A public apology

[Brimma]

I would like to make an unreserved apology for a post I made yesterday evening about Jeremy Clarkson being a ****. On second thoughts I feel I must retract that statement, as it is a clear and obvious insult to the male genitalia

[Raf_]

lol!

[cheezemonkhai]

He made a joke about the BBC needing a balanced opinion so after saying they strikes were great gave the shot jibe as a counter point of view.

This whole thing was obviously a joke and obviously people took a little bit and went off on one.

Funny the unions want to take him to court over it, but senior lawyers are already saying for what and that they'd not get anywhere.

[Raf_]

Just shows how out of touch the unions are with common sense, everyone can see it was a joke and that it was his sense of humor, its gonna end up that there are no comedians and celebs left due to them making a lil remark and being sacked lol

[Snu]

I think in the current economical climate we could all do with a good old laugh, some people need to lighten up, I for one think his humor is spot on

[octimark]

The whole thing is utter nonsense (IMO).

If I was Clarkson (shudder) I would be saying bring it on. They havent got a leg to stand on. The union rep I heard on the news last night has done a lot more damage than Clarkson ever could. She was a very high up union officical and quite frankly if I ever had to deal with her I would walk away and ask for someone else to be involved. She had no common sense and was living in a totally different world. Not to mention she came across as missinformed, opinionated (but couldnt back it up with facts) and downright thick and obtrusive. Gave an real insight in to why this whole issue is being forced by the unions when a more practical and multi staged deal (based on actual changes in economy and performance) can be agreed to the benefit of everyone. If the money isnt there how can it be paid!?! If you have a private pension it's been hit even harder because theres no guaranteed values. If you do get guaranteed payments they are significantly lower then projected and are only being held for a low number of years.

Theres a bit of truth to his comments but he clearly was making a joke. Whats a bigger joke is all the people who went on strike on Wednesday but viewed it as a day off and went shopping. I have a mate who owns a stall in meadowhall and he said he has never seen it as busy, including Christmas for the last 2 or 3 years

[Brimma]

Just so people know my personal standpoint on this

I didn't vote for strike action, but I did vote for a work to rule

I didn't see the One Show live, but saw the reruns

I do watch Top Gear, and for the majority of time JC is quite funny

There were many comments he could have made in jest about strikers, but come on, 'executed in front of their families', is stepping too far over the boundary

People who know me from local meets surely know by now that I do have a sense of humour. I wouldn't bother turning up if I didn't

Any talk of the union taking legal action over it is, quite frankly, ridiculous

I am surprised that a man of JC's ilk would feel the need to issue an apology if he genuinely believed he'd done nothing wrong

Hope that clarifies where I'm coming from

And please accept my sincere apologies for daring to use the word 'genitalia' on a public forum

[octimark]

Any talk of the union taking legal action over it is, quite frankly, ridiculous

I am surprised that a man of JC's ilk would feel the need to issue an apology if he genuinely believed he'd done nothing wrong

I agree. In fact I would go as far as to say that Clarkson should not have made an apology but issue a statement saying it was just a joke, get back to reality people. That at least would be more in line with his usual comments. Why back pedal, your already in the poo for something over nothing.

[Babs]

Brimma - cheer up, you grumpy old barsteward!

[Aspman]

A win for Clarkson. He'll have an Xmas DVD out and he's getting loads of publicity for just being Clarkson. The Unions think they're getting lots of free publicity but in fact they look like c'cks for taking an obviously satirical comment seriously and then wasting police time.

I don't think anyone has any intention of it going to court.

[Clunkclick]

A win for Clarkson. He'll have an Xmas DVD out and he's getting loads of publicity for just being Clarkson. The Unions think they're getting lots of free publicity but in fact they look like c'cks for taking an obviously satirical comment seriously and then wasting police time.

I don't think anyone has any intention of it going to court.

So he's just making even more money by clambering on the boat of other people's misfortune. That's alright then. If you look back, there's probably historical justification for it. For instance, not many people know, but Himmler and Geobbels had some really funny moments on German Radio in the '30s.

Nick

['daiking']

Why another thread?

[Brimma]

Why another thread?

Why bother posting on it? :p

[Volvomeg]

Haha i like it

['daiking']

Why bother posting on it? :p

To point out this is now the third thread about it. Won't one suffice?

[LewJo]

I understand why JC apologised. It was a case of 'im sorry if I offended' rather than 'im sorry for what I said'

Damn straight. People really need to learn to be less sensitive and take a joke. As far as Unison comparing him to gadaffi, well... Dear dear, my already poor view of Unison just got worse.

