0:00:02 > 0:00:05Up until about six years ago, I had a really successful career as a TV presenter.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08This programme contains some strong language
0:00:08 > 0:00:10'And I had a big house, 'and a flash car and I was famous,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12'and I was really pumped about how well I'd done,
0:00:12 > 0:00:13'and I was kind of'
0:00:13 > 0:00:17desperately running around trying to be the next Noel fucking Edmonds.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20And then in 2011, the riots happened.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25And I sat there watching it on telly in my nice house.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I kept coming back to the fact this was Britain,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29and Britain's one of the richest nations in world,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32and yet there's this incredible inequality going on in this city,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34the city where I live.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37I had to really question how I'd lost touch and lost perspective,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40and right there, the bubble that I'd been living in so comfortably
0:00:40 > 0:00:44for so long just burst and I had a meltdown.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49I had a few years off work and I tried to make sense of it all.
0:00:49 > 0:00:57Whilst I was busy, kind of, giving George 2.0 a run out, that actually things weren't getting any better,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59and in fact maybe things were getting worse.
0:01:01 > 0:01:052016 was the year that rattled the establishment.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11Communities feeling left behind was a key factor for the Leave vote in the Brexit referendum.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17I was part of the 75% of young people that voted to remain in the EU.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Ever since Brexit I have been pretty disheartened.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23If I want change, I want more equality,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25more opportunities for anyone.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30It's hard to see my youth fit in to a society that seems geared towards
0:01:30 > 0:01:33the top and rich old people,
0:01:33 > 0:01:36which most young people don't fit into.
0:01:36 > 0:01:42They think we're all naive, loudmouth, Liberal snowflakes,
0:01:42 > 0:01:43and it's not the case.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47If things are going to change, then it's going to start with the young,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49so I'm travelling across the UK
0:01:49 > 0:01:52to hear the voices left out of the mainstream media today.
0:02:01 > 0:02:02According to our own government,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05almost one in three kids are growing up in poverty now,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08a figure that's rising.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12The richest 10% own nearly half the country's wealth,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and if you're born poor in our society,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16the likelihood is you'll stay poor.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20As the dust settled on the 2017 election,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22the Grenfell Tower fire struck,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24killing an estimated 80 people
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and destroying the homes of hundreds more.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31A burning symbol of inequality in one of the UK's richest boroughs.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33They don't care about us!
0:02:33 > 0:02:34They don't care about us!
0:02:34 > 0:02:37If it was a rich persons' block...
0:02:37 > 0:02:39they would care about us. They don't give a fuck!
0:02:39 > 0:02:42As a grieving community's counting its dead,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45the feeling on the ground is that Britain is divided.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51I think what it symbolizes to me, one word if I was to sum it up,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53is neglect.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54I think there's a lot of divisions,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57a lot of barriers that exist right now in Great Britain.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03In metres you can see the juxtaposition of people
0:03:03 > 0:03:05living in excess - the rich -
0:03:05 > 0:03:08next door to council estates
0:03:08 > 0:03:12where the most vulnerable members of society live.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15My type of people, who are city rats,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17then you got the rich people that trickle scraps.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21They have 50 quid notes in their pockets, we have pounds in our pockets.
0:03:21 > 0:03:22It's bad at the moment.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24But with the tower incident,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26it didn't matter whether you was poor or rich,
0:03:26 > 0:03:27everyone was getting together to help.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Deep down, we all have community spirit,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32it's just that it doesn't show itself often.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Despite its wealthy facade,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37nearly 40% of young people grow up in poverty in London -
0:03:37 > 0:03:39the highest figure in the UK,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42a number which rises significantly if you're not white.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45This is Darren, on his estate in Brixton.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47I'm a housing activist,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49I'm trying to bring affordable housing
0:03:49 > 0:03:52to the area. I definitely see my future in politics.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56At the moment, I live with my nan.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59My upbringing was rocky, to say the least,
0:03:59 > 0:04:00because we was in foster care.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02My parents were drug abusers.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06One time a group of middle class 20 to 30-year-olds
0:04:06 > 0:04:08called me a chav and a thug.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12It really demoralised me, because I was trying, like,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15really hard to go to school by myself, and, like,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17trying to get education to better my life,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and they just judged me on something that wasn't true,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22just on my appearance,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26so, ever since then I've been trying to defy people's expectations of me.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31What's this estate called, Darren?
