In The Bleak Midwinter

London Fields # 88
First published Inpress (Issue # 1056), Melbourne on 12 January 2011, and in Drum Media (Issue # 1042), Sydney on 11 January 2011
NB: Each column has a name, but these do not appear in print; printed versions may differ slightly to those displayed here

One of the most successful dramas on British television in recent years came late in 2010 when Oscar winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes based his new series on life above and below stairs in Edwardian society. Downton Abbey proved to be perfect Sunday night viewing and a huge ratings success for ITV, regularly pulling over 10 million viewers. As far as drama goes this was more like a filling pudding than a substantial meal, but it did seem to carry some interesting subtexts, such as how kind the ruling class are, and wasn’t it better and wonderfully reassuring when people knew their place in society? Staying in to watch TV was especially appealing recently; December 2010 was the coldest since records began, while the average temperature of -1C coincided with a big hike in fuel prices. Shops saw their revenues fall far below expectation as snow kept customers away. With January came a further disincentive to spending as VAT rose from 17.5% to 20%, as part of a raft of measures and cuts imposed by the government to tackle the UK’s enormous debt. This was followed by the news that music giant HMV would be shutting 40 of its stores (along with 20 Waterstones bookshops) by the end of 2011. The rise in VAT will affect the poorest most of all, and will help to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. As much as the last government failed in its moves towards a classless society, it seems that the new one is intent on making those divisions clear once again.

In his new year address Prime Minister David Cameron stated that these drastic actions were “not out of some ideological zeal”, yet these austerity measures aren’t merely emergency arrangements to be removed when the crises eases, but permanent changes. “We are all in this together” he continued, as the scrapping of the education maintenance allowance (EMA) will make it harder for children in poorer families to stay in education. Meanwhile there has been no move to restrict bankers’ bonuses, and no sign of a more equitable Robin Hood tax. Many of the decisions seem impulsive, like the axing of the Bookstart programme to encourage young readers, which, following protest, was partially reprieved. Transport fares rose sharply for yet another year, and my annual season ticket now costs 25% more than two years ago. It’s been over four years since there was a weekend without any line closures on the London Underground - we’re told that these works and the fare rises are necessary to make improvements before the 2012 Olympics. Yet The Olympic Delivery Authority recently admitted that London Transport will only cope during that period if Londoners don’t actually use the service during the period of the games, and suggests they walk, or work from home instead.

While WikiLeaks revelations drew headlines, on the streets of Birmingham weeks of uncollected rubbish piled up in the streets as a result of snowfall and ongoing work-to-rule industrial action. As cuts hit local services very hard, this may just be the start of things to come. Sharon Shoesmith, who was dismissed from her job as director of children's services in Haringey council over the tragic death of Peter Connelly (better known as "Baby P") said last Friday that these cuts could impact children protection services and so increase the odds of similar tragedies. In the West End, Baby Blue Eyes, a new musical based on the 1983 film A Private Function is using as its tagline: “It's 1947 - austerity Britain, belts are being tightened, fair shares for all, the coldest winter in decades and a Royal wedding. Sound familiar?”. In today’s Britain 12-year-old Nicky Wishart is pulled out of lessons and interrogated by anti-terrorism officers after setting up a Facebook event to protest at the closure of his local youth club in Cameron’s constituency. Meanwhile The Office for National Statistics is setting up methods of measuring the happiness of people living in the UK. Is this the Big Society we were promised? On the streets battle lines are being drawn, between protesters and police, or against groups such as the anti-immigration English Defence League (EDL). It’s as though the country is at war. Yet the only thing it seems to be fighting is itself.


