Cultural Capital

Reflections on books and the arts from the New Statesman culture desk

The Battle for Barking: won or lost?

A new film shows the kind of community likely to be hurt most by the coalition's cuts.

By Daniel Trilling Published 20 October 2010 22:41

I've just been to see Laura Fairrie's excellent documentary The Battle for Barking, which is broadcast on More4 next month. It's a thoughtful and sensitive portrait of the election battle that took place earlier this year on the fringes of east London between Labour's Margaret Hodge and the BNP's Nick Griffin, following the campaign on both sides.

It works particularly well as a portrait of Barking's ordinary working-class residents and the frustrations that have pushed some of them towards supporting the BNP. A lack of decent housing -- as I reported earlier this year -- is at the heart of these frustrations. In one scene, a mother invites the camera into her poky towerblock flat. Tearfully, she explains: "All I want is a garden for my kids to play in."

The sense of isolation from and anger at mainstream politics -- not just from white, BNP-supporting residents, in fact, but others, too -- is palpable. And it is vital to remember that while voters may have kicked the BNP out of Barking, this anger has not gone away. Barking is exactly the kind of community most likely to be hurt by today's spending review. Homes and jobs are already scarce resources there; the planned cap on housing benefit and increase in rent for social housing will push more people out of inner London and towards the edges of the capital. Towards places like Barking.

These are people who were not listened to, even in the boom years; even by a Labour party that was supposed to represent them. I wonder: will anyone in power give a second thought to them in the years to come?

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Tags: Spending Cuts BNP film

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8 comments

Mon, 2010-10-25 17:28 — Tim Heydon (not verified)

'The residents of Barking and Dagenham who belong to the Labour party'?

'Belong' they certainly do because New Labour imported a lot of them for the purpose of voting for them and paid them to do so with our money by way of the benefits they ladled into their pockets:-

Housing at the top of the queue; access to the NHS again at the head of the queue; education for their children, hand outs to keep them in this and that..

Yes,they certainly belong to the Labour Party.....

Mon, 2010-10-25 17:42 — Tim Heydon (not verified)

Oh,and by the way, secretly arranging to let in hordes of immigrants to vote for you is gerrymandering on a vast scale which if isn't illegal should be, carrying a penalty of many years in prison.

As for secretly plotting to let in these same hordes with the additional purpose of destroying our national identity and dispossessing the British people of the land of their ancestors - other than actual genocide I can think of few acts more repulsively evil or worthy of the most condign punishment.

Wed, 2010-12-01 02:03 — Robert Furness (not verified)

I hope many people watched this program. It should be a warning as to what will happen in other areas if the odious New Labour party get into power. What a truly awful place Barking has become.

Thu, 2010-10-21 11:27 — I A Green (not verified)

Is this film any worse than the appalling BBC commentary documentary on the BBC broadcast during March 2008. -t was inaccurate highlighted scenes, that would be found in any of the 32 "ondon boroughs. Barking is a mixed community of people from all social classes. My peer group were generally lower middle class who are Barristers, Accountants, "awyers, Investment bankers, buiders, @rinters, Civil Servants, Opera singers, etc....I no longer live there
. However will this type of people be seen on the More 4 film. I doubt it .....

Mon, 2010-11-29 17:17 — BNP Member (not verified)

Barking and Dagenham Labour Party lost and the people of the borough lost. The borough will go the same way as Tower Hamlets and Newham. Islamic with few Indigenous Brits living there. The writing is on the wall for Barking and Dagenham and Londonistan.

Thu, 2010-10-21 11:34 — swatantra nandanwar

Probably lost. Its the people of Barking that have lost, even though the BNP have been thankfully kicked out and Labour is in control. It should be a wake up call for the Labour Administration, but will they sit up and listen.

Thu, 2010-10-21 12:33 — James (not verified)

The people of Barking made their choice, now they have to live with the consequences of their actions.

Any idiot could have told them that the government (lib/lab/con) would never put the ordinary people first.

Darren Rodwell (Barking CLP Campaign officer)'s picture

Thu, 2010-10-21 13:35 — Darren Rodwell (Barking CLP Campaign officer) (not verified)

I understand the headline acts were Margaret Hodge & Griffin, but let me assure you all that it was the residents of Barking and Dagenham who belong to the Labour Party who won this fight with the help of Margaret and others. We were fighting for years before this film was made. Changing the local party into a campaigning force to listen to our fellow residents and respect their views even when it was hard too. So we might make mistake as most of us are new councillors but we won't forget it's our job to put ordinary people first and protect them as much as possible from the tory cuts.

We know its going to be hard but we are already back out on the doors, listening and taking action were we can. I look forward to seeing this and hope it shows the hard work put in my the local party and is a good news story for the borough!