Only Grans of a left wing persuasion need read

I don't think it is wrong to ask for a discussion to be amongst interested parties. There are some people who always want to turn things into a left V right discussion. This thread is about Ken Loach and his opinions. jbf how can a discussion about anyone's career be anything but backward looking? I thought he was equally interesting about the past and today. His remarks about the difference between young people when he made "Kes" and when he made "Sweet Sixteen"-'now they have nothing'- was very perceptive. His idea that people can be united by social class across international boundaries has always been the socialist ideal.

Must watch 'Cathy come home again'. Friends brought the DVD of one of his latests films, absolutely full of humour- and quite different from previous ones. We've watched it at least 5 times- it's just wonderful, hard and yet so funny. The Angel's share- about troubled youngsters in Glasgow.

Such a humane, humble and talented man.

We can't understand the present if we don't look back and understand the past. We have to be backward looking sometimes; what if it had been decided that, say Hillsborough was something that just happened in the past and everyone just needed to move on from it?

absent and whitewave I don't see that starting a thread about an interview can possibly be construed as an 'attack' on anyone.
I wouldn't describe myself as a committed right winger any more than being of a left wing persuasion, but I think that using thread titles that imply that certain groups might not want to read certain threads, and needn't do so, is likely to reinforce divisions on Gransnet rather than heal them.

I'd just like to decide for myself what threads to read, thank you.
I never read anything about about pets, but no-one has ever posted a thread which includes the words 'only dog-owners need read'.

Just sat through it (having been abandoned by all due to me being under the weather (the buggers) . Really boring. So backward looking. Not for me thank you.

Thanks for the post whitewave- just watched it on catch up. Fascinating and informative interview. I liked his approach and the way he discussed things so calmly. I also like the fact that he could criticise what would be regarded as his "side", that he acknowledged the left didn't always get things right. His criticism of union leaders sounds about right (although I didn't know much about it before). The play he refers to as being banned is interesting- discussion about this here- www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rRgjlOV3Wk
I wonder if there are any directors who will bring their political beliefs to their work any more.

Anything that critiscises Margaret Thatcher seems to be regarded as some sort of socialist propoganda . The S.O. [Lib/Dem] worked in a lot of mining areas round about the time of the miners strike and what he saw with his own eyes and what he saw on the news at the time was completely different and puzzles/annoys him to this day.

Oh good grief! I meant his comment with regard to the Union leaders, and how they were complicit in the rules introduced by Thatcher. Also whether the same may happen this time around.

absent absolutely! I was simply trying to avoid the right wingers feeling that they were being attacked as they put it, so tried to avoid this scenario by suggesting that they might like to leave watching the programme. I was not saying that they shouldn't. That would have been utterly idiotic.

To get back to the programme however, there was so much content of worth that I find it difficult to start, but one or two things to start with- I found his comment with regard to the political leaders interesting, has anyone read anything about this?

The censorship of his 4 programmes about the unions puts to bed firmly that we live in a country where freedom of speech is valued.

I didn't see this programme although I did watch Cathy Come Home several times and rewatched it whilst doing an OU Social Science degree in the 80s which as one might expect helped to embed my socialistic beliefs.

On another but not unconnected note my MIL is high Tory and nearly died of shock when her son bought me home - she hasn't got over it yet 37 years later.

I would have loved to have heard Ken Loach. Never mind - I live in Australia. Political discussion isn't big here - they only dare talk about sport or soapies in some circles. But at my last job the boss and I always discussed politics. He was of German Jewish origin and had arrived here in 1938 as a small child,

I often volunteer with the Labour Party at election time, and at the polling booths we hand out 'how to vote' cards alongside Tories and Greens. We all get on really well, share sandwiches and drinks, and have a laugh about all the politicians we are helping.

Just one lot refused to fraternise, and insisted on talking politics, and this was Pauline Hanson's One Nation party. They were a sort of BNP/ FN bunch of idiots., right wing and racist. They imploded in the end.

As I've mentioned before, we used to live a few doors down from the Ossett Conservative Club, and a Tory friend used to call for us on his way there and insist on buying us a drink there. Her introduced us as his socialist friends, and other members bought us all drinks too.

It can be fun, fraternising with the opposition.

To be fair, janeainsworth, whitewave didn't say shouldn't, but implied that they didn't need to. Not quite the same thing and probably meant as a warning that committed right-wingers might feel, once again, that they are being attacked when the OP was about the views of a particular film director, not a general political comment.

Are you saying right-wingers need to be protected from anything that might make them feel uncomfortable jen?

What makes me feel uncomfortable is that whitewave seems to think it's ok to start a thread on Gransnet that some members shouldn't read.

It might make uncomfortable viewing for right-wingers.
One of the things I noticed he said was, "At some point we have to say no more".
One of the tabs at the top of my screen is the Guardian article about the anti-austerity march. The title is "People have finally had enough."

The Wind that Shakes the Barley was a brilliant film. It told many people a lot of things they never knew about Ireland.

It was good to see a discussion between two perceptive people who really like each other in front of a receptive audience.

So is this an 'only lefties have hearts' programme?

Thank you, Tegan. I remember Cathy Come Home so well. It must've been about 1969? At the time, I was living in a very poor part of Nottingham. The streets and houses were similar, and come to think of it, my life wasn't that much different to Cathy's then.

You can just pretend for an hour, or even watch it and not tell us!

I am a 'self-confessed' leftie & Ken Loach fan! Will catch up with the progamme.Thanks for the info.

I remember crying at Cathy come home. I think I was still a "leftie" then. I don't think I will search this programme out though.

It was on BBC4. It would be good if as many people as possible could watch it and discuss it's content.

janea, that's what I thought too but thought I'd better not push my luck...

Which channel was it on? I'd like to see if I can get it on 'catch-up' if possible.

I bought it for the S.O. years ago but never got to watch it; annoyingly he's lost it so I'll have to buy it again. Ken Loach is a man that [almost] makes you stop despairing of humanity. I think it needs to be mentioned that Cillian Murphy [sigh] was doing the inerviewing!

I'm not of 'a left-wing persuasion' but I would like to think I'm sufficiently open-minded and intelligent to watch and enjoy a programme about Ken Loach

I didn't know about the Irish thing either so will make a point of seeing that film. None of his films make easy viewing it seems to me, and if you are cross before you will be after!!