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Can't say I'm desperately upset by the news.
For a man who turned around the Today programme - largely responsible for employing Andrew Gilligan - who first reported the "sexed-up" dossier exposing Blair's dodgy advice, to writing poisonous opinion pieces for the Mail seems like a tragic end.
He was only 66
As Bette Davis said "You should never say bad things about the dead, only good..." etc
Still, think about the legacy. His column about not wanting to become a teacher because he'd end up shagging the kids will carry his name into eternity.
Had the 'pleasure' of working in the same organisation as him when he was running the Today programme. Still think it was the first step in the terminal decline of BBC journalism, however fusty the programme had become before his tenure.
The Spectator ended up being the perfect fit for him.
Had the 'pleasure' of working in the same organisation as him
I had the similar pleasure of being at school with him. Obnoxious clever-dick brat. I've been regretting not flushing his head down the toilet when I had the chance.
A lot of these journos used to smoke and drink a lot in the 80's instead of being out on the trail mending puncures.
ROAD.CC Typical hypocrisy for him to make jibes about names ("Daddy and Piers, 11, in the peloton. Mummy bringing up the rear with little Poppy, 6, and Oliver, 4.") when his own luckless offspring were named Wilder, Tyler and Emmy.
I'm pleased I have no idea who he was.
THEGUARDIAN.COM Don't know how he got away with that Guardian article about - accessing child porn shouldn't really be a crime.
His central argument that there is no connection between viewing child porn and child abuse - totally ignores the idea that children were clearly abused to make the stuff viewable.
People, especially right-wingers queuing up to mourn his passing.
Ugh.
Glad he's gone. A very hurtful individual that wasn't really a journalist.
Why are these right-wingers built from such vile DNA? It's almost as if being right-wing is dysfunctional across the board that it infiltrates your personality too. Yep broadcasters such Melanie Phillips, Julie HB and Clarkson. They all have this bitter, nasty thing in common despite doing very well.
He also went on and on about free speech like these libertarians do so fill your boots about him.
Why are these right-wingers built from such vile DNA? It's almost as if being right-wing is dysfunctional across the board that it infiltrates your personality too. Yep broadcasters such Melanie Phillips, Julie HB and Clarkson.
The thing that annoys me most about Clarkson is that most of his public persona is an act. The others write/say the things they think/believe and it winds people up, he writes/says things that he believes will wind people up. At least the others are 'honest'.
Why are these right-wingers built from such vile DNA? It's almost as if being right-wing is dysfunctional across the board that it infiltrates your personality too. Yep broadcasters such Melanie Phillips, Julie HB and Clarkson.
The thing that annoys me most about Clarkson is that most of his public persona is an act. The others write/say the things they think/believe and it winds people up, he writes/says things that he believes will wind people up. At least the others are 'honest'.
It might be an act to a small degree but he's hardly a progressive liberal.
The one redeeming quality of Clarkson was that he was anti Brexit and still is afaik.
An absolutely toxic human being. Even with the sort of people employed as columnists by the right wing press, he stood out as being head-and-shoulders more obnoxious and unpleasant than pretty much all of them
I doubt he’ll be mourned by many
Devastating news. A brilliant journalist and mighty warrior in the cultures wars is gone.
Rod Liddle’s byline was a guarantee of hilarity allied to lethal skewering of the latest leftie idiocy.
The people never had a better champion.— Allison Pearson (@AllisonPearson) August 3, 2026
T.CO Sorry about that - but we rest our case here.
Another awful, poorly observing nutter of the UK libertarian journalist class.
They literally all think the same: People don't work hard enough, lockdown was stupid and neoliberalism still works.
Not a shred of salvation between them.
How can some people switch sides from left to right so dramatically, Russel brand, Rod Liddle, even Donald Trump ... I could sort of understand it if they were in the middle and slightly veered one way or the other. Weird.
How can some people switch sides from left to right so dramatically, Russel brand, Rod Liddle, even Donald Trump ... I could sort of understand it if they were in the middle and slightly veered one way or the other. Weird.
Money is a powerful motivator.
Not that familiar with Liddle's work, spent a bit of time doing google-fu. Wow, he'd sure be fun to have at parties.
What a morale hoover.
A lot of it is the need to be edgy, to get a reaction, or attention, even negative. It's a narcissistic trait.
Julie Birchill is another from the same stable who appeared to swing to the right quite dramatically, when in fact they simply wanted to be a more effective contrarian.
Russel brand
On a tangent the Origin Story podcast about Brand leaves you in no doubt that he was *always* a vile human being.
I'll raise you Morrissey. And now Boy George.
It's a way of getting attention. Look at me, look at me!
Hateful man, the world's a better place without him.
