Jeremy Clarkson: Shoot the strikers

LighterGuy

This topic is just going to let the anti-public service people come out of the wood work and have a place to vent :rolleyes:

BlaasForRafa

LighterGuy wrote: »

This topic is just going to let the anti-public service people come out of the wood work and have a place to vent :rolleyes:

If the public service weren't overpaid and underworked there wouldn't be any anti-public service people.

K-9

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

If the public service weren't overpaid and underworked there wouldn't be any anti-public service people.

If they were underpaid and over worked there would indeed be anti-public service people.

Dumd people would still exist. It wouldn't solve that wider social problem.

LighterGuy

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

If the public service weren't overpaid and underworked there wouldn't be any anti-public service people.

Well, Public Service debates should always be defined by one thing ... are we talking about the fat cats with the high paid jobs? or we talking about joe roadsweeper? ... cause often a person is talking about both the higher ups and the bottom. Labelling both as one.

But lets rewind to 2007. Where was all this hate for the PS? ... Manly the council. Always had a stigma of being a lazy shower of feckers (lets be honest, not wrong on that one) but where was the out cry? ... wasnt any. because average tom, dick and harry was happy making his wage. But suddenly since the big bad recession came in ... they lost their jobs .... gotta turn to someone. Gotta begrudge someone.

If we're talking about the fat cats. 100% agree. Trim the fat. But heres the thing. 99% of the time people are talking about everyone on a PS wage.

harry Bailey esq

if people can actually get up in arms over Clarkson we are in some tough times indeed.the guy makes his bread and butter by getting under peoples skin.hardly an episode of top gear goes by without Clarkson pouring scorn on the 'lazy French truckers' and their 'stupid strikes' and the licence paying bbc public have a little chuckle at our continental cousins.what seems to have slipped under the radar here is the extremely vocal response of milliband and his so called labour,trying to get some kudos from the unions,whose members are just as likely to vote Tory these days,unheard of Before kinnock hung up his hat and labour suffered an identity crisis and forgot what side of the political fence they are supposed to sit.Clarkson is a man who can release(and sell shedloads too i might add)a 2hour dvd of himself burning,crashing,exploding and sinking the contents of a scrapyard while laughing his head off like an adolescent lad.and people are actually taking this seriously??

Dempsey

The only eyebrow raising thing here is the reaction to Clarksons' comments.

Ficheall

I'm not a fan of Clarkson and think that Top Gear is a load of bull, but I was surprised at how people are complaining so vociferously about this.
I am really disappointed, though, in the good folk of After Hours who I would have thought would have a bit more cop on on the sarcastic humour front.

Jeremy Clarkson [guest]: I think they have been fantastic. Absolutely. London today has just been empty. Everybody stayed at home, you can whizz about, restaurants are empty.
Alex Jones [presenter]: The traffic, actually, has been very good today.
Jeremy Clarkson: Airports, people streaming through with no problems at all. And it's also like being back in the 70s. It makes me feel at home somehow.
Matt Baker: Do you know anyone who has been on strike today?
Jeremy Clarkson: Of course I don't, no. What, somebody public service? No, I don't. No, absolutely. But we have to balance this though, because this is the BBC.
Matt Baker: Yes, exactly.
Jeremy Clarkson: Frankly, I'd have them all shot. I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families. I mean, how dare they go on strike when they have these gilt-edged pensions that are going to be guaranteed while the rest of us have to work for a living?
Matt Baker: Well, on that note of balancing an opinion, of course those are Jeremy's views.
Alex Jones: Only Jeremy's views.
Jeremy Clarkson: They're not. I've just given two views for you.

Jeremy says he thinks they're fantastic, and then states that he must present an opposing view as the BBC couldn't be seen to be biased, so he says they're not fantastic, with hyperbole for emphasis that he's not being serious. Then he goes on to say that they're not actually his views - merely two possible views.

What the hell is wrong with people?

LighterGuy

Jeremy Clarkson: Frankly, I'd have them all shot. I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families. I mean, how dare they go on strike when they have these gilt-edged pensions that are going to be guaranteed while the rest of us have to work for a living?

That is the most fucked up comment.
Clarkson aint like the rest of 'us'. And it makes you laugh when he said it. Like what is some dudes pension compared to his bank account? ... and thats not said out of any begrudgery. Clarkson is a rich man and more power to him for going out there and getting that money. But at the same time, he aint a regular joe.

Ficheall

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3800000/Sarcasm-Motivational-Poster-house-md-3805895-500-400.jpg

Dempsey

LighterGuy wrote: »

Jeremy Clarkson: Frankly, I'd have them all shot. I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families. I mean, how dare they go on strike when they have these gilt-edged pensions that are going to be guaranteed while the rest of us have to work for a living?

