Lenny Henry is about as funny as trapped wind - UK's reputation is being trashed

Can there have been a more dispiriting week in modern times for those of us who actually believe in our country? Everyone from deluded university students who you'd hope would be educated to know better, to a football player who was helped on his way to enjoy considerable riches by playing for the national team, to an alleged comic I've always found about as funny as halitosis have spent much of the last week piling in on our nation. And, with grim predictability, our flag has also been caught up in this.

To begin, a disclaimer. While it would be wonderful to say that EVERY action this nation has ever done, contemplated or attempted was wholly virtuous, that would be about as valid as a politician's promise. Of course mistakes have been made and with the benefit of hindsight - in this instance dating back many centuries - so much could have been done so much better. But to continue to denigrate our nation so ceaselessly sets an extremely dangerous precedent that could ultimately lead to a chilling conclusion.

Unlike a legion of BBC commissioning editors, until last week I'd found it impossible to laugh at any of Sir Lenny Henry's act. His passion for those in need around the world was admirable and his charity work was rightly rewarded, but he was always about as funny as trapped wind.

All that changed when it was revealed he has co-authored a book suggesting we should pay reparations to the country's black population due to our role in the slave trade. The fact he has chosen to blissfully ignore that it was Great Britain that stopped the grotesque activities with the 1807 Slave Trade Abolition Act merely adds to the hilarity at his absurd proposition.

In the as yet unpublished book, Sir Lenny, 67, reportedly supports paying an absolutely staggering sum of £18 trillion in these payments. Yes - TRILLION. As this dwarfs our annual GDP, this insane premise would not just bankrupt us, but our children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren and many generations to come.

Sir Lenny: try sticking to wearing a funny woollen hat and putting on silly voices, otherwise we'll be laughing at you for all the wrong reasons.

Hapless Henry is not alone regrettably. What is it about ex-football players called Gary? An outstanding player for Manchester United and England and an even more gifted broadcaster, Gary Neville decided to stride onto this particular pitch with his own ill-advised comments about flying the nation's flag.

With up to £100 million in the bank, Neville is pretty much the "Bob the Builder" of Manchester, and good luck to him. He'll be providing jobs and investment and while that can only be supported, his claims that flying the Union Flag is dividing society are obviously nonsensical.

What is disturbing is that Neville, 50, is clearly a very bright and driven man. But the fact he sees flying the flag on one of his developments as an act of "angry, middle-aged white men who know exactly what they are doing" is a grisly example of the self-flagellation to which this nation is currently addicted.

Those "angry...white men" bought your team shirts and tickets Mr. Neville, and the role you rightly enjoyed as a man of the people is set to be dismantled - as a result of your misguided mutterings.

Lastly, to the students. It was drearily inevitable that some of the supposedly brightest among us chose to ignore the requests of fellow students who are Jewish as well as many other Jewish people and continue their pro-Palestine demonstrations on the second anniversary of the horrific terror attacks on Israel.

This hardened band are always convinced their cause supersedes any other and recklessly trash the reputation of the UK.

It can only be hoped they learn some common sense if this misguided group goes on to run our schools, hospitals, police forces and even politics.