I know people get all offended and outraged when someone says ******, and Atkinison should have had the common sense to realize that PC has removed free speech to such an extent he wouldn't get away with saying what he said, but the comment isn't necessarily racist. ****** is just another word to describe black people, but one which has become taboo because of the way some people in times past used it in derogatory fashion. It wasn't all people that used it derogatorily though; many used it just as a descriptor.
There's a difference between political correctness and common decency.
If a large section of a population find a word offensive, then it isn't 'politically correct' to stop saying it, but
polite.
Political correctness is when people avoid saying things because of an
unjustified fear of offending people.
Too many people use the banner of 'anti-PC' to somehow justify the fact they are actually being rude and obnoxious.
Ron did the right thing IMO by apologising and resigning, for a start it will avoid all the media crap like the Kilroy situation. The man has got a bit of sense, I'm pretty sure he'll just lie low for a while till the media back off and then start working again, I'm sure he's got plenty of money anyway.