Clarkson to get degree
28 June 2005, 11:33 AM
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Clarkson to get degree
Despite attack of the mutant lentil munchers:
Honorary degree for Jeremy Clarkson? Are you kidding?
John Vidal
Saturday June 25, 2005
The Guardian
It started as a small petition against Oxford Brookes University offering the BBC's Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson an honorary degree in recognition of his support of British technology and his contribution to learning and society.
But it has turned into a mass outpouring of objection to the man who ridicules cyclists, loathes health and safety experts, despises environmentalists, annoys mountaineers, rages at Guardian readers and questions climate scientists.
According to the student organisers of a protest against the university plan, 1,400 people have objected online to "motormouth Clarkson" - many in the kind of language that he would recognise.
"He is a moron who spouts ignorant and antisocial rubbish;" "he is a dangerous philistine who displays an alarming lack of intelligence; "his public persona promotes wilful ignorance," said some of the politer contributors yesterday.
In the past year the intemperate Clarkson, who also has columns in the Sun and Sunday Times, has described ramblers as "urban communists", cyclists as "Lycra *****", and people working for transport pressure group Transport 2000 as "ugly". Women, ethnic minorities and others have all taken offence. Recently car workers blamed him in part for the collapse of MG Rover.
His attitude to nature is also eccentric. He has questioned why Britain has so many hills, proposed that great white sharks should be eaten to extinction, been excited at the thought of Birmingham being covered by a glacier, rammed a car into a tree and driven up Ben Tongue, a Scottish mountain, in a 4x4.
Much of this is seen as good entertainment but his seemingly jocular views on global warming are ignorant and dangerous, say his critics.
"What's wrong with global warming? We might lose Holland but there are other places to go on holiday," he wrote recently in the Sun. On Top Gear, he has lauded naturalist David Bellamy, who has disputed that man-made warming exists.
"Clarkson is dangerous. His views are disastrous. The message he sends across is that it's OK to have a couldn't care less attitude to the environment," said Steve Hounsham of Transport 2000. But the university was yesterday backing its man. In a statement it said: "We are giving Jeremy Clarkson an honorary degree in recognition of his enthusiasm and contribution to engineering and motor sports." The original citation talked of Clarkson's "contribution to learning and society and as an exemplary role model for students".
Clarkson was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a BBC spokesman said: "He has something to say about almost everything. Humour and lively debate are the hallmarks of Top Gear."
Honorary degree for Jeremy Clarkson? Are you kidding?
John Vidal
Saturday June 25, 2005
The Guardian
It started as a small petition against Oxford Brookes University offering the BBC's Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson an honorary degree in recognition of his support of British technology and his contribution to learning and society.
But it has turned into a mass outpouring of objection to the man who ridicules cyclists, loathes health and safety experts, despises environmentalists, annoys mountaineers, rages at Guardian readers and questions climate scientists.
According to the student organisers of a protest against the university plan, 1,400 people have objected online to "motormouth Clarkson" - many in the kind of language that he would recognise.
"He is a moron who spouts ignorant and antisocial rubbish;" "he is a dangerous philistine who displays an alarming lack of intelligence; "his public persona promotes wilful ignorance," said some of the politer contributors yesterday.
In the past year the intemperate Clarkson, who also has columns in the Sun and Sunday Times, has described ramblers as "urban communists", cyclists as "Lycra *****", and people working for transport pressure group Transport 2000 as "ugly". Women, ethnic minorities and others have all taken offence. Recently car workers blamed him in part for the collapse of MG Rover.
His attitude to nature is also eccentric. He has questioned why Britain has so many hills, proposed that great white sharks should be eaten to extinction, been excited at the thought of Birmingham being covered by a glacier, rammed a car into a tree and driven up Ben Tongue, a Scottish mountain, in a 4x4.
Much of this is seen as good entertainment but his seemingly jocular views on global warming are ignorant and dangerous, say his critics.
"What's wrong with global warming? We might lose Holland but there are other places to go on holiday," he wrote recently in the Sun. On Top Gear, he has lauded naturalist David Bellamy, who has disputed that man-made warming exists.
"Clarkson is dangerous. His views are disastrous. The message he sends across is that it's OK to have a couldn't care less attitude to the environment," said Steve Hounsham of Transport 2000. But the university was yesterday backing its man. In a statement it said: "We are giving Jeremy Clarkson an honorary degree in recognition of his enthusiasm and contribution to engineering and motor sports." The original citation talked of Clarkson's "contribution to learning and society and as an exemplary role model for students".
Clarkson was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a BBC spokesman said: "He has something to say about almost everything. Humour and lively debate are the hallmarks of Top Gear."
28 June 2005, 11:44 AM
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I don't agree with honorary degrees, but I'll make an exception in this case!! 
He already has an honourary doctorate from Brunel Uni. Should have been given it for contribution to journalism!
NS04
He already has an honourary doctorate from Brunel Uni. Should have been given it for contribution to journalism!
NS04
28 June 2005, 12:05 PM
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Here Here! More like Clarkson please 
Would LOVE to get on the Top Gear show, I believe its a damn good laff. What wrongs with driving 4x4's up mountains, thats what there made for, not running over kids at schools ffs (Or even running kids to school )
Would LOVE to get on the Top Gear show, I believe its a damn good laff. What wrongs with driving 4x4's up mountains, thats what there made for, not running over kids at schools ffs (Or even running kids to school )
28 June 2005, 12:15 PM
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Clarkson has far more common sense than all of the people quoted in hedgehog's post
The nimbys and transport 2000, Rover etc are just peeved at him for saying it as it is and also undermining their attempt at brainwashing the general public (like buses are enviro friendly, speed kills, and the CityRover is an excellent car).
He deserves a knighthood for showing two fingers to all the politically correct arseholes that infest our Official bodies, councils and goverment.
The nimbys and transport 2000, Rover etc are just peeved at him for saying it as it is and also undermining their attempt at brainwashing the general public (like buses are enviro friendly, speed kills, and the CityRover is an excellent car).
He deserves a knighthood for showing two fingers to all the politically correct arseholes that infest our Official bodies, councils and goverment.
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28 June 2005, 12:52 PM
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Interesting that the Guardian failed to get a comment from Clarkson, the person the item was about, and yet managed to get comments from a range of Guardian readers in T2000, the Uni etc. Excellent journalism. I bet their aim was to stir up more objection but little do they realise that many people support Clarkson on his anti-PC crusade even if they don't agree with everything he says or does.
Maybe we should set up www.antipc.com as a web site where you are allowed to speak the truth?
Maybe we should set up www.antipc.com as a web site where you are allowed to speak the truth?
28 June 2005, 02:42 PM
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Met him when I went to top gear
J.C. Hello mate what do you drive
Me. A Subaru
J.C. Oh No not another bloody Subaru driver
He then went on to tell me how he felt the Scoob was a better car than the Evo
Top Geezer he is
Cheers
Colin
J.C. Hello mate what do you drive
Me. A Subaru
J.C. Oh No not another bloody Subaru driver
He then went on to tell me how he felt the Scoob was a better car than the Evo
Top Geezer he is
Cheers
Colin
28 June 2005, 06:16 PM
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hes a top bloke and the more he winds up all the tree huggers ,the better! as for driving a4x4 up a mountain, i think it would be good t.v to run one over steve hounsham from transport 2000-in a 2.7 tonne new discovery-nice!
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