to be bemused by the reaction to Jeremy Clarkson's strike comments

[fizzwhirl]

I mean, have the people who are getting all wound up about it actually watched it?

He was being completely tongue-in-cheek. He starts off by saying how nice it's been to have empty streets. Then pretends to pull himself up with the comment that 'we have to balance it though don't we, because this is the bbc', and then he makes up the most extreme anti-striker view he can think of, which is what everyone is quoting.

Even if you took it literally (which would be a very strange thing to do!), he explicitely says that it's not his view.

IT WAS IRONY!

The generous part of me wonders whether the unions are just upset because he was being rather dismissive of the effect of the strikes - he certainly wasn't being respectful and taking them seriously. But I can't help thinking that actually they're just showing genuine inability to evaluate and understand.

Karen Jennings from Unison said it was almost like Gadafi making a comment about a demonstration! And she was being serious!!! Riighhhtt... so, a celebrity making a joke is the same thing as a dictator using foreign mercanaries to slaughter his people?! I suspect the Libyans would have preferred Jeremy Clarkson...

Personally, I think it's Karen Jennings who should be sacked - not for making a comment which is more offensive than the one Jeremy Clarkson made, but just for not having the slightest clue!

I'm with Wannabe on the 'humour' aspect. I don't think it was funny, he's not at all amusing to me. He's like an overgrown, overpriviledged toddler that does things for attention. The best way to let him know how ridiculous his comment is would have been to simply ignore it...

i like clarkson.

i kjnow everyone and his dog hates him

i know hes a dick

i still love the fact that he says what a lot of people are thinking ( not me btw) where others just dont say it

i like the fact he isn't PC

"he shouldn't be allowed to say this working for the BBC...we pay his salary blah blah blah"

I don't know how true it is but (according to JC on that morning's Chris moyles show) it is Top Gear who fund the BBC, not the other way round! He said that it is the most watched programme in the world and earns huge revenues for the BBC that dwarfs the show's admittedly large budget.
Could be a wind-up, of course.

purits, Top Gear more than pays for itself. It's true. It's marketed and sold by the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide and sells for millions to a huge number of countries (not 100% sure without checking the data, but I think even more than Dr Who and the Attenborough programmes )

Yeah, Unison are over-reacting. But as a joke, it wasn't very funny. It would only have worked as a joke about BBC balance if his previous comment about the empty roads had been genuinely pro-strike, wouldn't it? Having seen the clip, it just seemed to be a pointless thing to say. But then, I've always regarded Clarkson as a bit of a pathetic twat.

For the record, I would like to stress that I would never voluntarily listen to Moyles, whom I detest, but DS took control of the car radio.

A DVD of professionally offended twattish comments

Now that I would buy.

I didn't take offence at all at his comments re the strike - clearly he thought he was being funny - whether he was or not isn't the point. I was actually quite disgusted about what he then went on to say about how he hates the trains being delayed because of people jumping in front of them - something along the lines of people 'bursting' when they jump. That was a completely insensitive and sick thing to say - particularly so early in the evening.

I don't understand why the media haven't jumped all over that comment tbh....

He's a dick but he knows it
Karen Jennings is being a dick and doesn't know it.
I am in Unison and I nearly pissed myself laughing at her nearly hyperventilating and going on about the Gafafi regime!

DS asked if I thought Clarkson should be sacked and or made to apolgise. Ok he is not a hero of mine by any stretch of the imagination but no I don't/didn't want him to apolgize. He no doubt said these things for comic effect and goes over the top. Not very if at all funny but nothing to get your knickers in a twist over.

'actually I find that comment really offensive' .

that sentance is used far too often to try to stifle free speech in this country. We are quickly developing into a nation of naval gazing, humourless, po faced, ridiculous twats who aploogise at the drop of a hat for everything from slavery to colonial tyrany which happened much too long ago for us to be banging on about it now.

its everyones right to be offended and its also everyones right to offend.

personally I think Jeremy is a prat but that doesnt mean I think her REALLY thinks strikers should be shot ffs.

We were burgled in October and yes I actually would quite like to shoot the bastards who ransacked my kids bedrooms and stole their money boxes, not dead obviously but yes in the knees definatly!!

I'm one of those strikers who 'should be shot in front of their families' and I wasn't offended.

I didn't think it was a joke well made either. I could see what he was trying to say but he made his point very poorly.

He's just a bit of a prat who makes money out of saying 'outrageous' things and trying to look clever.

blah

BadTasteFlump the train comment was the one which I found really vile, and when I saw the start of the uproar I thought that was what people were going to be talking about. Mainly because that is so insensitive to the families of these people he's referring to as holding up his journey to London, whereas his strike comment is just stupid.

He was being ironic this time I'm sure, but the comments were still spectacularly ill judged hence the extreme reaction. What made it worse also is that he is the recipient of spectacular amounts of public money. And if it was say, Jack Dee or someone similar saying it probably no-one would have batted an eyelid and understood the irony immediately.

Because it's Clarkson it just adds to a catalogue of twattery in both his public and private life. Neither he nor Moyles should be paid in bobbins.

