got as far in his boxsets as the season that covers politics?

"Parts of Britain like The Wire" and thought it was a report on local popularity of the series.

The Home Office minister Alan Campbell assures us in that BBC report that "since 1997, crime has fallen by 36%. Overall drug use is at historically low levels and robust action is ensuring drugs are being taken off the streets. Drug use has fallen since 1997."
Everything’s fine.

...Dominic West going to Eton with David Cameron & still being chums? And thus all the Tories have made a note...

.. to draw attention away from the party's deep divisions on the NHS.

We had an incident the other day where 8 hooded men set up a checkpoint armed with sub machine guns and a rocket launcher in a main street in a village. The police stood back and watched.They handed out leaflets warning people not to talk to the police. As usual these thing dont get reported on the mainland. They didnt get the money for these guns selling roses outside nightclubs. If this isn't like the Wire, what is.

He might be closer than you think. Did anyone else follow the story recently about the 2 young would-be gangsters senetenced for life for the murder of Ben Kinsella (brother of a soap actress who used her celebrity to really drive this case through the media)

The Police spokesman described how they were very low down the food chain and were desperate to be gangsters so they were busying themselves trying to get criminal records. In a Wire stylee the Police recorded these 3 guys in the back of the police van as they discussed their defence tactics. The Times Online had a transcript of this discussion. It was straight out of the Barksdale gang primer. See here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6477898.ece

There was also a linked article from a social services commentator (possibly in a Bunny Colvin / David whatisname scheme) talking about the attitutes they experienced from the local youth when questioned about their aspirations. He said they talked about drugs, gangs, money, respect etc or if it all went wrong prison and an early demise. Nobody talked about getting a qualification, a job, a "normal" family life. All pretty scary to be honest

In yet another Wire allegory in this case, a local old-school villain who was in jail let it be known that he thought the indiscriminate killing of innocent members of the public was giving the manor a bad name. As Omar would say "A man gotta have a code" Once this was known, one of the 3 perpetrators immediately gave himself up and asked for solitary confinement

I don't doubt there's a problem. Have seen it first hand. That's not really what I'm questioning. I'm questioning the integrity of drawing an inaccurate parallel between what happens in our cities and what happens in the US, in a drama.

You are wrong.
I hold my hands up. I'm wrong. It's worse than I allow myself to believe.

With a growing number of directly elected mayors in Britain, Britain's cities are ever more like the Wire. Boris Johnson's profligate shagging is an eerie reminder of Tommy Carcetti repeatedly getting his bone on. And Torbay mayor Nicholas Bye recently went "clean shaven, like in 2000" anticipating a close run campaign - Clarence V. Royce style.

Grayling is on the money, Ted Heath will soon be back at number 10 and an era of prosperity will unfold.

what a pillock!

moss side does have it's problems and so do places like salford, whythenshawe, kenny in liverpool but to compare them with a tv show like 'the wire' is simply ridiculous

what's he going to say next that strangeways prison is going the same way as the shawshank redemption?