I'm glad Clarkson said what he did say. After all he has the right to be able to say it in this country even if you don't agree with him. For every 10 politically correct 'whet liberals' we need 1 Clarkson.

I may not agree with Clarkson but I will stand by him for his right to say it. Neither he nor anyone else in this country need ever apologise for that. It is totally disgusting and undermining of OUR constitution that he has been made to apologise for voicing his opinion. Patriotism is not racism and it's not a crime. If someone is offended that doesn't make them right.

Clarkson is a multi-millionaire who charges ordinary people mega bucks to be on the receiving end of his dubious talents. And then he has the arrogance to say that ordinary poorly paid people who are protesting at having their pensions significantly reduced should be shot in front of their families.

He's probably not been 'made' to apologise. He's probably just been on the receiving end of a reality check from a highly paid lackey who has pointed out which side his very expensive bread is buttered. Yes, he should be free to dish out his garbage. But I do wish more of us would vote with our feet (or remotes) and turn him off!

PS What's this got to do with poetry? And does that matter?

Jeremiad

I used to think I
was my own worst enemy
and so did many
of my friends.

But I wanted to be sure

so I kept a diary:
a record of faces and places,
fluctuations in pulse,
blood pressure,
respiration,
frequency of swearing
and kicking the cat.

You get the picture.

Turns out I was wrong.
My worst enemy
is Jeremy Kyle.
I only made 4th place.
I grabbed 3rd
on the death
of Jeremy Beadle
but I’d have to do summat
really stupid
to overtake
Jeremy Clarkson.

Yep, this country definitely needs more snivelling apologists. Next time he puts his foot in his mouth I hope he swallows.

Thanks for your constructive response Dave. I know it has nothing to do with poetry, but I needed to get it off my chest (I don't have a blog anywhere else). May I add that I do not agree with Jeremy that strikers should be shot but what I do find insulting is that some people seem to think they can demand an apology if someone utters a comment they do not agree with. As in “oh! I’m terribly sorry did I say something you don’t agree with?’ and there seems to be a very real confusion between being offended and not agreeing, neither of which automatically makes anyone right, including Jeremy Clarkson. On a personal level I don’t watch television least of all Top Gear as I can’t stand to see his slimy demeanour. But there again I have read and enjoy his books……. ‘And on that bomb shell!!!’……..

I'm all for freedom of speech - regardless of whether I agree with the message so I hear what you are saying, Peter. It also seems that a lot of what he said was quoted out of context.

I doubt any of this will have harmed Jeremy's career - he feeds off controversy - characters like him do. All those poxy comments he makes about different cars - you could write the script yourself...

And yes - I buy his book every Christmas - to send to the ex from the children - he was always a fan...

That comment speaks volumes Isobel - well, maybe it does! xx

Mind you, you can all keep yer mits off that James May - cos I quite fancy him! (Only cos he looks like a fatter version of my Murray. I do like a man with long hair!)

Naaah - you're safe there Ann. He just seems like a long haired, watered down Jeremy to me.

What this country needs is real men - who know how to tinker with a woman better than they know how to tinker with a car...

I know fuck all about cars.

Ha.... neither do I .... and I work for Lotus.... ha ha ha

His career is not harmed Isobel. Just remeber these telly personalities are all characters. Some skillfuly played others less so. Does anyone really beleive that Jeremy Clarkson sits at home on a Sunday afternoon telling his kids that he or she in the news should be shot..... I think not..... OMG that rhymes!!

Oh absolutely. We need him like we need more of the kind of man who thinks it's funny to sneer at 'political correctness' just to get a rise out of the so-called 'woolly liberals'. We need more child-men who think that fast cars, insulting people randomly and eating rare animals somehow proves how 'manly' you are. We need men like Clarkson like we need trilobites. I would have said dinosaurs, but they seem a bit too up-to-date for men like him.

I agree with Peter's comments. I'm not a big Clarkson fan but I don't think there should be an instant apology because the media demand one and I think he probabley represents a lot of fast car drivers. So I cant condone anhilation aka the badgers but I do like arguments to be black and white.

What d'you want to inoculate Jeremy Clarkson for? Perhaps rabies in caes he bites you? I'd like to put oestrogen in his tank, it'd do the tiger good.

I agree with the point on free speech. As quoted from the friends of voltaire;

I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

That said, you can defend the right to talk nonsense without having to agree with that nonsense. Also you do not in any way give up the right to lampoon him for his nonsense.

I do think he was joking though and in that context imo too much has been made of this. Had Franky Boyle said it- nobody would have bat an eyelide.

Not sure we need more of him though, he is just a tv celeb
rent-a-mouth.

On seeing this from the main page all I could read was;

This country needs Clarkson.

I just assumed that the the rest of the line would have read;

Like a fish needs a bicycle :)