Three Girls on Telly

Now the docu-drama about grooming in Rochdale is on telly, what do we think of it? Reality converted into a T.V. programme inevitably emphasises some aspects and plays down others. Within those limitations there seems to have been a fair attempt at facing the facts. The social fabric of Rochdale is shown long-term threadbare, featuring failure and neglect.

It's on 'record' on my tele. I haven't yet watched it and will do so later in the week in its entirety.

My knowledge of such 'things' reached only to the early 1980's when the problem was less apparent and 'times' were different.

Will come back on this when viewed.

Focussing on Three Girls was a fair idea to make it into a T.V. programme, but it is a misleading title. As the programme emphasised, it's about a huge number of victims and rapists over many years, and that just in Rochdale. It was pretty hard-hitting in telling some gruesome facts, no wonder some viewers couldn't watch it.

I will be viewing the third and last episode tonight. My comments so far would relate to - surprise, surprise - not. I don't think it is hard-hitting enough. The extent of the brutality that is used in these cases was very mildly past-over although the focusing on the 'psychological' terror used comes across reasonably well. I will say more tomorrow when I have the greater picture.

Maybe a restrained 'pretty hard hitting' format was well judged for a mainstream tv programme. We can't expect a docu-drama to present all the very problematic issues involved in much depth.

That it even mentioned some things in a low key way would not have been possible on mainstream media a while ago. Before news of prosecutions of grooming gangs in many towns and cities, the public would have thought of, and reacted to, the programme as an outrageous, dangerous, irresponsible, overblown and largely ficticious assault on accepted social values.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-39977869/three-girls-how-rochdale-case-changed-the-legal-system

The underlying problem of disbelief is a main theme, the Three Girls production was well aimed towards understanding and dismantling that disbelief for a mainstream audience. Well done really. T.V. production is one thing the UK is good at.

It's at this point, having viewed the programme fully, that I have to fall-back on that which I have said all along regarding this and the others (Smith etc etc) and that is 'it was the times in which we lived'. Today such 'crimes' are looked at in a completely different manner and environment. We were taught (albeit succinctly) that 'things happened' and that some 'things' were not talked about i.e. one doesn't concern oneself with dirty linen either one's own or anyone else's for the overall good of the community and the family. Attitudes have now changed, some for good others for bad, which may seem to today's community to be have been horrendous and unacceptable but which in actual fact were relatively 'normal' to us. If i described some of the thrashings we received as children to a 'modern day mum' she would see it as a grotesque abuse when in fact it was then viewed as acceptable punishment and in the order of the day. Times change. Evolution moves on. On balance I believe for the better. If it has done one thing for Rochdale it has helped to put the situation there in perspective and has given a chance for the Asian community to better integrate by modifying its culture through 'exposure'. It can only do good in the long run. (Always providing the authorities keep a watchful eye on the lunatics who would use this as a 'blow-torch for social unrest).

In 'Three Girls', it was tapes of witness statements that motivated Nazir Afzal to order the first prosecutions. Apparently audio-visual media can be effective where van loads of written evidence had no effect. The tv docu-drama has caught the attention of a section of the public that hardly notice the news, or to be blunt, what is going on around them.

Which makes my point admirably. Today we have the video as a norm in court which in itself is less intimidating for witnesses and thus can give a better overall view of the veracity of the statements and evidential trails. If anything it isn't a bad situation but the contrary for the ongoing assimilation of divergent and racial groups - i.e. you live with them long enough until you grow like them. It takes time when you have such a difference in cultures and aversions to 'change'.

The "assimilation of divergent and racial groups" within the UK usually takes hundreds of years. We've more or less got used to the Norman invasion now, but it caused a lot of upset, what with the 'harrying of the north' and so on.

Back to today, in a press statement Steve Rumbelow, Chief Executive of Rochdale Borough Council, says "These abhorrent people are out there now, trying to figure out new ways to abuse children." Which at least shows he has some clue as to what goes on. Perhaps he watched it on telly.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/110207/council-response-to-the-bbc-three-girls-drama

We have now eventually overcome the 'reputation-al' aspects towards blanketing these sorts of 'crimes' and enabled them to come to the courts - for the good of 'all' the communities. It has however been an absolute 'boon' to the 'Establishment' - quite the contrary to what they expected - and has allowed them to weld shut the door towards any higher than a police inspector or local councillor being enveloped into any proceedings. The State learns how best to protect the 'State'.