I fear the world is going slightly bonkers

I’ve always had a few doubts about the French but banning Muslim women from wearing Burkinis on the beach? Mon Dieu.

Every reasonable and rational person despises terrorism but to say a woman who is covered head to foot while she goes for a swim makes them feel uneasy or insecure is utter nonsense and, as my French friends would hopefully say, connerie.

Private Eye, as usual, hit the nail on the head.

Some French Riviera mayors imposed the ban but they were overruled by France's top administrative court. Sensibly, in my opinion, Nice and several other resorts lifted their controversial bans in line with this national court ruling.

Critics see the cover-all garment as a symbol of Islam and potentially provocative, with local French authorities saying that they were concerned about the public order implications of the religious clothing, especially after the attacks in Nice and Paris carried out by people influenced by Islamist extremism.

While opinion polls suggested most French people backed the Burkini bans, they ignited fierce debate in France, and deepest Suffolk, with Muslims saying they were being unfairly targeted.

Is it just a little ironic that the country which invented the bikini now wants to make it illegal to cover up on the beach? What would happen if a nun appeared for a swim or a scuba diver appeared out of the water? Off to the nick I guess.

And maybe overweight male sun-seekers in tiny budgie-smugglers should be banned first?

Coronation Street bosses were forced to issue an apology last week after nearly 300 viewers complained about the Bank Holiday Monday episode of the show which they said contained a racist comment.

The episode saw Eva Price, played by Catherine Tyldesley, visit Audrey's hair salon, where she remarked:

"I have more roots than Kunta Kinte.”

She added: "No idea who that is, by the way, just something my mum used to say."

Those of us of a certain age know that Kunta Kinte was a character from the novel Roots: The Saga Of An American Family, which was adapted into a hit TV mini-series.

Call me an old fashioned politically incorrect bigot but isn’t that bit of script writing funny rather than racist? Just asking.