Clarkson backs down

Jeremy Clarkson - Sun columnist has described Gordon Brown as a "one eyed Scottish idiot"

He has since apologised in this manner

"In the heat of the moment I made a remark about the prime minister's personal appearance for which, upon reflection, I apologise."

This apology leaves a gap - does he believe that Gordon Brown is an idiot, and the fact that he is Scottish is of relevance?

Does the Sun condone his racist tome?

It would seem so - link - the comments are *interesting*

Clarkson? Insensitive? Really?

The Mail failed to get Jeremy Clarkson out of the BBC, but maybe London's Greek community and the PCC will have more success getting him off the Sun's staff-list.

The London Daily News:

The BBC Top Gear and Sun columnist Jeremy Clarkson angered the Greek population of the United Kingdom with racist and insensitive comments made in his weekly newspaper column in the Saturday edition of The Sun, were describes Greece as a "toilet".

In an article "Holiday ad cuts a'tache" Clarkson refers to a recent campaign by the Greek National Tourist board in London, were a women is pictured with Clarkson referring "and a girl who didn’t look all that Greek either. She didn’t have a moustache for instance".

Clarkson referred recently to lorry drivers murdering prostitutes and was given a warning by the BBC, but to insult an entire nation in this manner is way off the mark.

The London Daily News has formally written to the editor of The Sun and a formal complaint is being made to the Press Complaints Commission which has strict guidelines over accuracy:

"i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.

iii) The Press, whilst free to be partisan, must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact."

Had these comments been made about Muslims or African-Caribbean’s there would have been calls for Clarkson immediate dismissal in any case The Sun has not made any remedy to date.

The London Daily News calls for Clarkson to be sacked from The Sun for making these comments

It all depends on the joker in question...

With Ross and Brand having blown itself out, the next target for the permanently outraged was Jeremy Clarkson, having joked on Top Gear about truck drivers murdering prostitutes. While the Mail initially went to town, it toned the outrage down after the public failed to get behind it in a similar way to the former scandal. It wasn't helped, as Five Chinese Crackers points out, because the Sun, unsurprisingly considering it employs Clarkson, decided that the joke was funny.

Murdering prostitutes though is one thing; dead babies are obviously quite another:

"INTERNET sickos who mocked DEAD BABIES were banned last night after protests from grieving mums.

...

Lauren Elliott, 20, of Belper, Derbys, who has suffered two miscarriages, said: “It’s upsetting to make fun of such a heartbreaking subject.”

Could the fact that these jokes were being made on Facebook, the direct rival to the News Corporation owned MySpace possibly have anything to do with the Sun's apoplexy? Surely not.

Editor : poons (Beat: Jeremy Clarkson)

Who am I?
My nick is poons living in Worcester. Started blogging after a call by Tim back in June 2004. Read more than I write these days, but now I have a new focus.

A new focus you say?
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson. Petrol head and hater of all things green. Clarkson writes a weekly column in The Sun which is lightweight and frivolous at best. I'm here to keep an eye on his claims.

Why?
Clarkson is a Murdoch babe (He also has a regular column in The Times). He uses his fame and notoriety to further a right wing agenda without any thought for the contradictory views. I suspect that my input to this blog will be occasional - weekly at best, but I will be scrutinising his claims with regards to Global Warming and Traffic legislation and highlighting where Jezza is not being totally honest.

Why this beat?
Difficult one this. If the truth be known I actually find Clarkson to be a witty and entertaining writer. I abhor his political standpoint, but there is something likeable about him and for that reason alone, because I suspect that other left leaning readers probably think the same, I feel his claims need further investigation. As to my expertise, I am well aware that Google is my friend.