Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear team have won the Culture Warrior vote for "defying the BBC monoculture". This is what Michael Gove had to say about Top Gear a few months ago:
"Over the years, something amazing happened. Not only did Top Gear become addictive viewing, it did so by doing something I don’t think any BBC programme (apart from possibly The Moral Maze) has ever done: by moving to the Right.
Thanks to Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, the programme has become a celebration of individual freedom, capitalist excess and private-sector innovation. It is also laced with laddish distrust of political correctness, nannying and Ken Livingstone-style finger-wagging. Some viewers might find its sensibility just a bit too juvenile, even public-schoolish, with the presenters mobbing each other up and addressing each other by their surnames. But I find it totally absorbing."
The other shortlisted nominees were Peter Whittle for establishing the New Culture Forum and presenting Culture Clash, and Douglas Murray for leadership of the new Centre for Social Cohesion.
* More than 8000 people voted on the 2008 ConservativeHome Movement Awards. The previous award announced was One To Watch, which went to James Forsyth.
Hear hear! Any man with a Harrier jet on his lawn has to be pretty sound.
TG is a programme that unashamedly appeals to men's men. Especially because they celebrate on-the-edge racing and risky stunts - a far cry from other cotton-wool BBC programming.
Posted by: Pisaboy | March 14, 2008 at 17:08
Unless he subsequently put a Harrier there, I believe it was an English Electric Lightning he had on his lawn.
Posted by: Bill | March 14, 2008 at 17:47
It’s a programme that celebrates stupidity. Hooray, three men are so incompetent that they manage to burn down a caravan. Fantastic, Jeremy Clarkson drove to the North Pole – proof positive that global warming is a lie.
It hadn't crossed my mind that we might want to proudly call such idiocy "a shift to the right".
Posted by: Armchair General | March 14, 2008 at 17:55
Mr Clarkson certainly strikes a chord with people of a certain political mentality. Very occasionaly certain people in the media have the ability to 'click' with an audience. Jeremy Clarkson et al fully deserve all the respect they are getting for their brand of 'honest' broadcasting.
Posted by: Tony Makara | March 14, 2008 at 19:25
The pathetic way they went trolling for a response on the American 'special' turned me off TG for good.
And as for Hammond, if I'd known it was the way to become famous I'd have written my car off years ago!
Posted by: comstock | March 14, 2008 at 19:45
"It’s a programme that celebrates stupidity. Hooray, three men are so incompetent that they manage to burn down a caravan. Fantastic, Jeremy Clarkson drove to the North Pole – proof positive that global warming is a lie."
People have enjoyed burning and blowing things up for thousands of years. We even have a national day to celebrate doing just this, if people enjoy it, why not?
Clarkson represents many peoples view of conservatism not because of his habitual burning/destruction of caravans, but because of his right as an individual to do so, if you dont see that, i think youre missing the point here.
Driving to North Pole wasnt meant to prove anything about global warming or make any political point scoring, it just set out to be the first people to drive a car to the North Pole, a bit of adventurism (and maybe a little marketing for Toyota)
I think your attitude is was clarkson would deem to be that of a 'miserablist', Just dont watch Braniac Science abuse, many more caravans meet their death :)
Posted by: Conservative Homer | March 14, 2008 at 20:03
Must admit, I'm a 101% fan of Clarkson, if only because he stands out as an example of resistance against the whole enviro-fascist dead hand of regulation which seems to currently paralyze the UK.
He sticks two fingers up at the likes of 'real nappy outreach co-ordinators', "diversity monitors" and other sad quangocrats [always funded at the expense of the taxpayer] - long may he do so!
If Cameron et al want to truly succeed in their quest-for-votes, they should look to the likes of Jeremy Clarkson - embrace the upcoming 18-25 demographic [who want to be able to afford a nice comfortable fast car] and once-and-for-all drive a stake through the heart of tax-the-aspirational Greenpeace Zak-Goldsmith levelling-down-to-carbon-neutrality econonsense.
Astra/Mondeo-man doesn't want to pay £500/year car-tax, believe me!
Posted by: Tanuki | March 14, 2008 at 20:36
"Astra/Mondeo-man doesn't want to pay £500/year car-tax, believe me!"
And no such proposal is on the table.
Posted by: comstock | March 14, 2008 at 20:41
"Astra/Mondeo-man doesn't want to pay £500/year car-tax, believe me!"
And no such proposal is on the table.
Alas it is... check out the VED-rate for something like an Astra TwinTop 2.0 - at a truly heretical 228 grams of wind per kilometer it's going to mean that on the current schedule you get hit for £750 in the first year and £430 a year after that in tax. Who knows what will happen in future?
Renault Grand Espace kiddy-and-family-carrier - 289 grams of wind per kilometer - £950 initial tax-penalty and £455 per year evermore thereafter...
If we want to get the aspirational middle-classes to vote for us, we really need a promise to refute and revoke such sumptuary taxation.
Posted by: Tanuki | March 14, 2008 at 21:04
if people enjoy it, why not?
In a Laurel and Hardy sort of way I enjoy it too. I'm just surprised that we want to claim their trademark buffoonery as right wing.
Posted by: Armchair General | March 14, 2008 at 21:19
It's only the very sportiest Astras that are subject to this, and no Mondeos are. If you choose the diesel GrandEspace the tax is less.
Posted by: comstock | March 14, 2008 at 21:20
"...It's only the very sportiest Astras that are subject to this, and no Mondeos are. If you choose the diesel GrandEspace the tax is less...."
Sure, if you go downmarket you can escape the onerous taxation... but I hardly class any Astras or Espaces as 'luxury' cars.
