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I was sorry to read in todays Telegraph that the powers that be have decided to kill Mike Rutherford's column. Could it be presure has been brought to bear because of his non-pc pro- motorist views I wonder? I hope he springs up somewhere else where I can read his views.
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Could it be that his rants become just a bit predictable and boring?
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Paul Ripley's column is also going, it seems odd to lose 2 feature writers in one week unless a revamp (or worse) is in the offing?
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Great shame to be losing both of those at one time. I do hope this is not a prelude to doing away with the seperate Motoring Telegraph, and losing it into a couple of pages in the main paper.
That's what they did with 'Connected', the computer suppliment, and it has not been half so useful since.
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Mike has a very good 2 hour motoring programme on the radio every Friday from 12-2pm - it's on
Talk Sport (1053-1089 am) next week I believe he'd doing 2 shows but I'm not sure on which days and the station is acting the official radio broadcaster for the forthcoming British Motor Show.
I think some of his views are absurd but he certainly exposes the truth and gets some very good guests to come on his show. All in all it's worth a listen ! For those of you who can't get to a radion at this time, why not record the show.
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I liked the column because it's concise and to the point. The radio show can be a bit patchy.
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It does look a bit ominous. If they drop the motoring supplement I will stop buying the Saturday Telegraph.
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I can't see them dropping it. The advertising revenue from all the car and number plate sales must generate more money than the supplement costs. Maybe its pay negotiation time and Rutherford and Ripley either wanted too much or want to do other things instead. HJ would no doubt be aware if they were dropping the supplement as it would directly affect him.
Jonathan
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I remember 'Connected' well and still miss it.. the Motoring sections and the handy-sized TV guide are often the only bits of the Saturday Telegraph that get more than a glance these days, if they do the same with the Motoring section as with Connected then I probably won't bother buying it in future either.
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You mean the column was different every week? never noticed.
Suspect a revamp as the back page feature on country drives also goes.
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unfortunately I cannot 'vote with my pound' as I can't get the Telegraph here (except as the Weekly version - tabloid size, but neither motoring nor alex...)
Hopefully they've axed the other corrspondents to make more room for our beloved hero and leader's column ...
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Rutherford talks mainly rubbish, especially on his radio slot. One week he'll say one thing, the next he'll take the complete opposite view.
I used to like his radio programme but this constant standing on head of his opinion is ludicrous. Shame he isnt getting the chop from talksport as well, imho.
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Shame they didn't gag him before he laid down the vocals on "Smallcreep's day".
Or is there another MR?
Billings's third law:
"As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of demand."
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So Motoring is to be 'Revamped' then. Getting rid of two intelligent, informative and educational (ok, so one is sometimes controversial) journalists and replacing with the likes of Jason Barlow smacks of Dumbing Down to me. Dropping Ripley in particular could be considered irresponsible - I suppose Motoring is just to become another adolescent 'entertaining' rather than informing & educating motoring type of publication, not unlike the current crop of motoring TV programmes. C4's Driven is sometimes Ok, but do we really want to see a couple of worn out bangers attempt to blow themselves up in 'Car Sumo' each week, its funny the first time, but not every time. I suppose the new Top Gear will no doubt go down this path....
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Will the knockers tell me why Rutherford's views are rubbish?
I'm easily confused (tsk......sorry, Mark).
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Mike has a weekly similar column in Auto Express so if you need to keep reading, best get that mag.
I, too, hope that Motoring doesn't go the same way as the DT's "Connected" computer section.
What's that saying... "if it ain't broke, break it"?!
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Rutherford may have got dropped because he had become 'one tone' and not 'exciting' and I'm sure he will be replaced ny some 'cor blimey plates of meat gezzer' who writes in a lighter style about 'blagging a nice Golf for the lot' but the message Rutherford pumped out every week was an importnat one.
He constantly harped on the fact that Government is now run by anti-car fanatics who live in London and mostly have official cars to drive them around which they do not pay for. They are backed up by anti-car pressure groups, exclusively public money or lottery or public transport industry funded, who employ people who also live in London and either walk, cycle or use public transport to get to work and think everybody else should. No one except Rutherford was standing up for the majority of the public who have no access to public transport and MUST use a car whatever the cost.
Also, he made a strong anti-censorship point in that from day one of his objecting to Government policy he was excluded from Government press briefings and announcements and on one occasion forcibly ejected from Red Ken's presence for objecting to Ken's £5 per day 'because I can' tax. Am I the only one who is disgusted by this?
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No you are not the only one to appreciate the importance of what Mike Rutherford says. That's why I started the thread.
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Judging by my one sighting, on a Tv prog. a while ago, Rutherfords performance in discussion was so biased against all non-motor transport that he lost credibility. If public transport didn't function in main urban areas we'd have the Los Angeles scenario. Huge roads, enormous jams, and no alternative to cars. Thanks to GM, who bought up all the light rail networks just after WW2, I believe!
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The fact is we have lousy public transport in the UK. Meanwhile ever more draconian anti-motorist measures are put in place. I just wish we had the type of public transport system which results from the joined up thinking they have in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland etc.
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Why is rutherford rubbish? Because he shouts anyone down who dares to disagree with him, especially on the radio show. He also will say one thing one week and then a few weeks later, takes the complete opposite view.
I used to listen to Rutherford on the radio but soon got wise to his agenda. He obviously gets a lot of support from motorists because he sometimes says things they like to hear but, that doesn't mean what he is saying is correct.
He recently had the head of the underground drivers union on his show, bombarded him with loads of questions but wouldn't let him completely answer one of them and kept sliding in other questions.
debate is all well and good but you have to let your opponent have their say.
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Ok, then. I must have missed him misbehaving.
I must say, though, it's very, very satisfying to hear him interviewing politicians, particularly transport ministers. He really gets the knife in, and keeps it there.
And John Prescott gave him a faceful........can't be that bad, can he?
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Could the Saturday Telegraph re-vamp be anything to do with the vastly improved Sunday Times Driving supplement.The Times has been rather pathetic for many months in motoring terms.
Simon T.
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