[arista]

Shoplifting kit: As seen on Ch4's Benefits Street

[Police are set to investigate after
Channel 4 screened a documentary
showing members of the public
shoplifting and dealing drugs.
Cops received hundreds of complaints
from viewers angry at apparent criminal
activity that appeared on the show Benefits Street.
The five-part series shows residents
of a tough inner-city area of Birmingham
struggling to cope with cut to their
benefits payments.
During last night’s opening episode
producers filmed two of the participants
buying drugs from a dealer in
James Turner Street in Winson Green.
They also interviewed a man growing
cannabis in his spare bedroom - which was
allegedly later stolen by another star of the show.
In another scene, the convicted thief was filmed
creating a shoplifting kit by lining
a bag with foil to stop alarms going off.]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...#ixzz2pniTVC4w


Ch4 Fecked Up Again

[Kizzy]

I hope they follow up on all the death threats that were made following the airing of the show too...
I wouldn't be surprised at the right wing bias if it was the BBC but now C4 & 5 seem to be jumping on the 'poverty porn' bandwagon.
Would the media get away with inciting hatred for any other minority group?
The media have again used one example of this area of high social deprivation where there is evidence of theft, benefit fraud, rent defaulters and drug addiction and held that up as an example of ALL welfare claimants!
It sickens me to see this, it's playing right into the hands of the laissez-faire government who WANT the poor, old, addicted, and incapacitated to just DIE, if they can get the public complicit with that agenda GREAT!

[arista]

[Upset: People who live on James Turner Street,
including Dee Roberts and friend
Charlene Wilson (right), are unhappy about
how they are being portrayed]

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2pnwzP77b


These 2 were on Ch4 News last night

[arista]

Benefits Street is a 'misrepresentation' of life on welfare, says MP
Channel 4 defends its controversial show as
Dame Anne Begg says there is 'huge imbalance' in focusing on 'extreme cases'

http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...begg-channel-4

[Shaun]

Found this. A lot more pertinent. http://www.parasite-street.co.uk/

[Munchkins]

Such a disgusting show
really sick of the demonising of everyone whos on Benefits in society, when many people need them for genuine reasons, yet the government and daily mail portray them awfully in an attempt to make the most vulnerable in society turn on eachother just

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Shaun

Found this. A lot more pertinent. http://www.parasite-street.co.uk/

nice one shaun!

Benefits street was just a step too far thank god, the backlash served to hold a mirror to those who make this type of programming and question their motives.
The scales are falling from the eyes of many, who due to an unstable economy realise they are one redundancy check away from benefits street themselves.
The tide has turned, as well as exposing the odd tiddler flip flapping in the silt there are several big fish caught floundering in the shallows.
They always get thrown a lifeline though...

[Nedusa]

There has been a fair bit of debate over this recently aired series called Benefits Street a "documentary" series about a street of people in Birmingham, UK, whose residents mainly rely on welfare for their income.

This fly on the wall series basically follow's round its cast in their day to day lives which seem's to only consist of drinking, watching TV on their flat screens (With sky/cable of course) Going out to commit crime (Thieving from shops to sell items) and growing illegal substances.

I am not going to rush to the defence of the people in this programme. They are lazy, they do need to try harder to better themselves and their families. Some of them need some proper help from the state, but no help is being provided. Its just not good enough to sanction someone's benefits for 3 months and tell them to get a job - Its irresponsible and fuel's crime/poverty. With 2.5 million people unemployed and only around 500,000 jobs available in the WHOLE of the uk it is simply unethical and ignorant to persecute the working class.

This programme is an insult to those who claim benefits and its audience. Its only purpose is to lead people to the conclusion that our benefits system is a sham and is supporting layabouts and criminals. It fails to tackle any of the following issue's:

- Working people who need to claim benefits to top up their wage because their employer does not pay them enough to live on.

- The backgrounds of these people in the programme. One does not simply become a thieving alcoholic, events in life sway you.

- What help is being made available to these people to enable them to find gainful employment so that they no longer need to claim benefits.

I could very easily get a camera crew together and follow a group of gypsies and show you all the negative things about their culture/ society. I could follow a group of banker's for 6 months and show you all of their negative aspects. I could get you angry by filming any group of people/sect of society and showing you only the negative aspects. The MP's have such a short memory, the expense's scandal was merely a year or two ago - And they still continue to rip off the tax payer.

People need to stop looking at the poor for answers. Those people on benefits are not flooding the UK with migrants to drive wages down. Their not cutting tax for top-rate earners. Their not going to the European courts to defend bankers bonuses. Their not upping the retirement age and dismantling the NHS. Their not living the high life smoking cigarettes and watching TV all day. If you're working and your still dirt poor at the end of the month - Dont look to those on benefits to answer the question of why.

