Caravan Club on Newsnight

[Parksy]

Did anyone see the piece about the Caravan Clubs 100th birthday

by Steve Smith on BBC 2 Newsnight this evening? I must say that its the first time that I've seen anything positive or balanced

regarding caravanning on Aunty Beeb. Perhaps they are starting to redress past injustices at last. The spokesman from the C C

aquitted himself well I thought in reply to the old Clarksonite Codswallop about traffic hold ups being caused by us in asking Steve Smith when was the last time that he was delayed.One Nil to us I think

 

[chrissie2]

The 'Today' programme did a piece this morning, which I caught on the car radio on my way in to work. What rubbish: they chose the most boring couple ever to represent caravanners and repeated the nonsense about us all towing at 30 mph. If this is how they chose to 'celebrate' the CC's anniversary, I really don't want to hear them when they are being negative.

 

[Parksy]

The 'Today' programme did a piece this morning, which I caught on the car radio on my way in to work. What rubbish: they chose the most boring couple ever to represent caravanners and repeated the nonsense about us all towing at 30 mph. If this is how they chose to 'celebrate' the CC's anniversary, I really don't want to hear them when they are being negative.

I didn't hear the Today programme this morning but it appears that they have once again trotted out the same old stereotypical tripe regarding caravans. If any other social or ethnic group were regularly portrayed in this manner by the media there would be a national outcry.

One wonders why the media sees us as such a threat to target us in this way. Last nights snippet looked as though it was about to go the same way but then perhaps the reporter thought better of it.

 

[chrissie2]

I didn't hear the Today programme this morning but it appears that they have once again trotted out the same old stereotypical tripe regarding caravans. If any other social or ethnic group were regularly portrayed in this manner by the media there would be a national outcry.

One wonders why the media sees us as such a threat to target us in this way. Last nights snippet looked as though it was about to go the same way but then perhaps the reporter thought better of it.

Unfortunately, our image was not enhanced by the people they chose to interview. On being asked if there was a particular sort of person who went caravanning - a question which I think most of us would have used to emphasise the huge variety of people we meet on sites - they instead said, yes, it was people just like them and when they chatted, they exchanged information about other good sites they had visited! What a waste of a great opportunity to change the negative image!

 

[JeremyClarksson]

I saw newsnight and it was fairly positive although it did nothing to show the increasing popularity amongst young families or the diversity of places to visit (they showed a fairly uninspiring caravan park or club site).

I think they would have achieved more by saying "Look for the actual cause of the hold up rather than blame the caravan that is stuck in it as well"

More often than not it will be someone too old to be driving on A roads and on Motorways it wil be the middle lane hog who will not move over when road clear - I can honestly say I have never seen a caravanner do that.

I have just seen a similar article on the BBC news at one as well - as they say 360,000 families can not be wrong.

An upsetting note was the woman talking about being a member of the "elite" of the Caravan club - we do not need that sort of snobbery.

 

[RobRoy]

Garry,

How old is "too old to be driving on A roads or motorways"?

I, at 80, find your remarks extremely offensive and although I still consider I am learning something new about driving every day I would back my present abilities such as they are against you or anyone else.

Rob S.

 

[Parksy]

I dont agree thatage has much bearing on driving ability. Lets face it, the U K driving test is not very stringent, and learner drivers are not allowed on motorways. I was towing my caravan along a single carriageway a couple of weeks ago at the legal speed limit and I caught up with a Discovery towing a horse box containing a large showjumping type of horse. The Disco driver was only doing about 25 mph and I had the impression that he was looking for the entrance gate for his event. A line of traffic soon built up behind us and when the horse box owner eventually stopped to turn right into his gateway the idiot motorist behind me shot out to overtake. I flagged him down from my drivers window & he avoided said horse box by a coat of paint.It was obvious to me that despite my leaving a space so that those following could see the combination in front of me (my caravan having no rear window) the drivers behind assumed that I was the hold up. This idea is invariably reinforced by the media.

 

[JeremyClarksson]

RR

I should clarify - there are a lot of old people who through a combination of factors are unable to drive safely.

The sort who drive up the motorway the wrong way or by driving along A roads at 20mph.

These people are too old to drive (albeit through age related factors).

If older people still have full use of their faculties and drive safely then I have no objections to them driving.

My father is 78 and I feel his driving quality is slipping but hopefully he will be able to drive for a few years more.

Knowingly driving with significantly reduced faculties could be equated to drink driving.

It was not meant as a sweeping statement about old drivers just some (a minority).

It is no worse than saying younger drivers generally have more accidents