@binners.I would suggest you read the tribute to him on Teesside live.You might be in for a shock.
Just another narcissist who should never have been let near a word processor but the media loves them as they sell...they sell papers, they sell news programs, they sell others down the river and ultimately they sell themselves
*hums a Green Day song*
He was getting praised to the rafters on Radio 4 this morning.
This is man who argued that looking at child porn should not be illegal and that he couldn't ever be a teacher as he would "shag all the kids".
I will miss him and have already, Witty, provocative writer who often made me laugh out loud. A thorn in the side of authority, who annoyed all the right people, and was always on the side of the common man. Had the great strength that he didn't need to be liked and he would no doubt have greatly enjoyed the dullards slagging him off - but boy what a cesspit Bluesky is.
While he had common cause with the right on some issues, he still viewed himself as a man of the left, especially economically, and stood for election and campaigned extensively for the SDP.
Requiescat in pace et lux perpetua luceat ei.
He was getting praised to the rafters on Radio 4 this morning.
Lots of "he said horrid things about lots of groups of people, but was kind to me" stuff.
And also suggesting he was hitting up not hitting down when attacking those groups.
You can see why, considering he had such a key role on The Today Programme, they had to talk about him... but it was uncomfortable to hear his stuff being so normalised (even if not being agreed with).
and stood for election and campaigned extensively for the SDP
Clouston's SDP isn't anything like the old Gang of Four's breakaway party... that was over long ago... this lot are Restore with a bit of nationalisation bolted on, trading on a recognisable name. They've had electoral pacts with Reform before, and stood joint candidates.
and was always on the side of the common man
the commen man.....who wants to watch kiddie porn and shag school girls - yeah that's right. I wonder why so many men of the people protesting for their rights to put St George's flags on lamposts, rioting in Southampton are convicted domestic abusers and kiddie fiddlers
and was always on the side of the common man
Yeah, yeah he probably was. Well, white common men anyway.
Obviously he wasn't on the side of black people, brown people, cyclists, women, the disabled, vulnerable children and anyone with a mental health issue but hey we've all got our views right?
He wasn't on the side of the common man. He used working class tropes to pit them against each other exactly like all this awful people do. Not really that convinced of his Blue Labour credentials.
His mourning 'list' on Twitter - is a who's who of people that have helped ruin the country with their snarling retro-anger whilst being wrong on just about every subject
Allison Pearson
Julia H Christ
Darren Grimes
Jenrick
Johnson
Farage
Lowe
Tice
Kelvin Mc****ing McKenzie
Patel
Andrew Neil
Fox
A literal list of despicable individuals that have helped cement the collapse of the UK by encouraging inadequate wonky economics and then blaming benefit cheats, work-shy and migrants and/or socialism when it didn't work out.
Country would be better without any of these people involved.
I will miss him and have already, Witty, provocative writer who often made me laugh out loud.
Did you laugh at the thought of cyclists being injured by piano wire?
Did you laugh at the thought of cyclists being injured by piano wire?
I don't recall reading it. What was it in? was it funny?
Rod Liddle Has died...
“He was an absolute arsehole to vast swathes of people but you have to remember that I once had a drink with him and he made me laugh - although I probably shouldn’t repeat what he said lol! So overall a decent guy” - the press, this morning.
— Matt Green (@mattgreencomedy.com) 2026-08-04T07:44:17.945Z
I will miss him and have already, Witty, provocative writer who often made me laugh out loud. A thorn in the side of authority, who annoyed all the right people, and was always on the side of the common man. Had the great strength that he didn't need to be liked and he would no doubt have greatly enjoyed the dullards slagging him off - but boy what a cesspit Bluesky is.
Wow. That couldn’t be further from the picture I had of him. And this anti authority thing. How does that work for privileged millionaires?
I am all for being anti authority when the authority we are anti is being oppressive, aggressive and discriminatory. But these libertarian lot are usually anti authority when the authority is trying to protect us from those that are oppressive, aggressive and discriminatory.
The weirdest part of that anti-cyclist piece, is that he's talking about a family with young kids... that's what tempts him to reach for the piano wire. What is it with him and wanting to take out his own issues on young kids?
And then there is the attempt at humorous middle class names for the kids he wants to harm... like Poppy and Oliver... where as his own kids have solid working class names... like Wilder and Emily.
The weirdest part of that anti-cyclist piece, is that he's talking about a family with young kids... that's what tempts him to reach for the piano wire. What is it with him and wanting to take out his own issues on young kids?
He punched his girlfriend. It's entirely in keeping with his loathsome behaviour.
He punched his girlfriend. It's entirely in keeping with his loathsome behaviour.
His girlfriend denied that/
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