JC is an arse, for sure but FFS it was clearly a joke. Not a very funny one, but hey ho.

What is seriously not funny is that lot sof members were contacted by their unions and urged to complain.
They are being ridiculous. They are making themselves and their members look ridiculous. They are causing a huge and ridiculous distraction from the real problems their members are facing at the moment.

Oh and yeah, Top Gear makes huge profits for the BBC, allowing them to fund other loss making projects, in paricular som eof the fabulous programming on radio four.

That is interesting wordfactory

I am in Unison, If anyone had spokent to me and suggested I complain they would get short shift from me!

People realy started frothing about a comment on fb yesterday, I don't think what he said was offensive at all in context it was obvious that he doesn't realy care If people strike or not

Really, wordfactory? Unions asked their members to complain?! I don't know whether to find that funny, or whether to despair. On balance, I think despair wins out.

Can't rmemeber which union, can't swear it was Unison, will check.
They emailed members suggesting they complain.

It annoys me so much. Unions have been so important in the history of working conditions for ordinary people. Getting involved in stupid shit like this just makes them look petty and defensive.

as a UNISON member I am a bit rolly eyed at their over reaction but also what hackmum said

OMG I posted link on my fb page yesterday about how silly it was and getting fed up of everyone being outraged about slightest think and once again labour demanding resignation.

Then I made mistake of going out school run, gym got home logged onto fb world war 3between my little sister and one of my freinds who was offended as shes public sector and she dident strike!

Anyway got into huge rant over how hardworking public sector employees are and little sis got into heated debate that private work just has hard.
My opinion aside turned into debate dident want.

it got worse as she brought up a personal issue confided in on my wall saying it was similar when it wasent.

my sister aplogised for offending her but everyone has their own veiws.

free speech is being allowed to strike
jc had free speech saying what he did.
it was taken out of context hate the bloody bbc neutral my arse!
im quite worried about freind actually watching the awful one show!

I mean irony is union calling for sacking no warning, no displinary process so maybe only public sector have employment rights!

Anyway I tried to get them to chat and make up freind refused, sister cant stand her.

Freinds saying all my fault. How could i be so awful to believe all public sector workers should be shot!

we chatted online off wall and got quite personal

im hard working public sector worker woe is me shes actaully fairly well paid teacher with good benefits think she had nearly a year off sick fully paid!
Like my hubby who works 50+hours privatly with just 6weeks hols, pay freeze and no pension does not work hard!

Then it got onto the I pay my taxes!
so mums can stay at home obviously aimed at me but I have 3kids 2 under 2 and she has one school age and i get what everyone else gets no more cb and lowest 10quid tax credits which she pays.

So all the taxes i paid whilst working , plus hubbys tax and council tax dont matter because without the hardworking public sector our lives would crumble wed quite nice eldests school was open.

Then i get the I am a single parent you have no idea how hard it is.
I grew up in single parent family.

So got truly fed up with her playing the victim and said goodbye.

Hoping she calm down and reflect on how ott shes been and how she betrayed my confidence and has decency to apolgise as im not

jcIi dont control my sister
im not making the pension reforms
I dident make her bloke leave her!

Sadly I think could possibly end our freindship over blooming jeremeny clarkson.I had no idea she held such extreme veiws.

My sis used to do admin job in public sector and said was well paid doss some people work hard others do not same a private.
On positive had no idea we thourght the same.
My labour supporting dad be horrified when hes sees fb.
wondering if should post off to see new thatcher film shes my hero might be tad too much for him after all she knew how to deal with the strikers!

Im joking by way for anyone outraged by my last comment.

Im just outraged by being outraged.

Lighten up uk makes change from blooming peston and euro crisis saying we all doomed.

Frankly so many important issues going on and they reporting this.
Its just detracted from unions cause and made them look truly stupid!

I like JC and (for once) thoroughly enjoyed watched the One Show, watching the presenters squirm was brilliant and especially watching Alex pull her 'cats bum' disapproving mouth. I find her offensive FFS, I don't call the police to get her arrested do I?????

It is the desperate shrill attempts to somehow link JC to The ('nasty') Tory Party and to David Cameron and then to drag the police in that reveals this entire episode for what it really is - the unions attempting to make political capital. It failed, just as the strike did.

I do not think anyone literally agrees with what JC said and nor do they think he really meant it as anything other than a joke.

He apologised anyway for any offence caused.

End of.

griff a fb comment a friend made went down a similar track although the main focus was it's my money, their stealing my money, at the end of the day it's sad that people won't be getting what they were promised but people in the private sector have been facing redundancies , pay cuts and loss of benefits, being in the public sector doesn't mean you should be exempt from the same.

It turned into a pretty nasty bun fight with people deleting each other left right and centre. We live in a mining community and alot of people have very strong oppinions one way or the other about striking

I say each to their own but I do think if you did strike you should be out there on the front line showing your face, not out shopping like lots of people were doing if their fb profiles are anything to go by

DeckTheHugeWithBoughsOfManate I think I love you!