Much Ado About Nothing
Ofcom - the UK media watchdog - has ruled that Jeremy Clarkson's comments on the BBC that striking public sector workers "should be shot" - was not in breach of broadcasting rules.
What a surprise.
The Old Petrolhead's joke wasn't very funny to begin with - a bit of a damp squib if you ask me.
But nor was the po-faced and and manufactured outrage that followed - which resulted in no less than 31,000 complaints to the BBC - and 736 to Ofcom itself.
After all these weeks and months Ofcom has finally concluded that Clarkson's remarks - made originally on 30 November 2011 - "were not made seriously".
Before adding that the Top Gear presenter's words "were not at all likely to encourage members of the public... to act on them in any way".
Well there's another surprise - but what a big fuss about nothing.
For those who may have missed what Jeremy Clarksopn said back in November - he said:
"I think they (the strikes) have been fantastic. Absolutely. London today has just been empty. Everybody stayed at home, you can whizz about, restaurants are empty."
Before adding:
"We have to balance this though, because this is the BBC. Frankly, I'd have them all shot. I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families."
At the time the trade unions went bananas and threatened legal action - although against whom and for what purpose I fail to understand - even to this day.
I'm not the world's biggest fan of Jeremy Clarkson - his humour is a too schoolboyish for my liking - though I have to admit he does write well when he takes a subject seriously.
But even Clarkson's biggest enemy wouldn't suggest that his words were intended in anything other than jest - unless they're a bit crazy themselves of course.
