Only connect new series starts tomorrow  

Thanks for the tip Eugene and Xochs. It's now on record as it's golf tonight  

We took the opportunity to catch up on that 1940's forensic drama, and A Life in Crime? See! I'm not certain of the titles. However the first was wonderfully flippant.

Skint, (channel 4 tonight), looks interesting but why focus on a large family? It only adds fuel to shamerons fire.

I wanted to watch this 

The series is slightly shorter then before with 13 episodes compared to 16, but another series starts in the autumn,

 

I see the series is now presented by:

Victoria Coren Mitchell (now wife of David)

The Fall. 2 at nine.

 

You never know  

 

Hit the North.

Has the potential to be seriously good. Gillian Anderson stars.

 

Skint !

I know... I've just turned it on EC.....

 

He only feeds his kids at the end of the day !!!  

and she USED to be a good shoplifter

 

Awful, awful, awful.

So depressing.

I don't think the kid who evades school has any excuse. He should just go.

I know.....and I can't help but think they are using poverty as an excuse for their appalling behaviour!

Totally. They don't have to steal. They could go to school and give themselves a fighting chance. They don't ned to smoke or drink either.

I agree EC......Or take drugs.....

When I was a kid, my Dad was a steelworker. As you will recall they went on strike from time to time. Money was not exactly free flowing in our household. Mum used to do a part time cleaning job and we kids had to have special vouchers for our school meals. But we never went on the rob. We all attended school. My Dad got an allotment which we all worked on and grew our own food. Oh and swearing was not something you heard very often in our household - so it can be done.

  We weren't rich either EC....  very far from it.... but I wouldn't have dared to behave like these kids.... and as for the language.....my mum would have literally washed my mouth out with soap!

I come from a steel town were 4 thousand people lost their job in a two year period and this low life lot represent none of the people I know .

Exactly Erinp

I think there was more respect and discipline. Me to, would never answer my parents back or use bad language. The problem with these people is they are stuck in a poverty cycle. The parents kids will have their own kids who will continue where their parents left off, nor many will escape and make something of themselves.

 

I could have read her palm and told her she had had a kid and that more is on the way - not really a stretch !!

 

Contraception! have they heard of it?

This was a concern of mine, that they wouldn't show a typical family, but just reinforce stereotypes to pander to tory philosophy

I switched it off.

To be fair the programme is called Skint and I think the idea is that they will focus on people who have next to nothing and rely on benefits.

But I would debate that they don't represent people who are skint and rely on benefits.

 

They represent some of the people and those are the ones the programme is centred on. As to what percentage of people who are on benefits these people represent I don't know. I think it would be impossible for me to put a figure on it. I also don't have access to the information that would answer my question either.

Yes....I agree EC......although I think it might have been more balanced to have shown the other side of the coin too... that is people who are skint but who don't resort to the appalling and depressing behaviour exhibited in the programme. But let's face it the programme makers want sensational. Having said that, they were real people, so.........

Like you say it will just reinforce stereotypes to pander to tory philosophy

 

That is the other factor. There is not much entertainment in people going about their business pretty much like we all do. It's very tabloid, but not untrue as these people exist. Lets face it, people watch soaps and soaps don't represent real life, they are massively exaggerated with implausible story lines.

We enjoyed The Fall! Although Gillian's accent was a tad variable.

Skint was typical of Channel 4's dripping tap right wing propaganda pieces.  Sensationalist in a way that makes the DM look responsible, relentlessly negative and clearly had the sole agenda of destroying empathy for the poor and casting all on benefits as amoral parasites for the entertainment and disgust of viewers. 

 

IDS couldn't have pumped out more effective propaganda - and propaganda is what it is, make no mistake!

 

 

 

 

 

Which begs the question, why make it all if all you are interested in is ratings and you have to resort to sensationalism to fill the minutes? If you're purporting to make a documentary on what it's like to be skint, make one.  If you're making an extended propaganda piece for benefit cuts, then say so.

 

People vote on perceptions and perceptions linger. 

 

If the perception is always one sided in so-called 'documentaries' which always present one view of people on benefits, then people will vote for benefit cuts.  It stands to reason.  I hate this dripping tap right wing shit that C4 (they're not alone - but they are the worst) pump out.

Skint's narrator: these people just trying to get by and are resilient - now here's some drug abuse, here's some teens with cans of lager, here's someone fencing stolen goods, here's someone being arrested.  Just trying to get by when there's no money.  Now, here's someone on the game, here's a benefit cheat, here's some vandalism... for your amusement and indignation --- [remember to vote for Ian Duncan Smith's benefit cuts] etc etc...

http://themmaggot.wordpress.co...t-crack-tv-the-poor/

Anybody watch 'Frankie'?    I really enjoyed it.