Surely we should be positioning ourselves on the basis of encouraging the aspirational rather than punishing it? If the Conservatives truly need a tagline it should be "You've worked for it - now enjoy it". Punitively taxing midrange cars - the Astras, 5-series BMWs, C-class Mercedes, Renault Espaces, Land-Rover Discoverys/Freelanders - telegraphs totally-and-utterly the wrong message to our core vote.
Posted by: Tanuki | March 14, 2008 at 21:30
I live in Asia. When I need a Brit culture fix, I read or watch Clarkson. The rest of the muck emanating from the UK is entirely flushable. (As for his taste in cars, may he be forgiven).
These days there are more Clarkson-type individually minded Brits overseas. The ones who struggle on at home are suffocated by political correctness programmes, drink-driving laws, high taxes and lack of sex.
If Conservatives like Clarkson, there's still a glimmer of hope.
Posted by: Tapestry | March 15, 2008 at 02:45
Top Gear is BBC2's most popular programme, yet, the BBC have never moved it to BBC1! Mmmm wonder why? The usual BBC socialism, that affects almost everything they do, hasn't touched TG. I suspect that it's revenues are too attractive as TG is sold around the World and is watched by some 300 million people (I wonder how many watch the £6m a year, J Ross?) and that it is a tokenistic non-PC programme. In a recent episode, the TV and News readers from TV and Radio 4, showed up in piece (probably an order from on high, no doubt, to try an associate the left-wing news dept with very unleft-wing TG) but Clarkson got them back at the end, with the mock "diversity" meeting. I wonder if the top-brass at the Beeb, knew they were going to put that bit in as well?
I also think that Clarkson scares the BBC, he has become a cultural icon, and writes columns in the Murdoch press. Any move against him could be very damaging for them.
Posted by: Geezer | March 15, 2008 at 08:44
Ah, yes. Someone who lives with a wanton disregard for other people and the world he lives on, whose sole purpose in life is enriching himself and his mates, and who scorns and despises anyone who is idiotic enough to support him.
Good to see some traditional Tories are still around despite Camoron's makeover.
Posted by: asquith | March 15, 2008 at 09:30
"Jeremy Clarkson drove to the North Pole – proof positive that global warming is a lie"
Er, no it isn't.
"Mmmm wonder why? "
Because the TG production team have turned down proposals from the BBC to switch channels.
"You've worked for it - now enjoy it"
What happened to the Conservatives being the party of personal responsibility? You seem to want it to be the party of wanton license. No thanks.
Posted by: David | March 15, 2008 at 10:14
"scorns and despises anyone who is idiotic enough to support him."
Who's that then? Certainly not Clarkson, as anyone who has attended TG will attest. It's great fun, and all very chummy.
Posted by: David | March 15, 2008 at 10:19
Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson represent all that is wrong with Britain today. they represent, the me and sod everyone else attitude. An attitude that leads to crime, anti-social behaviour and the break up of society. For me the sooner we see the back of Top Gear and Mr Clarkson the better.
Posted by: Jack Stone | March 15, 2008 at 20:37
Just admit it Jack Stone (and your modernising mates), the bulk of the Tory Party doesn't accept your views and never will. The same old far-right bigots are holding a gun to Cameron's head and will stop him ever doing anything remotely progressive.
Posted by: asquith | March 15, 2008 at 20:49
Asquith, what is wrong and far right in ideas such as personal freedom, the right to enjoy life. And to say a man who does everything for his family, looks after his friends is everything that is wrong with society I think just shows you up to have the mentality of a very poor 6th form student.
He takes and enjoys life, but as far as I know he has never broken the law, never lived off of the backs of other people, but instead worked for everything he has.
And just because he doesn't subscribe to the new religion of global warming, with it's "repent now or burn in the fires of hell" doctrine actually shows a strength of character we need from our politicians.
As for us holding a gun to Cameron's head: grow up. There is a debate going on about the party and it's future. Personally I like lots of what the leadership is doing, but in a broad party of thinking individuals (Unlike New Labour, Lib Dems. BNP etc)so we will have different views from time to time.
And to call some people bigots is just showing that you don't have the intelligence to argue your case and are are resorting to name calling.
Jack Stone, Top Gear doesn't represent the "me and sod everyone else" attitude. IT represents people having fun and enjoying life, as well as inspiring people to have aspirational dreams. Something we all have and which drives society along. After all what would be the point of going to work if we can't enjoy life and treat ourselves?
Posted by: Andrew Hemsted | March 16, 2008 at 21:24
The BBC has right wiing chief politcal corrspondent and right wing presenter of tha daily politics. Most of the elite right wing people. Big suprise. I have no issue with the the presenter of top gear. He is great TV presenter. But do not pretend the BBC is full of labour supporters.
Posted by: Lies Lies Lies | March 16, 2008 at 21:46
Well done Simon Chapman for promoting the merits of Clarkson and Top Gear!
Posted by: Malcolm Dunn | March 16, 2008 at 22:46
Thanks Malcolm. Do you think they might let me have a crack at a lap round their circuit?
Posted by: Simon Chapman | March 17, 2008 at 09:40
i used to like top gear, however i have recently realised that all it promotes is capitalism (the downfall of the world). I cannot stand the presenters (Clarson and May) with their biased idiotic right wing views looking down on the proletarian. Maybe if they were not payed so much and actually worked for their money they may realise that they are in the wrong and have left wing views. I am a socialist and I am very disappointed with the BBC (formally promoting left wing views) showing this kind of ponsey right wing crap.
Posted by: ag | December 09, 2008 at 19:56