We're all Criminals Now
- Episode aired Jan 22, 2005
YOUR RATING
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Martin Howe
- Self
- (as Martin Howe QC)
Storyline
Featured review
Poorly argued Daily Mail hand-wringing that feels like being stuck in a cab with an old, white taxi driver
Peter Oborne is a journalist who has decided to look at a new breed of criminals whose activities are sweeping across the UK ordinary people. From the litter droppers, the minor speed limit offenders, the parents parking on yellow lines outside their schools, the people who risk a fine for a simple home bonfire and so on. He meets plenty of nice decent people who have been classed as criminals simply because they choose to break the speed limit, throw litter down in the street, park in restricted areas, drive in bus lanes or get drunk in public places.
Working in an industrial environment as I do, there are plenty of older people who like nothing better to bemoan the country "going to the dogs" and how all this legislation is killing business etc etc. Their arguments are often very slanted and simplistic but I respect their point of view even if I don't quite agree. Now, my view is different when this same approach is put forward as a documentary on a channel that is a public broadcaster as it was with this film. It marks itself down as being a simplistic beast because it always finds the simplest, silliest examples of "law breaking" and never offers to balance it up or see both sides of the argument. Hence we have a discussion of H&S law that looks at a business that got served notice for failing to lock up a can of AJAX but neglect to mention the massive improvements made to workplace safety since the development of modern legislation with the Health & Safety at Work Act in the mid-1970's. Likewise the simplistic view of parking offenders ignores the tailbacks and traffic chaos associated with several hundred parents all parking illegally around schools each morning (look at the difference half term makes to the rush hour).
However Oborne is not about balance, he is about moaning and hand wringing in the fashion of a daily mail reader and it makes for off-putting viewing. He has a point of course and it is hard not to agree when you see Environmental Wardens following smokers waiting for the easy prosecution when they throw down the butt but he spoils this by just always picking easy targets and failing to see any reason why the laws are needed although I agree that commonsense application and improved prioritisation is needed.
Overall this starts out with an interesting idea that would have been much more convincing if it had come across with a balanced and reasonable argument but it doesn't. Instead it takes the easy examples and never once looks at the subject from the other side of the argument; that is not a documentary, it is an one-sided rant to a captive audience and if you want to know what it is like then just get in the back of a taxi driven by an old white cockney and he'll give you the gist.
Working in an industrial environment as I do, there are plenty of older people who like nothing better to bemoan the country "going to the dogs" and how all this legislation is killing business etc etc. Their arguments are often very slanted and simplistic but I respect their point of view even if I don't quite agree. Now, my view is different when this same approach is put forward as a documentary on a channel that is a public broadcaster as it was with this film. It marks itself down as being a simplistic beast because it always finds the simplest, silliest examples of "law breaking" and never offers to balance it up or see both sides of the argument. Hence we have a discussion of H&S law that looks at a business that got served notice for failing to lock up a can of AJAX but neglect to mention the massive improvements made to workplace safety since the development of modern legislation with the Health & Safety at Work Act in the mid-1970's. Likewise the simplistic view of parking offenders ignores the tailbacks and traffic chaos associated with several hundred parents all parking illegally around schools each morning (look at the difference half term makes to the rush hour).
However Oborne is not about balance, he is about moaning and hand wringing in the fashion of a daily mail reader and it makes for off-putting viewing. He has a point of course and it is hard not to agree when you see Environmental Wardens following smokers waiting for the easy prosecution when they throw down the butt but he spoils this by just always picking easy targets and failing to see any reason why the laws are needed although I agree that commonsense application and improved prioritisation is needed.
Overall this starts out with an interesting idea that would have been much more convincing if it had come across with a balanced and reasonable argument but it doesn't. Instead it takes the easy examples and never once looks at the subject from the other side of the argument; that is not a documentary, it is an one-sided rant to a captive audience and if you want to know what it is like then just get in the back of a taxi driven by an old white cockney and he'll give you the gist.
helpful•10
- bob the moo
- Mar 15, 2005
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What is the broadcast (satellite or terrestrial TV) release date of We're all Criminals Now (2005) in Australia?
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