Actually, the reporter didn't apologize, the BBC did.

"Mr Anderson was yesterday unavailable for comment but a BBC spokesman said: "We apologise for any offence caused."

Hacks like Anderson never apologize. They think they're right and react with indignation if anyone calls them on their stupidity.

Belfast? Now there's an example of a land of peaceful lovefests, where people tolerate eachother's religions, and where occupation is not in the dictionary, and bombings never happened. Ever.

Who cares what another drunken Irishman thinks anyway? Without the U.S. all of Europe would have rotted in Hell a long time ago. Sometimes I'm sorry we prevented that.

In life there are winners and losers. I don't recall any winners acting like Mr. Anderson.

Gerry Anderson is a pompous and pampered local BBC broadcaster who you need not take very seriously. I am glad that he has blurted out what he really thinks. He should personally apologise, not hide behind his radio producer. His prejudices have been caught out for once and, sadly, many people in Northern Ireland do share them.

However, please don't assume that everyone here thinks like he does. Many of us like America and American values, and would appreciate it if you could go easy on the generalisations.

Will do, peter --

Forgive us americans, all we ever hear is that "all Europe thinks we are arrogant, racist, fat people" -- we aren't at all. Why else would millions of people of every color and religion keep coming here - and STAYING :)

Personally I like Europe, I've been to Spain and southern France for a 'study abroad' summer in college (quite common for Americans in college - often throughout Italy or mainly in London but I chose Madrid), and I like it a lot, however, in Spain i still got the feeling "people here are just more bigoted" and would give us dirty looks.

Maybe i was "dressed American" (baseball hat on)

Anyway, thanks for the thought.

Not only was Mr. Anderson wrong about President Bush's birthday, he was wrong from the "git-go" - (an Americanism). If he were to "rot" in hell, he would decay back to the dust from whence he was sprung and, thus, not feel any pain at all, hee hee. Mr. Anderson should hope that he "burn in hell." Moreover, since Mr. Anderson is probably a secularist like most Europeans, he probably doesn't believe in hell or heaven (nor, probably, do those of the 62,500 Americans who visit Northern Ireland might agree with Mr. Anderson), so he should more properly hope something like, "Bush's flesh rots, his bones mineralize into fossils, and 1000 years from now he become an exhibit in an human evolution display in Northern Ireland." That should really get to the President and force him to change his evil (whoops, anti-social) ways.

Karen Nitzschke

To say that the BBC apologized is a stretch. To say "we apologize for any offense caused" is like smashing someone in the mouth and saying "I apologize for any bleeding caused". How about the Beebe saying "we regret this foolish and vulgar statement by one of our ex-staff"?

Anti-Americanism has become a fanatical religion, both here and abroad.

The good news is, Britain is still not anti-American in its general population. Plus, some very large countries have become pro-American. Quite surprising who it is.

Just wait to see this all backfire on the BBC.

Oh yeah and where would Ireland and the Irish be without the big bad USA?

I had ancestors who got on a boat in Ireland years ago and came here to escape the Great Hunger along with millions of immigrants who would have starved if there had not been an America to go to. Now, thanks in large part to American industry Ireland has a decent economy.

Now if they could just stop killing each other.

Maybe Anderson's looking to land a spot on this show
as well.

Some of the responses to Gerry Anderson's remark smack of the same simple-mindedness as his. Generalisations abound for the bomb-loving, intolerant, drunken Irish.

You as American's have to accept that when you pursue the sort of foreign policy that Dubya does you leave yourself open to criticism.

Fortunately, in the BBC we have an independent (if at times a little too left wing) media service, and I believe that they like all media organisations should be able to voice opinion in a free speech society, without fear of censure. (Isn't that part of the American constitution?)

Or maybe they should be allowed to say what they want as long as it doesn't criticise the powers that be. A bit too much like Stalin's Russia, or Hitler's Germany.

As an aside, all though an altogether important one, it should be noted that Gerry Anderson's show is not one for serious political opinion, in fact it is very much an easy listening show, without any sort of serious edge. I quite imagine that Gerry said his words in jest, without real Malice in his voice. Gerry is in fact just back from the states, having recorded a series following American culture.