© James McGalliard 2011

Inpress: Published on page 54
Drum: Published on page 56

The Battle Of Britain

London Fields # 18

First published Inpress, Melbourne on 21 September 2005

NB: Each column has a name, but these do not appear in print; printed versions may differ slightly to those displayed here

“Covering up the agony with mindless entertainment…”
ABC - United Kingdom

Over the past seven years, so-called reality shows have completely changed the landscape of modern television. Along with makeover projects, these are reasonably cheap to make, and have all but replaced the documentary. If their prevalence has made us all slightly more media savvy, just what has it done to those who participate?

In 1998, The Truman Show depicted the ultimate development is reality television. In the same year came the documentary 42 Up, looking at how a cross-section of British children, first interviewed at the age of 7 in 1964, were coping aged 42. This week ITV, as part of their 50th anniversary series of programmes, are halfway through showing the latest of the seven-year updates, 49 Up. The lives of the dozen or so participants have now probably outgrown pure documentary to evolve into the first reality TV stars. Yet in the time elapsed since the last instalment, the world of Big Brother and similar shows has not been without affect. A snowball that means that the director finds himself questioned about his motives in continuing to chase his subjects every seven years. Initially I thought filmmaker Michael Apted had lost his way when putting this together. It felt disconnected, as though he’d merely tacked an appendix onto his earlier work. But as time’s passed, I’ve realised there’s another reason for this change. The nation that he started to document some forty years ago no longer exists.

If starting a similar project now, would virtually all the children be white, and mostly male? There are different schisms now than class, which was seen as the major cultural divide back then. What’s worth noting is [in the first half at least] everyone has moved out of London. The reasons vary, but the most telling comes from Tony, the cabbie. He no longer feels that there are communities as there were when he was growing up, due to the influx of other cultures into Britain. His answer is to head to Spain, and set up his own Little Britain there. To go to another country and create an English enclave there – in other words to do exactly what he doesn’t like about the UK in the twenty-first century himself.

Reality television and documentary can meet and create something other than low brow fodder, as The Monastery showed. The concept for this was remarkably simple – take five men and put them in a Benedictine monastery for forty days and nights, living as the monks do, spending much time in silent thought, and to observe what happens. The resulting three one-hour episodes followed the challenges and revelations the men made as they come face-to-face with their inner selves. Made by the BBC religious unit, it was a compelling, and genuinely moving experience, and easily ranks as one of the television highlights of the year so far.

Last week there was a moment of national pride here, as the English enjoyed the feel-good factor, brought about by their victory in the Ashes series. This was a little odd. Cricket is not a grassroots game at all here – you don’t see kids playing it in the streets or the parks. The strongest following comes from the public schools, and the Asian communities [in the UK that means India, Pakistan and Bangladesh]. Football is the only real national sport here, but English successes there are even rarer than in the cricket. Sadly it seems unlikely that this fervour will have oxygen to fan the flames, as the draw at The Oval which gave the series victory to England was the last test match that you’ll be able to see on British TV without paying a subscription.

Having lost all three of its principal leads during the last series, the producers of Spooks had to find a pretty big bang to keep it all rolling. They came up with a two-parter about a series of bombs aimed at civilians in the capital. Yes, of course it was plotted, written and probably filmed before the events of July. Yet watching the scenes of dialogue-free devastation, you felt that someone had capitulated and rushed back to re-edit the original footage. The next episode concerned the election campaign of an ‘England for the English’ politician. A series that started as an enjoyable romp has descended into a dangerous mirror-reality, almost begging for copycat actions, so they can show how astute their observations are. If only leading light Rupert Penry-Jones had been given a second series of the sadly cancelled North Square instead.

Coincidentally, last weekend Trevor Phillips, the head of The Commission for Racial Equality, spoke of fears that Britain was in danger of becoming a ghetto nation. Yet all of this could be seen as the efforts of a new, changing nation struggling to find its own identity. If Apted decides to continue with his project, it’ll be interesting to see just what the Britain of 56 Up will be. And Gillian Armstrong – isn’t it about time that you showed us how the Australian women of Bingo, Bridesmaids & Braces are coping with their forties?

© James McGalliard 2005