I feel too many of you read too much into all this. Maybe facts are inaccurate or just wrong, but:

The Goverment is outlandishly ridiculous in prosecuting people for breaking the law on certain issues when they are aiding in the restoration, sustainability or evolution of so many other important issues.

Precedence. The judge probably felt the case was rubbish e.g. the tiny fine. Problem? No.

I see this as a success for Cannon not a failure, now he has everyone off his back because he's been seen to be "punished".

Chris Jeffs, Manchester,

The average American also has no idea that a vice grip
by the "government" is in practice on property rights in
the states.

Another form of lawlessness is the use of
"exactation",read takings, practiced in most muncipalities and other jurisdictions in America and Britain.

All in the name of "protecting" the property "owners" from each other,iorrespective of market forces.

Whether in Britian or America, property owners rights now reside in governments offices/agencies. The same offices that exact escalating taxes and regulatory fees against a dwindling bundle of remaining property rights.

"Rights" possessed by so-called property owners(whose kidding who!).

This view is respectfully submitted by a long term, practising (private)professional in American planning administration.

Esteban, Portland, Oregon

Lore Data,

What religous slur are you talking about?

Do you mean 'Jewsonisation'?

If you read carefully it reads 'Jewson-isation' as in Jewsons the DIY store.

Nothing to do with religion of any kind, at all!

Terry Saunders, Welwyn, Herts

Michael did you realise that that torrent contains only 4 sentences, one of which starts with "But".

Neil Craig, glasgow, UK

The typical American has no idea just what a vice like grip the government has on the British populace.
In comparison we live in a lawless jungle.

Gustavo, Newport Beach, USA / California

Wow, Jeremy, all these religious slurs! Next you will be telling us Jesus was a failed White Blacksmith who became the first eco automobile designer by being a car-pinetree designer!

Lore Data, Barmouth, Wales

Well Jeremy lives on the top of a hill with cars travelling at great speed through his front lawn, they call it plough the fields and scatter and vast amounts of runoff from lands stripped of decent vegetation, arable practice and forest, so of course he would know I suppose about what causes flooding from firsthand experience. I went past his lot some time ago with daughter, boyfriend and wife in a normal summer rainstorm and the place as usual alike Cheltenham 1977 was awash with flood on the compact soils and the rotted roads, we sat in the car and ate picnic lunch as there was too much water to get out and then enjoyed Cirencester hospitality. But then Josephi RCA could do that when teaching our students. That is the lovely effort of being a Hydrology soils Geology and floods interested expert in structures, with experience over decades of Cotswold twaddlers, some of whom dug it up with scramble bikes, as they now do Park levels of Somerset, it is a lovely career, short on bitter.

Michael Dennis Stagg BScWales MSc, Portishead, England

cant we just live together and talk about muslims instead

mark, manc,

Yep. Government agencies and local authorities - dullards.

Mark, Glasgow,

Now, now Jeremy, you've completely misunderstood this government. You own land, so obviously, having created coal mines you followed nationalisation of these mines be voting Tory, destroying the mining industry and thus forcing NuLabour to hire in a completely new set of voters by opening the borders to illegal immigrants and then converting them to benefits recipients so they can vote.
You really must learn some joined up reporting!
And don't forget the one you missed on the Isle of Man. We on the mainland have seen a catastrophic drop in ground-nesting birds. Funnily enough this coincided with the release of 50-60,000 mink by the animal rights fanatics. Can we please have an article about them?

KR, Stockport,

Hello Jeremy,
Your piece on Michael Cannon and his spat with Natural England was inaccurate in that Wemmergill Moor is 17,000 acres, not 3,000.
This makes their prosecution over the creation of an acre of unauthorised track even more ridiculous. From the early newspaper reports of this case, it sounded as if he had created several motorways and multi-storey carparks on this hallowed turf, when in fact the track was created to stop the degradation of the heather by tracked vehicles constantly using different routes across the moor.
Natural England have presided over the deterioration of the heather on Wemmergill for the last fifteen years. They allowed a longer track to be created on the North side of the moor, so where's the logic in any of this?
As you rightly say, Natural England hate anyone who own the land they want to get their mitts on!

Rupert Godfrey, Devizes,

Re. Gunther Roth,

I believe the word you are referring to, "Jewsonisation". I think Jeremy is referencing the building firm Jewson, rather than any religious sect. Apologies if I've missed the irony in you post.:-)

Mark, Hook, Hampshire

Not to worry, Jer. If green England gives you the green boot, I'm sure ol' Georgie Porgie in the White House will let you head his wildlife foundation.

eugene, heidelberg, germany

Hit. Nail. Head.

AstonZagato, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Gunther, calm down. Jeremy wasn't insulting a religion. Jewson is a building suppliers in the UK.

Once again he has managed to show that the employees of our Government are paper pushers and not qualified (or have common sense) to do their jobs.