[Clunkclick]

So he's just making even more money by clambering on the boat of other people's misfortune. That's alright then. If you look back, there's probably historical justification for it. For instance, not many people know, but Himmler and Geobbels had some really funny moments on German Radio in the '30s.

Nick

The words of their agent says it all . . " Don't knock them, "H & G" as I used to call them, were good little earners, those boys. Do you know, they used do two matinees at the Berlin Reichstag laugharama stand-up comedy venue and then take a Junkers 52 to do an evening session at Munchen brownshirt jongleurs - we used to pack 'em in there. And they were good to their mothers as well."

......Phhhhhhh . . . . b*ll*cks.

Nick

Edited 2 December, 2011 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

The words of his agent say it all . . " Don't knock them, "H & G" as I used to call them, were good little earners, those boys. Do you know, they used do two matinees at the Berlin Reichstag laugharama stand-up comedy venue and then take a Junkers 52 to do an evening session at Munchen brownshirt jongleurs - we used to pack 'em in there. And they were good to their mothers as well."

......Phhhhhhh . . . . b*ll*cks.

Nick

Their agent continues . . "You can't speak of H & G without mentioning that fateful night in 1941. They'd been booked to do back-to-back matinees at the Colmar Hippodrome. This place was infamous for having difficult audiences. Well, about 10 minutes in, H & G could see that they were dying on their feet (not the audience, . . yet). People in the front row were readying their panzerfausts' for a frontal assault on the stage, when Mr G came-up with a stroke of genius. He decided to tell his lightbulb joke. Let the joke speak for itself . .

Mr G: 'I say, I say, I say, Mr H. How many Jews does it take to screw in a light bulb ?'

Mr H: 'I don't know Mr G. How many Jews does it take to screw in a light bulb ?'

Mr G:'All of Z'em - provided that they are standing in a bucket of water and have both hands in z'ee light socket '.

Their agent continues "It brought the house down. Some say that it was bad taste even for the time. But, the boys never looked back, at least for the next four years".

Current events mimicing history ?

Nick

Edited 2 December, 2011 by Clunkclick

[2SkodaFamily]

I'm not sure if people take him (and his opinions) too seriously, or if they think other people are so stupid that they will do what he says literally; my sister and her husband (both bus drivers in London) refuse to watch Top Gear after Clarkson apparently said something about "if you see a bus driver, punch them"

Unions have done a lot of great work for the working man over the last 100 years but, although not so much as the 70s and 80s, the balance is perhaps a little too far in that direction. Some of the senior Union people (i.e. full time Union officials who haven't done a real job in 20 years) are so far up their own behind all they can see is their own lower intestine. Train drivers will know who I'm especially talking about... but Amicus (my union) have also done some stupid things in the last 12-18 months.

I take no particular sides on the current pensions dispute though. I've never worked in the public sector, but it's my understanding that they contribute to their own pensions in the same way I do - in other words via contributions from pre-tax income. IIRC the police pay about 10 or 11% of their gross income? Some people seem to think that public service pensions are non-contributory (i.e. the employee pays nothing towards it). AFAIK there is only one group where that applies, senior civil servants, and guess what, their union did not strike on Wednesday.

Having said that, there are several people where I work who have worked there for 20+ years, and joined a final salary scheme. That was closed and everyone put on a different scheme about 5 years ago. I can understand people getting upset but times change....

As I said, I take no sides......I can see both sides of the argument.

[Clunkclick]

I'm not sure if people take him (and his opinions) too seriously, or if they think other people are so stupid that they will do what he says literally; my sister and her husband (both bus drivers in London) refuse to watch Top Gear after Clarkson apparently said something about "if you see a bus driver, punch them"

Unions have done a lot of great work for the working man over the last 100 years but, although not so much as the 70s and 80s, the balance is perhaps a little too far in that direction. Some of the senior Union people (i.e. full time Union officials who haven't done a real job in 20 years) are so far up their own behind all they can see is their own lower intestine. Train drivers will know who I'm especially talking about... but Amicus (my union) have also done some stupid things in the last 12-18 months.

I take no particular sides on the current pensions dispute though. I've never worked in the public sector, but it's my understanding that they contribute to their own pensions in the same way I do - in other words via contributions from pre-tax income. IIRC the police pay about 10 or 11% of their gross income? Some people seem to think that public service pensions are non-contributory (i.e. the employee pays nothing towards it). AFAIK there is only one group where that applies, senior civil servants, and guess what, their union did not strike on Wednesday.

