The Secret Millionaire

[sweetpatooti]

Anyone see this - it was on C4 tonight. Millionaire decamped to Kensington (yes, Liverpool) from Bishop Aukland pretending to be hard-up on benefits. He lived on same amount as you would get on benefits in a flat in Balmoral Road. From there he went looking for people to help with his money - of course they were unaware he was a millionaire. He was very impressed with the people of Kensington - he said he did not meet one person he would think of as a scrounger - just decent people who were going through hard times. He met with the Asylum network people and, even though he was opposed to Asylum seekers, he changed his view when he saw the work they did and realised they were human beings like the rest of us. He admitted that his view had been formed from reading the populist press. He gave them some money and helped a young couple out who were working very hard but could not afford a deposit for a house (they were living with her mother, 6 adults and two kids in one little house. They had offered him a meal and hospitality when he attended church. He gave an asylum seeker from Kenya (a qualified accountant who could not get work) a paid placement at his business in Bishop Aukland and took him off to live there. I thought it was good - he was a nice fella.

[amersey]

(Ive also posted this on 'White working class/ British politcal elite Pollitics thread)

Living not too far from this area, I was eagerly awaiting what John Elliot (this week’s business marvel) would have to say and how he may help particular members of this impoverished community.


Unfortunately, what we were given, in my eyes, was a reinforcement of social stereotyping in the form of the vast majority of people to be shown ‘happy’ to exist on benefits; sitting aimlessly in pubs and playing Bingo. I call this phenomenon ‘White Trashing’ and it probably says more about the prejudices of London based middle class media/ producers than anything else?

On last week’s programme, the entrepreneur was shown to help a young man start up his own business. No such look in Kensington for any talented or ambitious young person wishing to be helped off the dole.
Of course, the people who make these programmes have their own political agenda’s and it was no surprise to find the working class Tory ‘turning’ as he helped out people who had come to these shores far more recently than the vast majority of Kensington.

[sweetpatooti]

I see your point and perhaps it was all a bit patriarchal - but at least somebody benefited - so probably they are very happy. You are right that the problems are far wider and wont go away - and careful editing can portray any ideology the programme makers wish to.

[amersey]

Thanks for your considered reply mate.

To me, it was very obvious the producer had his political way with the 'Millionaire' and I'm presuming all the other programmes in this series will be in the same vain.

The shots of the man in the boozer sitting at the bar on his own, then asking everyone in some community centre if they worked with the usual reply of "No", No", No", "no, I don't work"; I was half expecting a scouse Vicky Pollard to turn up "Yeah but...No but..."!!!! :)

[Jock]

It was a good programme. A few issues with it though:

1. He helped a family who had got themselves into debt with Store and Credit Cards. I think ultimately think he helped them because the husband was a taxi driver who was prepared to graft that little bit harder to make the little extra money he could. Whilst I agree in principle with him helping them, they did cause their own downfall. He made a very good point that people appear to be missing though - in society at the moment its so easy to get into 'bad' debt (credit cards / store cards / low amount loans), but very difficult to get into 'good' debt (e.g. Mortgage).

2. All the scousers (with the exception of the aforementioned taxi driver) interviewed on the program appeared to be happy on benefits. Whilst they admitted it was occasionally a struggle to make ends meet, most of the time they managed. Surely this can't be right that so many people can be happily unemployed?

[Waterways]

It was a good programme. A few issues with it though:

1. He helped a family who had got themselves into debt with Store and Credit Cards. I think ultimately think he helped them because the husband was a taxi driver who was prepared to graft that little bit harder to make the little extra money he could. Whilst I agree in principle with him helping them, they did cause their own downfall. He made a very good point that people appear to be missing though - in society at the moment its so easy to get into 'bad' debt (credit cards / store cards / low amount loans), but very difficult to get into 'good' debt (e.g. Mortgage).

2. All the scousers (with the exception of the aforementioned taxi driver) interviewed on the program appeared to be happy on benefits. Whilst they admitted it was occasionally a struggle to make ends meet, most of the time they managed. Surely this can't be right that so many people can be happily unemployed?

Over the past 28 years that is the culture they have been brought up with. They accept it. People will eventually accept grinding poverty.

[Ewan]

I run the centre where John Elliot came to see the asylum seekers and find out a bit about what Refugees face when they come here. I was worried that it might look as if all John did was help the outsiders, which is something we are commonly accused of, instead of helping 'our own'.

It is very short sighted of the government to put Asylum Seekers into an area of long term deprivation, without preparing the community or explaining why people are sent here in the first place. It often leads to tension and mistrust and the rumours of Asylum Seekers getting free cars and mobile phones abound - all rubbish.

I didn't get a sense of scouse scroungers in Kensington from the programme. What I did see was that a lot of people in difficult circumstances who were happy with their lot - the Bingo ladies for example - who felt they were better off. Inevitably there are people on benefits who don't want to work as well as Asylum Seekers who work the system - there will always be someone to take advantage of something. However I find that most Asylum Seekers have some kind of pressing need to be here. I can't really comment on on the unemployment situation although I was unemployed for a year and it was one of the most miserable of my life.

John was here for a week/10 days and you can't really get a feel for what the dole is like - plus he had something interesting to do so no depression building up there.

John's brief look into the window of the Job Centre and belief that he wouldn't have any problem getting a job was fairly unrealistic. He did however talk to hundreds of people prior to coming to the centre and so didn't just base his judgements on pre-concieved ideas. That showed when he visited us, initially sceptical, and then after meeting people, changing his mind.

So if I had to make a judgement, yes there were imbalances in the programme, but there were only 45 minutes of footage to address a lot of issues. It reflected what John Elliot saw in his short time here. The programme, as well as being informative, also tried to be entertaining. 3 million people watched it and for us, with the negative attitudes of politicians and the tabloids, we saw the first positive coverage of Asylum issues for a long time.

[sweetpatooti]

That really came across in the programme Ewan, the good positive work that is being done for Asylum seekers in Kensington. I work for a health care provider and I know how hard life can be for people who come here seeking a place of safety, desparate and afraid, with nothing but what they stand up in. You are doing sterling work which, for once, was recognised. God Bless.