David Smith, Pudsey, Yorkshire

1. The woman from Switzerland is probably unaware of Jewson (the company). I'm not offended.

2. Jeremy C is quite right. This story is so typical of the nit-picking, petty-minded attitude so prevalent in the UK.

Jeremy Jacobs, London,

Dear Mr Roth

Jewson is a builders' merchant, selling paving and garden materials. It has nothing to do with the Jewish race. Jewsonisation is thereofre a word coined from this.

Jeremy was making a point about the casual loss of the english city scape. The anti-semitism you detect is entirely in your own mind.

Tim, London, UK

Dear Gonther Roth
'Jewson' is chain of buildingmerchants who supply generic building materials such as fencing, bricks etc. When Clarkson refers to the 'Jewsonisation' of the suburbs he is not implying that Jews have ruined them, but that all things natural have been replaced with fencing, bricks and patios. So actually you have made more of a slur than Clarkson when you say that it is only a 'small, overzealous section of the Jewish population' who have done this...
Try and get your facts straight before you accuse someone of racism!

Ally, Paris,

Dear Mr. Clarkson,
What a horrible word. Surely you can do better than that! It isn't even English!
More important. Surely you could have said the same thing without giving offence to a large part of the population when you know perfectly well that this is a sin of only a small overzealous section of the Jewish population.
In fact, by making such a sweeping statement aren't laying yourself open to the same charge that you are accusing the Government agents of?
I agree with most of what you write but this word offends me and I am sure many others.
Sincerely
Gunther Roth

Gunther Roth, 8134 Adliswil, Switzerland

thats one for Clarkson. I wish our newspapers here allowed one to rant the way he does at stupid legislation. Here, its politicians who regularly dip the country into a tub of acid and look happy to watch it wiggle in pain. Your stuff is refreshing, Mr clarkson.

John Kuru, Nairobi,

He, he,

Jeremy a greenie!?? Yes it must be the solitude he obviously wants. No wonder he bans strollers. I mean the Isle of Man!

AND liking a Rover SUV! Definately public school. Tut, tut

Richard, London,

Everyone in the Isle of Man know that you don't want anyone peering through your windows Jeremy. Your self-imposed ban on people walking past your house has got nothing to do with your new-found green credentials!

Patrick, Castletown, Isle of Man

I just wish Clarkson would shut up and just stop critiziising conservationists and the likes of Bill Oddie, Mombiot et al. They are all very benign compared to him, after all they have reason to worry as the natural world and much of the flora and fauna therin is retreating against the onslaught of mankind and will unfortunately continue on this trend.
Just concentrate on your cars and other toys and leave those sympathetic and interested in the natural world alone. They do not spend time being critical of you. In fact I have never heard Oddie say one word against you.

B Haworth, Norwich,

Natural England, what a wonderful misnomer. Our beautiful countryside is in fact a wholesale artificial creation, designed and altered to suit our agricultural needs.
The Mission Statement should say that their goal is to forcibly return the countryside to something John Constable would recognize in order to satisfy a bunch of tree hugging twitchers who think St Oddie should be Prime Minister and generally haven’t got a clue about reality. Bring on global warming and drown the lot.

Anthony Higham, Edenbridge,

Excellent stuff from the Repton renegade.

How I love to hear a good whine from the rich.

It hardly compensates for the knowledge that the crook Conway will walk free with his pension-rights undiminished, while feckless oiks of the lower order, do time for failing to get the TV licences which provides the Clarkson millions, but it comes close.

Noblesse oblige old chap.

Destry Jones, Birmingham,

I assume Jewsonisation refers to the company Jewson, which supplies building materials like cement, sand, etc? [Nothing to do with Jews].

This article aside, the United Kingdom is a place drowning in [stupid] legislation.

Chuck, Bristol, UK

"Jewsonisation" is a word to describe people filling their garden's etc with concrete and paving, from popular builder's merchant Jewsons.

Marcus, Newbury, UK

"Jewsonisation" refers to the Builders Merchant Jewsons.

Lionel, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire

Your problem is that over the years you've extracted the urine out of the university graduates in needlework, embroidery, survival techniques of the dung beetle, flower arranging and daisy chains (interpret whichever way you choose) who now run this country. So you're now a target. Let's face it, you've done some crazy stunts, driving to the North Pole, driving up Ben Nevis and driving across the Channel. You didn't defecate or urinate while you were doing any of these did you? Bear in mind that polar bears and mountain sheep are allergic to human excrement and it's illegal to dispose of untreated sewage in a special area like the English Channel. You could be prosecuted.
Unfortunately, much as enjoy your patter and like your attitude, you're too late to rectify the damage which has been inflicted on the United Kingdom and I don't like anything which has 'Rover' in its name. So until you get rid of your car I can't vote for you, whatever you're standing for.

Bad Brake, Bremerhaven, Germany

what on earth is "Jewsonisation" or is it just a made up word to grab attention?

Simon, Hobart, Australia

I like clarksons articles, even if most aren't exactly well researched. However this one makes a fair and valid point. Good work :)

Laurence, Keele, UK