Film: Belonging - The Truth Behind the Headlines

For today, would you believe, Up in the Cheap Seats were watching something on Amazon Prime Video - which I have a year's subscription to, with the new telecom contract we took out! Hadn't bothered with it till now, but I just activated it. But wouldn't you know it, what the group were watching isn't on the list in Ireland. Rats. Never mind, there's plenty I can watch.. and top-rated in my list at the moment (and available in Ireland) was Belonging: The Truth Behind the Headlines, an exposé of the collusion between successive UK governments and big business, and how it erodes our human rights. So I watched that.

Investigative journalism at its best, this, as it interviews union reps involved in three separate strikes, in three different industries over the years - print, the Royal Mail, and a strike at a power plant in Scotland. And over the three, it's a disgrace to see the scare tactics that the companies and police resorted to:

• For print, Rupert Murdoch devised a policy of firing people when they were on strike, or on holiday, or on a Friday or at the weekend. All so they couldn't complain so easily. No wonder his fellow Australians described him as "a snake". All with the collusion of government - Thatcher denied meeting him, but the film shows memos that prove she did. As he also met with Blair, and Cameron. I loved the brief mention of how most of the confidential information of the abortive Leveson inquiry is available online.. Includes plenty of photos of police brutality at peaceful protests.
• An interesting anecdote in the Royal Mail strike describes how management told one of the union members he couldn't take photos - he said he wasn't, he was filming. When they asked why, he said "Evidence".
• The strike at Grangemouth in Scotland saw an absolute hate campaign staged against the union leader, Stevie Deans. The Labour party, of which he was a member, falsely accused him of vote-rigging - his name was blackened on the media and in parliament, and police requisitioned his private files from his daughter. He's now of the opinion that the company engineered the whole scandal, and his daughter says that while she still believes in trade unions, she no longer believes in politics.

The film starts by reminding us - correctly - that, without trade unions, we wouldn't have sick pay, holiday allowances, workers' rights in general. So - why is it that all we hear about them is bad? As stated in the tagline, this isn't a film that tells you how to think - it just asks you to think again. Why did Thatcher lie about meeting Murdoch, for instance..? And why don't police tend to follow guidelines on crowd management? An interesting segment informs us that the official advice, for example, is to use a truncheon on the arms and legs. Yeah right - when have we seen that? Isn't it always on the head? Eye witness accounts are frightening.

And honestly, it's no surprise that no police were prosecuted for these incidents - when it's general policy, they get left alone. Just as no-one was ever punished for what they did in Northern Ireland, nor ever will be - or soldiers carrying out abuse of civilians on foreign assignments, to take another example - the establishment protects its own. And a colluding press carries on the song about "our brave boys" or some such - who can do no wrong. It's disgusting, and it's an insult to those who really do a good job.

Instead, we see constant headlines belittling the common people, who are labelled "troublemakers", "yobs" or worse. As someone remarks towards the end of the film, anyone who fights for workers' rights is labelled a terrorist, and if you're out of a job, you're labelled as a skiver, a layabout. As the saying goes, believe half of what you see, and none of what you read. Particularly from the rags sold on British newsstands.

The film ends with footage of a Thatcher report, where she revealed plans to privatise both

the NHS and education. Another government memo remarks how more profit can be derived from a "compliant" workforce. As usual, trust no-one in power..

A very thorough insight into recent events, this is a film that should make you angry. Recommended to hang around for the closing credits - there's a song, and many of the grim-faced people featured during the film finally crack a smile. I don't know what can be done with a parliament that's actively at war with its people, and a cooperative press - but every little helps, and this is an excellent start.

As for Fleabag, also available on Amazon Prime - I've just finished the first season, and am absolutely loving it. And also seriously looking forward to Season Two, featuring Andrew Scott..

Tomorrow, with Meetup full of live meetings again, I'm thinking film again. For a change, I'm thinking of heading to Reel Palestine, which is streaming a very highly rated short film called My Neighbourhood.