This is a first for me.

After reading the news earlier today – specifically regarding the latest antics of Ryanair – I am fuming.

However, quite oddly, I am fuming insofar as I am rushing to their defence.

Since 2008 the most controversial airline of all time has published an annual calendar. This calendar has featured scantily-clad shots of a number of (female) Cabin crew (notice I didn’t call them “Air Stewardesses”).

The issue here is that the Provincial Association of Housewives and Consumers of Valencia recently complained that the sale of such a calendar was – and I quote - “Sexist and Exploitative".

Now, I am by no means a champion of Ryanair and their Leprechaun in Chief, Michael O’Wanker, but I can not help but think that any person or public entity which raises money for a good cause can not be all that bad.

In the 5 years that the Calendar had been sold, it seems that these sexist Bastards have disgraced themselves by raising 800’000 Euros for various Charities.

The same collection of sad housewives from Valencia has even gone so far as to ensure that their complaint was heard by no fewer than 3 High Court Judges in Malaga. Malaga, because the feeling was that a ‘Fair and Impartial’ hearing would not be provided within the region of Valencia.

At what cost, and to who ?

Are we really expected to believe that the said Association paid for this court case themselves, or inflicted their beliefs that Society as a whole had sustained some kind of wrong, and therefore this court-case should be financed by the public purse ?

So therefore, this 800’000 Euros for charity was probably diminished by 200’000 Euros or so due to nothing more than some sad housewife believing that her human right had been infringed in some way.

I hope that the Women’s refuge, or Children’s Home who “could have” benefitted from this “lost funding” appreciate the gesture.

This pisses me off.

But if there is one thing that pisses me off than that, it is this one thing :

How can the Provincial Association of Housewives and Consumers of Valencia with a clear conscience sincerely not see the double standard that they have clearly applied over recent months ? Do they really believe that the general public believes that they are unaware of a very similar Scantily clad, Charity Calendar published by a collection of School-Mums to raise funds to pay for a school bus for their offspring ?

Under normal circumstances maybe we could be expected to put this down to certain nuggets of information falling down the gaps, however when the aforementioned School-Mums charity was also from the self-same region of Valencia I can not help but question the hypocrisy here.

Fortunately, earlier this week the 3 Judges saw sense and cleared Ryanair of any bad intent – all we all knew that they would – but at what cost and to who ?

Thanks Wifies - not sure what you hoped to achieve here, but well done, Maybe, just maybe that charity cash was destined to uphold and protect those institution you claim to have been protecting.

Recommended Reading

• Calendar Girls
• Valencia Schoolmums strip for Calendar