Your economic misery is caused by corrupt politicians in bed with big business. Its not just the UK, its the whole world. People need to see past the hate and wake up.

Deny Ignorance.

Oh, and i thought i would add this little gem into the mix:

MP's spend £250,000 on self portriats.

^^ Utter disgrace.

[LeatherTrumpet]

I prefer Quality Street

[arista]

Benefits Street residents charged with drug offences
Channel 4 show's Black Dee among 7 charged with supplying drugs after police raids in 2013 find crack cocaine and cannabis

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...aine-black-dee

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by arista

Benefits Street residents charged with drug offences
Channel 4 show's Black Dee among 7 charged with supplying drugs after police raids in 2013 find crack cocaine and cannabis

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...aine-black-dee

shocking

[Livia]

I know plenty of poor people, who live from hand to mouth and yet aren't scum. I'm always amazed at the amount of people who leap to the defence of people like those who appear on this show. They revel in their own uselessness and cast a poor shadow on the people who struggle without breaking the law.

[Kizzy]

Let's focus on it from a sociological perspective, not just a 'new right' one which doesn't take into account the severe socioeconomic void left following the decline of heavy industry in the UK.

[Nedusa]

Sometimes I am at a loss to understand the mentality and woeful lack of understanding of some of the posters on this forum when dealing with some of the more serious threads on here.


Clearly Benefits street has hit its target audience when reading some of the ignorant and I nane comments on this thread.

People need to educate themselves a bit more and escape the Daily Mail reader mentality.

[billy123]

Originally Posted by Nedusa

There has been a fair bit of debate over this recently aired series called Benefits Street a "documentary" series about a street of people in Birmingham, UK, whose residents mainly rely on welfare for their income.

This fly on the wall series basically follow's round its cast in their day to day lives which seem's to only consist of drinking, watching TV on their flat screens (With sky/cable of course) Going out to commit crime (Thieving from shops to sell items) and growing illegal substances.

I am not going to rush to the defence of the people in this programme. They are lazy, they do need to try harder to better themselves and their families. Some of them need some proper help from the state, but no help is being provided. Its just not good enough to sanction someone's benefits for 3 months and tell them to get a job - Its irresponsible and fuel's crime/poverty. With 2.5 million people unemployed and only around 500,000 jobs available in the WHOLE of the uk it is simply unethical and ignorant to persecute the working class.

This programme is an insult to those who claim benefits and its audience. Its only purpose is to lead people to the conclusion that our benefits system is a sham and is supporting layabouts and criminals. It fails to tackle any of the following issue's:

- Working people who need to claim benefits to top up their wage because their employer does not pay them enough to live on.

- The backgrounds of these people in the programme. One does not simply become a thieving alcoholic, events in life sway you.

- What help is being made available to these people to enable them to find gainful employment so that they no longer need to claim benefits.

I could very easily get a camera crew together and follow a group of gypsies and show you all the negative things about their culture/ society. I could follow a group of banker's for 6 months and show you all of their negative aspects. I could get you angry by filming any group of people/sect of society and showing you only the negative aspects. The MP's have such a short memory, the expense's scandal was merely a year or two ago - And they still continue to rip off the tax payer.

People need to stop looking at the poor for answers. Those people on benefits are not flooding the UK with migrants to drive wages down. Their not cutting tax for top-rate earners. Their not going to the European courts to defend bankers bonuses. Their not upping the retirement age and dismantling the NHS. Their not living the high life smoking cigarettes and watching TV all day. If you're working and your still dirt poor at the end of the month - Dont look to those on benefits to answer the question of why.

Your economic misery is caused by corrupt politicians in bed with big business. Its not just the UK, its the whole world. People need to see past the hate and wake up.

Deny Ignorance.

Oh, and i thought i would add this little gem into the mix:

MP's spend £250,000 on self portriats.

^^ Utter disgrace.

Excellent post Nedusa.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Munchkins

Such a disgusting show
really sick of the demonising of everyone whos on Benefits in society, when many people need them for genuine reasons, yet the government and daily mail portray them awfully in an attempt to make the most vulnerable in society turn on eachother just

That has really annoyed me too Munchkins, seeing those elected to power allowing the demonisation of so many people to suit their own agenda is a disgrace.
Ian Duncan Smith and George Osborne being the worst offenders.
However having a PM that allows them to fuel the negativity directed at those on benefits by the press is totally unacceptable for me.