A new book of jokes published this week is likely to raise some eyebrows in the Race Relations Commission. The Half-Tidy Book of Welsh Jokes is a compendium of jokes collected by Cardiff based solicitor Huw James. He is originally from Aberystwyth and many of the jokes are at the expense of the Cardis, especially at their perceived tightfistedness. At a time when jokes that ridicule and stereotype racial or national groups are a taboo this book is close to the bone and could well offend some pople in Cardiganshire.

The author explained,

This is a collection of Welsh jokes I have assembled over the years. Many of them are Cardi Jokes. These are based on the suggestion that the people of Cardiganshire are somewhat less than keen on spending their hard-earned cash. This is, of course, a monstrous calumny. In fact I am surprised that The Race Relations Commission has not taken steps to stamp it out. The government does all it can to prevent us enjoying a bit to drink and having the food we have always liked, so why dont they appoint a minister for the suppression of inappropriate jokes? An obvious choice would be Harriet Harman.

The book includes some classic homely jokes like the one about the Welshman who built two chapels on a desert island, the T bach joke and the one about Little Dai in Oxford. The book is illustrated by Beano cartoonist Mark Morgan from Cardiff. The Half-Tidy Book of Welsh Jokes (3.95) is published by Y Lolfa and is available in bookshops and www.ylolfa.com .