Having said that, there are several people where I work who have worked there for 20+ years, and joined a final salary scheme. That was closed and everyone put on a different scheme about 5 years ago. I can understand people getting upset but times change....

As I said, I take no sides......I can see both sides of the argument.

The line Clarkson was taking was the same line that the stained teashirt brigade of the junior taxpayer alliance saloon bar club, planted in last night's Question Time audience, were taking. Talk about back to the 1930s. They were all on the same message (as many on this forum now appear to be) and chanting it better than the Alistair Campbell tabernacle choir. Obviously, the party line issued by whoever Mr Coulson's successor is. Frightening or what ?

Nick

['daiking']

The line Clarkson was taking was the same line that the stained teashirt brigade of the junior taxpayer alliance saloon bar club, planted in last night's Question Time audience, were taking. Talk about back to the 1930s. They were all on the same message (as many on this forum now appear to be) and chanting it better than the Alistair Campbell tabernacle choir. Obviously, the party line issued by whoever Mr Coulson's successor is. Frightening or what ?

Nick

What melodramatic tosh.

If this is really Evil Tory © ideological action then I look forward to seeing these "affordable" arrangements being reinstated as a manifesto plegde from the labour party at the next election

[Clunkclick]

What melodramatic tosh.

If this is really Evil Tory © ideological action then I look forward to seeing these "affordable" arrangements being reinstated as a manifesto plegde from the labour party at the next election

After, watching Newsnight last night, when reference was made to the fact that public sector pension payments as a proportion of GDP will fall from 1.9 % now to 1.4% in 2050 and the fact that the unions claim that adjustment to public sector schemes for increased longevity has already been made in 2007 revision of schemes, you are lead to question whether the stream of government propaganda demonising the cost of these schemes is based on a fair representation of the facts. And the further question arises, if this is such a long-term structural problems, why weren't they saying this before the 2008 financial collapse ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13974443

My memory goes back to the era of dear old Captain Bob and the Daily Mirror pensioners.

As for being melodramatic, I seem to recall that Brownshirts were infamous for mindlessly chanting stuff and were mainly recruited from those that wanted a semi legitimate outlet for their own violent natures. Ultimately, when the transition had been achieved into the full Nazi state, the brownshirts were dumped and their leader assasinated.

Chew on.

Nick

Edited 2 December, 2011 by Clunkclick

['daiking']

After, watching Newsnight last night, when reference was made to the fact that public sector pension payments as a proportion of GDP will fall from 1.9 % now to 1.4% in 2050 and the fact that the unions claim that adjustment to public sector schemes for increased longevity has already been made in 2007 revision of schemes, you are lead to question whether the stream of government propaganda demonising the cost of these schemes is based on a fair representation of the facts. And the further question arises, if this is such a long-term structural problems, why weren't they saying this before the 2008 financial collapse ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13974443

My memory goes back to the era of dear old Captain Bob and the Daily Mirror pensioners.

As for being melodramatic, I seem to recall that Brownshirts were infamous for mindlessly chanting stuff and were mainly recruited from those that wanted a semi legitimate outlet for their own violent natures. Ultimately, when the transition had been achieved into the full Nazi state, the brownshirts were dumped and their leader assasinated.

Chew on.

Nick

As I (may have) pointed out before, and it might come as a bit of a shock to some of the public sector but the government are not the whole economy and government spending is currently only about half the level of GDP. Which means your 2% GDP is actually about 4% of government spending before you even start on the state pensions that will need to be paid.

Like back when Gordon Brown had the deficit running at around 12% of GDP. What is meant that about a quarter or 25% if you prefer of the money being spent was just pulled from a hat. Those are the scary numbers that so few people have a grip of.

[cheezemonkhai]

Also adding to what was said, the adjustments in 2007, were when labour saw it, and then bottled it knowing they wouldn't do well.

I want to see Labour promise all of what they are saying as a manifesto commitment for the next election or just shut up.

[Clunkclick]

With those figures, what you are saying is that the whole economy is over consuming, not just the public sector. From the £40,000-a-day footballer to the minimum wage burger-flipper.

Right, take measures that are appropriate to that problem.

Don't single out the public sector employees to take a disproportionate part of the hit just because its easy to do so 'cause you run their payroll.

Nick

Edited 2 December, 2011 by Clunkclick