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Welsh rugby referee Nigel Owens has pleaded for an end to 'PC madness' after calls for Christmas classic 'Fairytale of New York' to be censored by radio stations.

The Pogues hit, which has consistently been named the greatest Christmas song in history, includes the lyrics "You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot".

The line is sung by the late Kirsty MacColl, with some people believing the word "faggot" should be bleeped as its modern form is often used as an offensive slur towards gay people. Others point out the word is traditional Irish slang for a "lazy person", an interpretation which fits with the story of the song.

Irish DJ Eoghan McDermott has objected to the word, saying: "The fact this song is a classic isn't a strong enough defence to not at least censor it. Phrases that have zero social utility should fall away. There's enough vitriol out there without gay people having to feel uncomfortable so people that aren't affected by an insult can tap their toe.

"I asked the two gay members of my team how they feel, since faggot is their N word. If people want to slur the gay community, this is their most powerful weapon. One favours censoring, the other outright not playing it. Neither like it. Simples," he said.

Another Irish DJ, Stephen Byrne, argued: "I stood in a room as over 200 people screamed a word thats been used to make me feel like an outsider, with such joy and cheer."

The debate has prompted Pogues singer Shane MacGowan, who wrote the song in 1987, to issue a statement in which he explained the meaning of the lyrics.

And it also sparked some strong words from gay referee Owens, who described censorship calls as "stupidity" and called on people to boycott any platforms that decide to censor the song.

"Seriously now, if we don't stand up to this stupidity then society is broken. The world has gone PC mad. If you are so easily offended by something then don't bloody listen to it and switch it off or change channels. I will be listening every day now."

He added: "And the simple solution to this PC madness is for all us sensible people to stop listening to any platform that censors this song. Then they will realise how bloody stupid they will have been.

"I always tell everyone when I do my speeches, 'they'll never stop us laughing'. But unless we stand up to this kind of PC stupidity they will one day. Seriously, what is the matter with these people."

(Image: Daily Record)

As for MacGowan, he said he had no intention of getting drawn into an argument, writing: “The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character.

“She is not supposed to be a nice person, or even a wholesome person. She is a woman of a certain generation at a certain time in history and she is down on her luck and desperate.

“Her dialogue is as accurate as I could make it but she is not intended to offend! She is just supposed to be an authentic character and not all characters in songs and stories are angels or even decent and respectable, sometimes characters in songs and stories have to be evil or nasty in order to tell the story effectively.

“If people don't understand that I was trying to accurately portray the character as authentically as possible then I am absolutely fine with them bleeping the word but I don't want to get into an argument."

BBC Radio 1 took the decision to censor the song in 2007 before swiftly changing its stance following a public outcry.

In 2000, Ronan Keating and Maire Brennan caused controversy when they changed the sentence “you cheap lousy faggot” to “you’re cheap and you’re haggard” in their cover version.