Baltimore: not like Midsomer Murders

Edward

In an attempt to maintain the high standard of debate : John Nettles was better in Bergerac.

William Blake's Ghost

Indeed I must agree with Sheila Dixon that Baltimore is not like Midsomer.

Between 1997 and 2009 as Ms Dixon so kindly links there were 167 murders in Midsomer and 14 'historical' murders also referred to.

On the other hand we have the actual Baltimore murder statistics:

1997 - 312
1998 - 313
1999 - 305
2000 - 261
2001 - 259
2002 - 253
2003 - 271
2004 - 276
2005 - 269
2006 - 276
2007 - 288
2008 - 234

Total - 1997-2008 - 3317

I see Ms Dixon us the Labour Party theory of numeracy (aka 'Gordo stats'). So does that mean that if Midsomer is soaked in blood that Sheila Dixon is swimming in rivers of it?

I'd also be interested to know where she got the population data for Midsomer from (for the per capita comment) or is this again following another well known Labour Party ethos

'if there are no figures to fit the desired narrative just make them up'?

Well I suppose she can take comfort in the fact that there was a significant drop in homicides in Baltimore last year.......

;o)

William Blakes Ghost

Oh and this from her Wikipedia page:

On January 9, 2009, Dixon was indicted by a Baltimore Grand Jury on twelve counts, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.[1]

Dixon's trial, originally scheduled for September 8, 2009, was postponed to November 9, 2009.[18]

Well I think that put MS Dixon's comments in context....

TrevorsDen

Remarking on The Wire does not in my opinion mean that the programme is a direct comparator for reality.
All drama is heightened reality - but the whole point of the programme by the author is as a platform for him to to make his political point.

Midsommer Murders on the other hand is a heightened reality heightened to the point of sheer escapism.

So the mayors point is facile. Sadly Grayling's point is far from it.

Morphybum

Or, as the urbane Mr Randy Newman put it long time ago: "Oh, Baltimore - man, it's hard, just to live..."

TrevorsDen

PS - off topic but more important

Telegraph reports that saving the planet from Climate Change will cost £300 billion.

More noses, bigger trough.

The reasoning behind all this, the logic the science is a plot far too fantastical even for Midsommer Murders or even a James Bond film.
Indeed if the reality behind the great Global Warming Scam were to be put on 007s doorstep it would be laughed out of Holywood. Yet gullible politicians and Media swallow it whole.

Its worth noting , on a day when Greenpeace make their usual fantastical claims, that a new report points out that the icecaps cannot collapse and there will be no massive rise in sea level.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/08/27/why-the-greenland-and-antarctic-ice-sheets-are-not-collapsing/

Brian E.

At least all the murders in Midsommer get solved!
They must be the only UK constabulary to have such an excellent record and to have exceeded their Home Office inspired targets!

TrevorsDen

Mr Blake - by my reckoning (admittedly rough) the murders per population is 192 for Baltimore - So for Midsomer and district to have a comparable murder rate the population would have to be 32,000.

Given that 'Midsomer' is a fictional small county this does not seem unreasonable.

William Blakes Ghost

Trevorsden:

Telegraph reports that saving the planet from Climate Change will cost �£300 billion

Given Browns five year tax receipt projections in the 2007 budget were £368 billion out surely such an amount is merely and accounting error?

;o)

TrevorsDen

Mr Blake - perhaps I should have said that the £300 billion was a world figure.

The problems with all this printing money (£175 billion ? Pah small change) - is that figures cease to have any meaning. Until they catch up and bite us back.

BTW - 2007 tax projections? I read that Brown and the G8 were warned by a bunch of hedge fund managers back in 2007 about the impending crash. But all that did not fit in with Browns carefully constructed view of the world.

Olaf Rye

Before we all rush to condemn the mayor's statement, spare a thought to her hopeless position: the city needs investment and is trying to present an image of an improving situation, and it is her job to sell these ridiculous statements. She is obviously in an hopeless position concerning crime given her resources and the impossibility of extirpating the drug trade when it is so lucrative. I saw the same brave, if misguided attempt, to sell Detroit when I worked in Michigan. We all know that they are dangerous cities, the residents know, and now the public is more aware of Baltimore's problems because of 'The Wire'.

WIlliam Blakes Ghost

But all that did not fit in with Browns carefully constructed view of the world

Ah but does anything in the real world fit into his carefully constructed view of the world. Perhaps his view is modelled on Midsomer (it would explain a lot)?

Olaf Rye:

and is trying to present an image of an improving situation

Well then perhaps they should not have a Mayor who has been indicted by the Baltimore Grand Jury? It does put a bit of stick in the spokes don't you think?

William Blakes Ghost

Trevorsden:

Mr Blake - perhaps I should have said that the �£300 billion was a world figure.

I recognised it was a global figure. Given that was the case, perhaps I should have qualified my observation by saying that it was a 'minor accounting error'.

(Youy can tell it's silly season!)

Olaf Rye

William Blakes Ghost ...

Oh yes, the corruption of the mayor is not going to help ! The last mayor of Detroit was also done for perverting the course of justice. They are just giving lip service to the cities charms to attract investment, which is failing pretty miserably. It would help if people took their local politics (in the USA and here) a little more seriously given the damage these idiots can cause.

TrevorsDen

The Times reckons Brown is serving up a double whammy of tax claw-backs for the very poorest. Reasonable or not this has probably hammered the final nail in for lefty backbenchers.

oops - this is not PB.com is it? But my money is on a disastrous conference for Brown.

Guido Fawkes

Funnier than you think.

John B Sheffield

Any Mayor or good Council Leader is going to defend their City or Town.

Grayling may have gained more respect from his comments if he had even taken time to watch the series, I am currently watching Series Five on DVD.

Charlie

Very good of the Mayor to compose her piece in British English.

John

Labour List went to town on this but they have now "pulled" the relevant page. At least the Guardian has kept the page with thestory but admitted they were taken in by the hoax. Hilarious really.

Bruce, UK

Anyway, Taggart is far better than both.

Richard

I didn't know Fraser was in Midsomer Murders!

TrevorsDen

Its one thing to fake a web page but not a whole website. Did no one press the Home Button or an archive.

I don't go along with the well done bit though. Are we really to believe it was a hoax to expose journalist or just another anti tory smear.

john miller

Excusable mistake really, as one never expects anyone connected to the Labour Party to have a sense of humour.

AndyL

See the real Mayor is less than impressed and taking legal advice re copyright. Interesting to see if one of the NuLabour nomenklatura ends up on the wrong end of the current extradition on demand arrangements to the US of A.

Oscar

This comes from the same stable as Obama slurring Cameron as a "lightweight". the rush to believe these bogus stories betrays the mindset of the credulous journos who love them. But it should be obvious that our petty peronsal preoccupations about what Chris Grayling said simply don't register in the US. Nul points for British journalists who clearly lack the professionalism to check their sources and the insight and understanding to smell a rat operating under their noses.