Comedian Frankie Boyle has delivered a stinging put down to Richard Branson’s latest plea to do more to tackle climate change.
The Virgin Atlantic boss, who made his estimated $4.8 billion fortune in the airline industry, tweeted two days ago: “It’s time for bold leadership and conservation in #Arctic”.
His suggestion, shortly after Nasa warned that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean had fallen to its lowest levels on record, was not well received by the Scottish comedian.
Keeping things simple, Boyle tweeted back at the billionaire boss: “You own an airline, you mad c**t”.
Branson’s original tweet has been retweeted just over 300 times – in comparison, Boyle’s explicit rebuke has been favourited over 1,500 times and retweeted over 1,000.
In Branson’s linked post, the airline boss writes: “Let’s not fail the Arctic. Let’s say no to drilling. Let’s manage our emissions.”
He has since responded to Boyle's remarks, posting:
We all use airlines. Even comedians. Shouldn't stop any of us trying to address climate change.
Richard Branson (@richardbranson) April 2, 2015The 64-year-old Virgin Atlantic boss is well-known for his environmental campaigns. In 2006 Branson publicly promised to divert a significant share of his profits from Virgin airlines to fund a cleaner fuel, after meeting with US environmental campaigner Al Gore.
Boyle, 42, is well known for his often controversial style of humour, frequently over-running the fine line between amusing and offensive.
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