Imagine an episode of Coronation Street where the Government announced they were going to close Weatherfield General Infirmary. Considering the number of murders, fires, road accidents, births, tram crashes and the like, this would be a bad move. It would however make for great drama, if real life is anything to go by.
It’s something we haven’t touched on too much on Coronation Street, and that’s a very wise move. Becoming too political would probably take Corrie from soap to soap-box and we don’t want that. But isn’t it supposed to represent real life today? If so, why haven’t we heard Izzy mention her change in disability living allowance and why hasn’t Tracy been whinging about losing her child benefit? Shouldn’t Ken be bemoaning the changes to the local schools, or does he now have Conservative tendencies since the credit crunch, growing from an idealistic liberal lefty into wise-old Tory?
The Pasty tax never happened in the end, but this would have been perfect material for Corrie writers - and Diggory Compton, wherever he's got to. I think Councillor Alf Roberts might have had something to say about that too, had he been around. Mary could have suffered from the Caravan tax, but again the government realised this was a bad move and it would affect normal folk like our Corrie favourites.
Street Cars could perhaps relate to their viewers a bit more by struggling with fuel costs and the fact people aren’t using taxis much any more while purse strings are tight.
Carla has had her scrapes with Underworld, coming against stiff competition, not least from her own brother. But she always comes up trumps and seems to be of different stock to her staff stitching the silk and lace.
And where is that annoying Union rep? Coronation Street, with factory girls, retail workers, public transport drivers and the like, is probably missing an over-opinionated Union rep or two. Imagine the message this would send to viewers – people understand our pain and we can see that through our friends in Weatherfield, who live just like us.
But I’m generalising, not all Corrie viewers are working class and struggling through the ‘double dip’ – but if Corrie represents successful business owners and entrepreneurs, of which there are many (Dev, Norris, Roy, Stella, Carla, Kevin, Chesney and not fogetting Mike Baldwin) all on one small street – then surely it should depict the real economic struggles of Northern life in a modern context, as it did back in the day?
Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher visited the cobbles so we know politics isn't out of bounds for The Street, as long as the drama and comedy aren't lost in the process...
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