Enemies of Reason Poundshop potshots at the media moral maze.

Another Asbo for Ryanair

I tend to try and avoid the dead-tree press as much as I can nowadays, but even so, I don't remember seeing the latest Ryanair advert. But look! Those cheeky scamps have got into trouble again!

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the "irresponsible" image appeared to link teenage girls with sexually provocative behaviour.

In 'Asbo for Ryanair' some time ago I described how Michael O'Leary's cheap 'n' cheerless airline - whose repellent stance towards people with disabilities, and horrific attitude towards its own staff mean, in my view, that no sane person would fly with them - just can't seem to avoid getting in hot water with their adverts.

Once or twice, you could excuse it. But their adverts are wrong and unpleasant time after time after time. And they get the added bonus of additional coverage through getting into trouble every time - with the ASA slapping their wrists after the fact and telling them to withdraw an advert that was only meant to run for a few days anyway. Then they get the chance to portray themselves as poor misunderstood working-class heroes. Which they aren't.

It's a bonkers system. Ryanair can put out any advert they like and the ASA can only act retrospectively. Which they have had to do many times now. Yet Ryanair just simply aren't getting the message. And the ASA shrugs its shoulders and says, well, be good next time won't you.

The ASA told Ryanair to withdraw the advert and ensure its future promotions complied with the advertising code.

Yeah, right. And are they sorry?

"It is remarkable that a picture of a fully-clothed model is now claimed to cause 'serious or widespread offence', when many of the UK's leading daily newspapers regularly run pictures of topless or partially-dressed females without causing any serious or widespread offence," said Peter Sherrard, head of communications for the airline.

It wasn't the 'fully-clothed model'. It was the picture of a woman dressed as a schoolgirl in a classroom with the strap 'hottest back to school fares'. See, schoolgirls are 'hot'. Dress up a woman in girls' clothes and make it a bit saucy! It does strike even someone with very liberal views as being rather unpleasant.

But they'll just keep going. And there's nothing that can be done in the self-regulating world of advertising to stop them.

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