Minty:

... in the BBC we have an independent media service, and I believe that they like all media organisations should be able to voice opinion in a free speech society, without fear of censure. (Isn't that part of the American constitution?)
...

This is the same line that conservatives hear any time someone on the right criticizes an especially stupid comment of someone on the left. Expressing your opinion about someone else's opinion pretty much defines free speech, as far as I know.

And yeah, the comments about the drunken Irish are a bit prejudicial, but if you want people to view the 'rot in hell' comment as coming from a sense of humor, it might do you well to think of the bomb-loving Irish comments as coming from the same source.

Seagraves

.... the comments about the drunken Irish are a bit prejudicial, but if you want people to view the 'rot in hell' comment as coming from a sense of houor, it might do well to think of the bomb-loving Irish as coming from the same source.

Perhaps, but I can't help but feel that this is broad brushing a nation (or two) whilst Anderson was commenting on one person, based on said person's actions.

Nevertheless, I do feel that the reaction on the internet to one man's comments have been a little out of proportion ...... but I guess that's what it is here for.

This is why I'm glad my grandmother's family came from Northern Ireland - it gives me enough plausible deniability to maintain that I'm actually British, and thus piss off every Mick who hears me say it.

I still remember whose side you were on in WW2, you whiskey-slogging f--ks. I'll never be one of you.

Fortunately, in the BBC we have an independent media service...

If by "independent," you mean "financed by involuntary donations extracted by government goon squads."

...and I believe that they like all media organisations should be able to voice opinion in a free speech society, without fear of censure. (Isn't that part of the American constitution?)

No, you believe Beloved State Radio should be able to voice opinion without fear of criticism, which is part of the North Korean constitution.

If I called this Mick DJ a pasty drunk welfare leprechaun, that's not "censure," it's "an involved citizen speaking truth to power." (Isn't that part of a left wing bumper sticker?)

The main thing here is that it's another prime example of someone having what SHOULD HAVE BEEN an embarrassing case of on-air verbal diarrhoea. The fact that he represents the BBC? Well, it shouldn't surprise anyone, really. Everybody's known for years that they squandered any journalistic credibility they had in favour of beating the Anti-America gong, just like every other third rate has-been out there. They haven't had an original line for ages.

Obviously every American, even those in his party, isn't in lockstep with Mr. Bush on every issue, but the dignified and mature among us are capable of expressing our disagreement without resorting to childish and scatalogical outbursts. Too bad others can't act the same.

Minty, please don't call on the American Constitution to excuse the foulness of a foreigner's mouth. That's the lookout of his own conscience, although I do believe that British anti-libel and slander laws are much more stringent than those we have here in the US.

Condemning the BBC for their painfully obvious anti-US bias while still claiming journalistic integrity IS using one of our freedoms of speech, just as theirs is in claiming it. The question again, is of *integrity*.

Why is it that if one or a few American soldiers does something wrong, it can be generalized as reflective of the entire military? Why is it that if one American soccer player makes an analogy between a soccer match and a war, it causes an international incident as reflective of Americans in general being "violent and militaristic" and justifies a vicious elbow to the face of any American soccer player when the official isn't looking? Why is it that one Texan is like one coackroach -- the same as all the others?

But every time we have a Euro or Brit shame their people (viz. Gallway or the Belgian singer who sings to stick "a hot pick up America's a**") all these Euros and Brits make nothing of it. Minimize, minimize, minimize, as they tell us how evil it is generalize? How it's only a few nutcases on the far left.

Yeah, as the Euston Manifesto says: Then how come such hoards of "moderates" are so upset by it? Give us a break.

Creeps like this deranged Beeb wouldn't be so bold if they didn't know that such conduct is applauded. That song wouldn't sell if there weren't a lot of people to buy it. European SOCIETY is responsible for anti-Americanism. Everyone who doesn't oppose participates through consent to it, as Mr. Luther King said.

Until Euros grow up and own their responsibility to oppose it, it will keep right on rolling.

