View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
25 November 2021updated 07 Jun 2023 12:04pm

The Tory MP Nick Fletcher blames a woman playing Doctor Who for the rise in young men committing crime

So 11 years of Conservative government cuts to youth services, police and the justice system has nothing to do with it?

By The Chatterer

Sound the bugle! Prepare the horse! Don your armour! It’s time to go to culture war to distract from any practical policy solutions because your party’s been in government for over a decade!

It’s been that kind of afternoon for Nick Fletcher, the Tory MP for Don Valley, who has decided that so many young men are committing crime not because of 11 years of Conservative government cuts to youth services, police and the justice system, but because a make-believe time traveller on the telly happens to have boobs.

Jodie Whittaker plays the 13th incarnation of Doctor Who. Photo by BBC Studios/James Pardon

“Everywhere, not least within the cultural sphere, there seems to be a call from a tiny, yet very vocal, minority that ever male character or good role model must have a female replacement. One only needs to look at the discussions surrounding who will play the next James Bond,” he declared, building up to his devastating conclusion:

“And it’s not just James Bond. In recent years, we have seen Doctor Who, Ghostbusters, Luke Skywalker, the Equalizer, all replaced by women. And men are left with the Krays and Tommy Shelby. Is there any wonder we are seeing so many young men committing crime?”

Case closed, yes?

Well, first of all, James Bond is still a man.

And surely, following Fletcher’s “logic”, in the centuries on this Earth pre-Jodie Whittaker as the Time Lord, young men would have been innocent and young women rampaging around committing the vast majority of crime because they’d never seen themselves busting ghosts or ending the tyranny of the Sith.

The Chatterer doesn’t need to show you the crime stats to demonstrate that wasn’t quite the case…

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

[See also: The Tory crime strategy is either lock them up or lock them down − and neither one is working]

Content from our partners
Can Britain quit smoking for good? - with Philip Morris International
What is the UK’s vision for its tech sector?
Inside the UK's enduring love for chocolate

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU