I think he's putting down us Yankees.
"It could be irony, but with all that's coming out of the USA recently, the odds are against it. The percentage of Americans who could pronounce it, spell it and know what irony means is a declining figure. Half the country runs on faith, not logic or knowledge."
Ah, yes. The delicous odor of intellectual honesty. No one across the pond paints with large strokes when decribing America. The Old World is too erudite and sophisticated for such sweeping generalizations.
note: This is sarcasm, seeing as irony is not in my arsenal of American humor I couldn't come up with anything ironic. Oops, there's a bit more sarcasm. Sorry.