That is the most fucked up comment.
Clarkson aint like the rest of 'us'. And it makes you laugh when he said it. Like what is some dudes pension compared to his bank account? ... and thats not said out of any begrudgery. Clarkson is a rich man and more power to him for going out there and getting that money. But at the same time, he aint a regular joe.

thats part of the joke

ArphaRima

This is fantastic for the unions. Read any of the articles. Fake outrage is attracting huge public attention and then they get to broadcast their own message for free.
Meanwhile Clarkson gets made a public pariah. Gladly the BBC know to issue a face-saving bull**** apology and move on.

--Kaiser--

Lot of Clarkson hating here.
Frankly I think it's jealousy, he has one of the best jobs in the world, being a presenter on Top Gear. Gets to play with supercars that most of will never get to see, let alone drive. Travels all over the world and gets paid to act like a tit.

And gets paid to rant to his hearts content. Just about every one of his articles will piss off someone or other. As a regular reader of The Sunday Times his style is that of relentless hyperbole, do people think he really believes strikers should be shot?

Duggy747

I like Clarkson, he's a character as opposed to his actual persona coming out with stuff that upsets people on a regular basis.

This was a joke, an extreme side of the other view he was giving since the BBC can't be biased and all that.

Still, free publicity for the unions and Clarkson is made out to be a bigger twat to the public. Everybody wins.........even Clarkson since I think he has a book or DVD out at the moment.

Wibbs

I've seen so many handwringers being wheeled out on various UK media outlets since this "story" broke. Some I thought "they have to be having a laugh? Have I got Onion TV as part of my upc package?". One windowlicker was going on about Clarksons comments giving the "kiddies" nightmares, pre watershed blah blah. Good jumping fcuk on a soggy bisquit. How do weak minded fools like that survive to adulthood, without whining and wetting themselves to death? Another example of bedwetters looking to be outraged. Harden the fck up and grow a sense of humour while you're it.

The joke was that most of these gobshítes complained about the shoot the strikers thing and the actual crossing the line(no pun) comment about train suicides was the sideshow. Twats.

Frankie Boyle? Can be funny, but like Clarkson another persona that started off as somewhat humorous, but now is a pantomime of himself and equally if not more irritating. At least with Clarkson there are funky cars involved.

KeithAFC

The attempt to get him sacked by the Socialists for his comment is rather pathetic.

Snakeblood

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Lot of Clarkson hating here.
Frankly I think it's jealousy, he has one of the best jobs in the world, being a presenter on Top Gear.

It might be jealousy if someone cared about cars or top gear. If those things mean little one way or the other, then I think it's fair to dislike him because he acts like a gimp, and takes pleasure in offending people. It's not jealousy, it's that he's a dickhead.

And yes, I know he was joking about shooting strikers, but I think anyone who thinks that sort of thing is funny is a bit of a dickhead, and I feel the same way about most of the 'controversial' things he says to get a chuckle.*

*Although I did laugh about the truck driver murdering prostitutes thing.

--Kaiser--

Snakeblood wrote: »

It might be jealousy if someone cared about cars or top gear. If those things mean little one way or the other, then I think it's fair to dislike him because he acts like a gimp, and takes pleasure in offending people. It's not jealousy, it's that he's a dickhead.

And yes, I know he was joking about shooting strikers, but I think anyone who thinks that sort of thing is funny is a bit of a dickhead, and I feel the same way about most of the 'controversial' things he says to get a chuckle.*

*Although I did laugh about the truck driver murdering prostitutes thing.

By your own admission you're a bit of a dickhead then

Snakeblood

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

By your own admission you're a bit of a dickhead then

Jesus, you got me there. Pointing out that I pointed something out. You're good at this reading thing.

Gophur

Whatever one thinks about Clarkson, this comment was completely blown out of all proportion and taken out of context.

(Similar to what happened Billy Connolly a few years back)

bnt

skelliser wrote: »

he is a contractor so isnt a public servant and has made the BBC millions with top gear.

While he is a contractor, he is still a "BBC Presenter" and thus subject to the Corporation's regulations. He's not allowed to endorse any car-related products - something they forgot when he agreed to do a voice for a special TomTom Top Gear SatNav this year. The BBC originally approved, thousands of them were made and sent out to shops, then their lawyers noticed and threw a wobbly. So he's not getting paid, and the proceeds are going to charity.

There's one thing that many folks here and in the UK don't quite grasp: there's the BBC in the UK, which is a non-profit corporation funded by the licence fee. Then there's BBC Worldwide, which is very much a for-profit company, selling BBC products and brands worldwide. The official Top Gear website has the following disclaimer at the bottom:

This website is made by BBC Worldwide.
BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC).
No money from the licence fee was used to create this website.
The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes.