Mere opinion? I'd like to see what would happen if anyone dared to state such a "mere opionion" about any other head of state. Or OBL.

That wasn't an opinion: that was a curse. And frankly I don't see how any clear headed person can get the two things confused.

You mean someone exercised their right to freedom of speech!

What an outrage.

Uh sonic, besides the fact that the "reporter" used the occasion of the 4th of July and Bush's birthday (sic) for an ad hominem attack, no one is denying his freedom of speech (wasn't that an American ratification? does Ireland even have a constitution?). However, as opposed to apologizing for his childish insult he goes into hiding and allows his employer to offer up a half hearted mea culpa.

Lefties - just when you think they can't be more immature, hateful and pathetic they prove you wrong. God bless them.

Michael,

Northern Ireland is actually part of the United Kingdom of Great British and Northern Ireland - the UK. I have a British passport and am British, and yes we fought for the Allies in World War 1 and World War 2 you f**k.

I've been to Belfast. Anderson was clearly speaking about rotting in his own city. What a dump and a sour lot who reside there. I word of advice to the oh-so enlightened Europeans. Just remember, we can hate you back.

american wankers

As a British person all I can say to the Americans is that the fact that Europeans are so anti-American is more of an indictment on them than anything. I think most Europeans are very jealous of America because Europe is an overtaxed, socialist, racist, dying hellhole whereas America is a thriving, indiviualist multiracial society. I find all the pompous, arrogant criticism of America hilarious coming from the countries that invented fascism, Nazism, colonialism and anti-Semitis and the Irish are some of the most racist, anti-Semitic people on the earth and they have the nerve to puff their chests in 'moral outrage'. What f*cking hypocrisy!

Minty,

After some one says something so fiercely retarded as Michael Andreyakovich did, you don't need to correct them. You need to painstakingly humiliate them to keep them from splurting their mouth of without thinking in the future.

By the way, never been to this site, but I think its weird that the Irish fought for both sides of the Civil War and the Irish help build up American society. So I guess Irish hating is like American hating? Never thought I'd see so much anti-Americanism on a supposedly conservative website.

sorry for the cliche folks but bush can rot in hell for all i care too.. hes a tool, n if u dont realise it then so are you!

You're just mad 'cause Bush took your Lucky Charms.

May I just say how horrified I am to read the racist sweeping statements made on this site.

I am from Northern Ireland - and I am proud of it. Yes, we have had our well documented problems - I was born in the midst of them - what country hasn't. Do you remember the civil rights movement of the 60s, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, segregation, Little Rock Arkansas? Anyone??
However, I am of the majority of Northern Irish people dedicated to peace in the province and in the world. I am not a ''whiskey-slogging f$%k'' nor am I ''bomb-loving''. I am not proud of Gerry Anderson's remarks - not because his loathing of Bush is not justified - he has his right to his opinion (one shared my many people accross the globe who have the fortune of having a national media which questions the decisions and motives of fat cat world leaders - something the US sadly does not seem to have. (I say this as a media graduate who spent several years in the US and loved it too I might add.)However, his remarks were harsh and offensive and inappropriate to be broadcast on air. As an intelligent and educated person I do not wish death on anyone - unlike Bush and his cronies who seem to have no problem sending innocent US citizens into a war spurred on by financial greed or find themselves justified in sentencing men to the inhumanity of death row (subsequently punishing their innocent families and subjecting them to emotional torment and anguish too).
For those of you who are spitting chips and claiming they will never visit our green shores because of the ramblings and venting of one man - shame on you for being so narrow-minded and irrational. I pity you for seemingly having forgotten about the right of free speech - I guess it's something that's become a thing of the past in your country but fortunately still exists here. Don't come to Ireland if you feel that way - your loss. We have beautiful countryside and a rich and vibrant culture. Numerous writers, poets, actors, filmmakers, musicians, and may I remind you, more than a couple US presidents have originated from our country and enriched your own. Gerry Anderson may have made a hasty ill-advised comment about a man who is a figure of hatred accross the globe (and amongst many of your own citizens) YOU have made ignorant and badly informed judgements on a entire nation. Which is worse?