Deserves a separate post.(see previous post for context)

[avevale_intelligencer]

[Poll #1800108]

Comments

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

There's a few options missing there. I want one for: "He tried to make a joke about 'the BBC has to be balanced', by giving two views that were balanced either side of the line of 'I don't actually know or care about the real issues so I'm just going to (a) enjoy the unintended benefits to people like myself / (b) condemn these people for disrupting my cosy priveleged life... and severly over-egged the pudding on the latter one, probably because he's utterly insulated from how genuinely scared and up-against-the-wire the people he's talking about are right now. But on the other side, the unions are clearly milking it for all its worth, and certain sectors of the press are playing along by only quoting the latter half of what he said."

Basically, there are times when it's OK to be a walking parody of the archetypal insular priveleged and bigotted git... and a period of genuine austerity and social unrest when such gits are actually at the helm is not one of them. Especially not by referencing specific detail of a method of violent repression that is *actually being practiced* in some parts of the world for protests not so very different from the strikes here.

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

Also: "What is this Klah-Xon of which you speak?"

Klah-Xon: A noisy object that causes general alarm, while failing to convey any specificly useful information.

[howeird]

By "condemning" do you mean he should be shot? ;-)

[the-changeling.livejournal.com]

Incitement to hatred and violence, isn't acceptable.

No matter how much you go on about it being 'a joke'.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

"chips in brown gravy with cheese curds"

There. Fixed your poutine recipe for you :-)

(FWIW, I think he stepped over a line, but not far enough to be sacked. Certainly far enough to require a serious apology.)

[smoooom.livejournal.com]

Ignoring this type of idiot Politician, if I remember that's what this moron is, is really the best way. Giving them attention is just more fuel for the fire.

Sometimes I wish that there was an idiot switch on some people.

[melodyclark.livejournal.com]

I do with his gutterances what I do with Ann Coulter-geist's relapses of linguae, I consider the source. And I admit I think about slapping them around awhile but then decide the damage to my hand isn't worth it.

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Probably because I live too far away and the sound of the waves between drowns it out, I don't think I've ever heard of the git, much less anything about his making his living by driving fast. He sounds like a real douchebag, though.

[x-mass.livejournal.com]

having now heard what he said in context, its very clear he was speaking tongue in cheek. he wasn't speaking about strikers he was talking about people who worked at the BBC out to be shot, People who didn't work for a living, Please note he works at the BBC as well, the implication was that he was including himself. he actually said was really enjoying the day, how easy it was to get around London, reminded him of his childhood in the seventies. He was speaking with a barbed tongue but it very clear he was assuming that no one would take him literally.

As someone pointed out on the today programme this morning, its a perfect storm. Lots of media get to talk about him. the strikers get sympathy and he gets a lot of airplay and sell a lot of his latest DVD.

He also has apologised for what he said, when he realised what he had said: was being taken out of context