinchan.

But here is the best bit - "We consider the views of our listeners to be very important and have received no complaints about these comments. Christian O'Connell will issue an on-air apology in tomorrow's breakfast show." So important are the views of these listeners to Absolute Radio, that they have decided to ignore the sentiments they have conveyed, and do exactly what they want anyway. When dealing with something as complicated and nuanced as race relations, I find its always better to respond with crude, blunt jabs of blanket denial and patronising posturing. Everyone out of the pool, please - last one in is a racist.