Thursday 1 December 2011

OPINION: Clarkson, UNISON and over-reacting

UNISON, the already dis-credited trade union after their "damp squib" support for the November 30th strikes, is now threatening to sue Jeremy Clarkson because of comments he made on the BBC's early evening magazine show, The One Show.

Jeremy Clarkson has always taken on the role of the rieght wing, anti-environment, blokey pantomime villain - it may have been an ill-advised, badly-timed comment but it is clearly said with humour. And it is free speech!



UNISON have little credibility left. Yesterday, and at other marches and protests earlier in the year, members of UNISON and other unions will all have chanted together phrases like "Hang the bankers" or "Shoot the Tories" - I do hope that UNISON's leadership will be reporting every single one of them for inciting violence. or is that not the point?

No, it's idiotic, intellectual pygmies that are union leaders with too much money to spend, desperately seeking publicity for their lost cause.

If any UNISON members watched the whole interview, I'm guessing most who have been so vocal in their complaints haven't seen the whole interview, they will see it was a joke about the need to have balance on BBC programmes. But that would get in the way of a good story wouldn't it? Facts and truth - not things modern unions dabble with.

It's time that unions, like UNISON, were brought into line with mainstream society and not in the hands of dangerous extremists and fat cats who benefit by causing national strife.

Clarkson says things and it gets publicity. Get over it. Or are the unions now anti-free speech and lacking any sense of humour?

4 comments:

  1. fair points Steaders, but wouldn't you agree there's a difference to a right to free speech and spouting right wing intolerance all over BbC prime time, 'shoot the tories' and 'hang the bankers' are part of a protesters grievance of the political system. What is Clarkson's grievance to warrant such strong ill-informed opinions? i write this as a Clarkson fan but this time i think he's over-stepped a boundary wading in on an issue he is far removed from, he's more like a right wing elitist PR boy.

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  2. When I watched the clip I think his comment is clearly said with his tongue in cheek. Indeed, apparently the show's producers were more concerned about a comment he made about people committing suicide by j ping under trains than by this quip which, I agree, he mis-judged.

    As for protestors and their chants.... The same rule has to apply to everyone or else we have legal anarchy, which would be a disaster!

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  3. haha, i think he was biting his tongue when he realised what he had done. and as for the chants that's just what are people on the street trying to get coverage, Clarkson is just abusing freedom of speech by coming up with any opinionated bollocks and getting huge coverage. he should have more respect for powers the BBC give him.

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  4. sorry for the jumbled post, shot myself in the foot there.

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