So while Clarkson obviously gets some money from UK license fee payers, it's not entirely correct for them to say he's making millions off of them.

Paparazzo

Funny, I thought the english unions and press that were up in arms over it would get laughed at, didn't think so many people would actually agree with them!
I'm with Dara O'Brian on this one, here's a few of his tweets on it:

I particularly like the way people say, oh Americans! They don't GET irony! as we bleed all non-literal speech out of public life

Listen, I'll never be a Clarkson apologist but just tel me, is this it for comic irony and sarcasm? Are they just off limits completely?

Man on Channel 4 news re Clarkson just said: "what about the children?" Sweet Jesus

working fool

Snakeblood wrote: »

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Lot of Clarkson hating here.
Frankly I think it's jealousy, he has one of the best jobs in the world, being a presenter on Top Gear.

It might be jealousy if someone cared about cars or top gear. If those things mean little one way or the other, then I think it's fair to dislike him because he acts like a gimp, and takes pleasure in offending people. It's not jealousy, it's that he's a dickhead.

And yes, I know he was joking about shooting strikers, but I think anyone who thinks that sort of thing is funny is a bit of a dickhead, and I feel the same way about most of the 'controversial' things he says to get a chuckle.*

*Although I did laugh about the truck driver murdering prostitutes thing.

I take serious offence to your comment .
I'd like to point out that at no stage juring my prostitute murdering spree ,,
Did I ever drive a truck
This is pandering to stereotypes !
The fact that I'm driving a truck now is purely coincidental !

Snakeblood

working fool wrote: »

I take serious offence to your comment .
I'd like to point out that at no stage juring my prostitute murdering spree ,,
Did I ever drive a truck
This is pandering to stereotypes !
The fact that I'm driving a truck now is purely coincidental !

Haha, excellent, I like how you're pretending to be the stereotypical barely literate Clarkson fan who treats irony with the same heavy handed lack of comprehension he treats punctuation.

working fool

Snakeblood wrote: »

working fool wrote: »

I take serious offence to your comment .
I'd like to point out that at no stage juring my prostitute murdering spree ,,
Did I ever drive a truck
This is pandering to stereotypes !
The fact that I'm driving a truck now is purely coincidental !

Haha, excellent, I like how you're pretending to be the stereotypical barely literate Clarkson fan who treats irony with the same heavy handed lack of comprehension he treats punctuation.

Nope !
Not a fan
Just a thick truck driver who like to express himself through the medium of murder .

hooradiation

Aye, it was a 'joke' in Clarkson's usual style of being 'outrageous' (as Stewart Lee says, he has outrageous opinions in his column every week, to a deadline, for money). Unions calling for his head have made themselves look like humourless whiners and given even more ammo to the hordes of POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD morons who lap up Clarkson's 'wit'.

Squiggle

lol at the whole thing. Clarkson is a marketing genius like Mickey O Leary. A new DVD out and he's on the front page of every Newspaper and was headline News all day yesterday and all for free.

Jazzzman

stewart...lee......is.....how can I....put...this.............rather crap, really.

the fella has started to believe the hype unfortunately

/offtrack

Ledger

Vadge wrote: »

Not sure if this was posted, but heres a fantastic article from Steve Coogan regarding certain remarks made by the stooges on the asinine Top Gear

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/feb/05/top-gear-offensive-steve-coogan

....and he is absolutely spot-on in that piece. I wish Clarkson to be scalped live on his own piece of **** show, overthrown by armies of Top Gear haters, and then shot in the stomach with balls of his own **** until he dies from internal bleeding. The smug ****

This bit made me laugh:

I've been fortunate enough to work with the likes of Peter Baynham, Armando Iannucci, Chris Morris, Simon Pegg, Julia Davis, Caroline Aherne, Ruth Jones, and the Mighty Boosh – some of the funniest and most innovative people in British comedy. And Rob Brydon too.

Poor Rob Brydon. Bit of a cheap shot!:D

But on the Clarkson issue, while I enjoy most of the stuff he comes out with on Top Gear, (I thought the truck driver thing was funny, my Dad's a truck driver, you can't take everything seriously) I agree some of his comments are a tad over the line.

But you just take it with a pinch Shovel of salt.

Junco Partner

As a socialist myself I find it slightly worrying that many leftists have no sense of humour it was a joke get over it.

Carter P Fly

Clarkson is independently wealthy, His ma wrote paddington bear or something mad like that.

He doesnt need to work so basically he can say whatever he like as the BBC need him more then he needs the BBC.

I still LOL at his comment about truckers murdering prostitutes form years back