Article in Times newspaper

ChrisLS

> I wish to complain in the strongest possible way about the article
> titled as above. If it was humorous it may have worked, but to
> suggest that a particular road user should be decapitated with piano
> wire is so sick to be beyond belief, and further more to be
> published in The Times! Our roads are dangerous enough and this
> article is plainly not funny. Please find some decent writers in
> future and not a has been like Mr Parris. I'm sorry but I can't tell
> you how outraged I am by this tripe!

Thank you so much for your email. Naturally Matthew had his tongue firmly in his cheek and it was in that spirit that we published it.
But I am certainly dismayed if it caused you offence. Thank you for letting me know how you feel.

Sent from my iPhone

...my complaint and Daniels reply...

SteveR_100Milers

Well done Nathan. I left a similar verbal complaint last week.

ddraver

ChrisLS wrote:

> I wish to complain in the strongest possible way about the article
> titled as above. If it was humorous it may have worked, but to
> suggest that a particular road user should be decapitated with piano
> wire is so sick to be beyond belief, and further more to be
> published in The Times! Our roads are dangerous enough and this
> article is plainly not funny. Please find some decent writers in
> future and not a has been like Mr Parris. I'm sorry but I can't tell
> you how outraged I am by this tripe!

Thank you so much for your email. Naturally Matthew had his tongue firmly in his cheek and it was in that spirit that we published it.
But I am certainly dismayed if it caused you offence. Thank you for letting me know how you feel.

Sent from my iPhone

...my complaint and Daniels reply...

just kinda ....slipped that in didntcha :P

alfablue

I think there is some pussyfooting going on - this article is an incitement to murder and a hate crime, IMHO, I have complained to the Police to that effect. The defence of "tongue in cheek" is utter nonsense, I didn't get the joke, and those who are already aggressively anti-cyclist will take it as a call to arms rather than humorous journalism.

Would an article suggesting the decapitation of [insert minority group of your choice] be considered as harmless fun? It seems that cyclists are now fair game!

ddraver

I have to say i find it very hard to see it in the same light as incitement to murder and hate crime, and i'm not sure that this article will be taken as a call to arms by anyone, but certainly no more so than the anti cyclist rubbish printed nigh on every day by crap journalists

It IS unfair that if he had said all muslims (or blacks/jews/atheists) should be decapitated for littering then all hell would break loose, wheras no one in the MET (and why should it just be the MET) or PCCwill raise as much as a bemused eye brow over this

...sorry guys, we ll have to burn more american flags sometime...

webbhost

Just thought id include the latest e-mail to and from daniel.

I certainly felt some sort of reply was needed as a comment piece......(which incidentally isn't something we usually do)

---

From: Nathan Webb [mailto:naya_is@hotmail.com]
Sent: 30 December 2007 22:37
To: Finkelstein, Daniel
Subject: Re: Hi Daniel, Please read. (thankyou)


Hi daniel,

Would just like to give you a thank you for the recent news thread "A joke that will sicken cyclists" by alison. To me thats a form of apology, so thank you very much!

Nay





IMHO, I am not too fussed about it now. Afterall at the end of the day, if someone cuts me up or knocks me down tomorrow.. chances are they have never read that thread, and even if they did, it wouldn't be what caused them to hit me.

I just think it was nice to get a response and a followup article to contredict the first one.

Thanks timesonline.

alfablue

webbhost wrote:

Just thought id include the latest e-mail to and from daniel.

I certainly felt some sort of reply was needed as a comment piece......(which incidentally isn't something we usually do)

---

From: Nathan Webb [mailto:naya_is@hotmail.com]
Sent: 30 December 2007 22:37
To: Finkelstein, Daniel
Subject: Re: Hi Daniel, Please read. (thankyou)


Hi daniel,

Would just like to give you a thank you for the recent news thread "A joke that will sicken cyclists" by alison. To me thats a form of apology, so thank you very much!

Nay





IMHO, I am not too fussed about it now. Afterall at the end of the day, if someone cuts me up or knocks me down tomorrow.. chances are they have never read that thread, and even if they did, it wouldn't be what caused them to hit me.

I just think it was nice to get a response and a followup article to contredict the first one.

Thanks timesonline.

Ah, luverly! I guess we can all feel safe now :roll:

Flycatcher

Who is he anyway, never heard of the prick.

geoff_ss

Flycatcher wrote:

Who is he anyway, never heard of the prick.

He's a gay (one of the first to 'come out' to his credit) ex-Tory MP for a Derbyshire constituency. I discovered at the weekend that the village he refers to is Elton in Derbyshire - a village I've cycled through a lot. It's been popular with cyclists for a very long time. There used to be a YHA hostel there but I think it's closed now. The cafe is quite popular but used to have a reputation for snail slow service, not tried it recently. Parrish appears on BBC R4 a lot; he may be on TV too but we don't have one so I don't know.

I guess he's part of the gentrification that seems to be taking over the Peak since I first started wandering round it 60 years ago. As usual, the posh incomers try to change the area, I suppose.

Geoff

Flycatcher: your icon is quite irritating. I've just tried to sweep the little ... insect off my vdu It fooled me, I admit

SteveR_100Milers

I have just registered a complaint with the PCC, and again with the editor.

alfablue

I just got this (standard) reply from the editor:

Thank you for taking the time to write to me about Matthew Parris's article (My Week, December 7).

As someone who regularly rides to work and who likes to go on cycling holidays, I shared your alarm, initially fearing that Matthew had it in for me too. But I think it was immediately clear that he was exaggerating for effect - and for a good cause: cyclists, as much as anyone else, must share his determination to protect the natural world from litter and pollution.

I have received many similar e-mails and take note of the heartfelt indignation. You may also have seen the piece that ran in the paper on Monday in defence of the cyclist. While I admire the passion of the cycling lobby and count myself one of their number, I think we do ourselves no favours when we lose our sense of humour and I hope that you, like me, will continue to enjoy Matthew Parris’s excellent writing. That said, two wheels good etc.

Yours,

James Harding

which has annoyed me. 1) he persists in the nonsense that cyclists are responsible for the littering, and 2) the "we do ourselves no favours when we lose our sense of humour"! I mean there was nothing at all funny in the article, I am happy to take some pi** taking but the article was pure vitriol, why is it we/I should just take it on the chin because it was "just a joke" - that's what the school bully says when their excesses are called to account. I find the comment extremely patronising.

Okay, he had his chance, PCC complaint on its way now. (I still haven't heard back from the Met Police as yet).

clanton

I have also registered a complaint with the PCC having first written to the Editor (and recieved no reply). I do wonder though if by creating a stink abut this article we aren't simply bringing it to a wider audience.....

alfablue

clanton wrote:

I have also registered a complaint with the PCC having first written to the Editor (and recieved no reply). I do wonder though if by creating a stink abut this article we aren't simply bringing it to a wider audience.....

I think we must make a stink, otherwise it sends the message that cyclists are not only suitable for this sort of abuse, but also they are a bunch of losers that won't fight back. We must demand respect, we obviously don't get it just by going about our peaceful and generally law abiding activity.

webbhost

who is the PCC lol?

Clever Pun

I thought this thread might be about this fantastic restaurant in Tokyo

I will be going to this place.... after I've been to the Fat Duck at the end of this month

http://www.aroniadetakazawa.com/

http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/destinations/japan/article3103246.ece

alfablue

The PCC is the Press Complaints Commission. If you do complain you must supply a link to the article:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 097464.ece