Steve Brookstein: Surely candidate for a column in the relaunched Spare Rib

Steve Brookstein, who you'll remember as a handy punchline from The X Factors (I think he was the one with the dancing dog act), has decided the world needs his take on sexual politics.

Kent Labour Students tweeted a complaint about a card Tesco sells, which uses sexual harassment as the set-up for a joke:

Ha-ha, because who wouldn't want to be groped at work, eh?

Tesco replied in a fabulous, missing-the-point entirely way:

@kentlabstudents The subject matter is serious, however this card is knowingly a joke that many find humorous. We'll feed back your comments

— Tesco Customer Care (@UKTesco) May 8, 2013

"Knowingly a joke that many find humorous" doesn't quite qualify as coherent English, much less an explanation.

(Just as an aside, the people who dressed as a pantomime horse who went into Tesco while they were selling adulterated beef was 'knowingly a joke that many find humorous', but it didn't stop Tesco putting a stop to it.)

For some reason - probably 'having a lot of time of his hands' - Brookstein decided to get involved:

@uktesco @kentlabstudents ignore the students Tesco. Commies don't want any fun. #Censorship.

— Steve Brookstein (@stevebrookstein) May 8, 2013

You've almost got to feel sorry for someone who confuses Kent Labour Students and Communists, haven't you?

Jessica Atto saw the tweet, and decided to point out to Steve Brookstein the difference between a "joke" and "trying to turn sexual harassment into a joke":

@stevebrookstein @uktesco @kentlabstudents just to clarify, you think a sexual harassment card is 'fun'? @everydaysexism

— Jessica Asato (@Jessica_Asato) May 9, 2013

Perhaps Steve had forgotten what it's like to have an audience, but he came back with this:

@jessica_asato nice low cut top. Take that as a compliment. :0)

— Steve Brookstein (@stevebrookstein) May 9, 2013

Yes, that's the best way to react when someone is trying to clarify if you really are a sexist knobpacket.

“@stevebrookstein: @jessica_asato nice low cut top. Take that as a compliment. :0)” <funnily enough I don't. Creep.

— Jessica Asato (@Jessica_Asato) May 9, 2013

A wise man might withdraw at this point. Even a man who struggles a bit to keep up with this modern world where women are, all of a sudden, people, might withdraw. But Brookstein, who clearly thinks he's some sort of Richard Littlejohn in waiting, saw this as somehow proving his point:

@jessica_asato don't tell me, that's "sexual harassment" thanks for helping make a point.

— Steve Brookstein (@stevebrookstein) May 9, 2013

I suppose Steve has made a point; he just seems blithely unaware that it's the exact opposite point of the one he thought he was making.