0:04:31 > 0:04:32Moorlands Estate.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35If you had to do a, kind of, temperature check,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37is there content, is there a nice community spirit?
0:04:37 > 0:04:38Are people pissed off?
0:04:38 > 0:04:40- What's the vibe? - Yeah, I'll say, like, um...
0:04:40 > 0:04:43A lot of people are pissed off, just the way how Brixton is changing.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46People just don't see this as being Brixton any more,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48it's kind of lost its culture.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51There's nothing for the youth.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53That's why you'll see a lot of people, including myself,
0:04:53 > 0:04:54just hanging around.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56That gets, like, a bad reputation as well.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01It's crazy to think that's right opposite my estate.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Play to your own tune, never skip a beat.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07They're on a whole, kind of, like, Brixton music buzz, basically.
0:05:07 > 0:05:08- Yeah.- "Feel it.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10"Now live it. Hear it."
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Exactly, not going to live it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14They're not even showing, like, no diverse people.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16All white people in the middle of Brixton!
0:05:16 > 0:05:18- Hm-mm.- It's nuts!
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Are there any flats going up around here now, which have got, like, affordable homes in them, or not?
0:05:22 > 0:05:26The Government's definition of affordable is still, like, around about 400,000,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- which, um...you know... - It's not happening.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- Yeah.- How does it make you feel that everything that's coming in here now
0:05:31 > 0:05:33is not aimed at local Brixton people?
0:05:33 > 0:05:34It makes you feel disheartened,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38especially being a young person seeing all these new properties being built and knowing
0:05:38 > 0:05:40that you'll never be able to afford one of them.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Like, all this just looks like, you know, it's progress, right?
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- From the outside.- The term they use is regeneration,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47when really that's gentrification.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49I'm not saying that the money coming in is bad,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52it's just that the majority of it is not to help the working class.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54They're going to be driven out of our community.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01That's the councillor.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- Yeah.- Hey, how you doing?
0:06:03 > 0:06:05You all right? George Lamb, nice to meet you.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06Nice to meet you, too.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- Just out with Darren, we're making...- Darren is a great man.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11He's a wonderful young man, isn't he?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Yeah. Future Prime Minister here.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14Definitely. Nice to meet you, chief.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- All the best.- Thank you, God bless, take care.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18He was the former mayor of Lambeth.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Darren's got big dreams, but whilst he's trying to make them a reality,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25he needs a job so he's got money to live.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Are you looking for any staff?
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Are you hiring at all?
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Are you hiring at the moment?
0:06:37 > 0:06:42You can't get a job unless you have experience, but you can't get the experience unless you have the job.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44And is that a lot of the chat that you get when you go in these places?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- A lot of places.- So, it's a bit of a chicken and egg scenario, basically.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- Yeah.- Now, how long have you been unemployed?
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Since 2015.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Why do you think you're unemployed, Darren?
0:06:53 > 0:06:55You know, I'm not going to say I'm perfect for every role,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59but I feel like my appearance, it gives off, like, a negative image.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- There's not a lot you can do about that, though.- Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04You know, it's...
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Darren's neighbourhood is benefiting from big investment,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10but it's not taking him with it.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13No luck on the job front today,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15so Darren's going to hang out with his mates.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18- You up for it?- Yeah, come on.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19- Yeah?- Lovely!
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Do you feel like there's some momentum going on?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Yeah, definitely. The youth, now,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32are starting to get really politically engaged.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I feel like there's a lot of hope for the future,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37but hope can only take you so far.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I feel like those issues - health care, employment, housing,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46we all feel like they need to be improved.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50It's just our understanding of how to fix them is different.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56I feel like the MPs and the baby boomer generation,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00they don't really see us as important or influential in any way.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03They just see us as so politically apathetic.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06The reason we are apathetic is because you're not trying to appeal to us.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Why would you not try to appeal to us?
0:08:09 > 0:08:11I just don't understand.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14I think young people in the UK have a huge role to play in our society.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16We're looked down on as young people who don't have a lot to offer,
0:08:16 > 0:08:21but actually we do have a lot to offer and it is our future which we are dealing with.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22Politics, yeah.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Politics don't make sense.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Sometimes you sit there, eating your dinner,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28and you're watching these people about the politics talking about it.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Sometimes you don't even know, it just doesn't make sense what they talk about.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Issues in our cities are well-documented,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38but with nearly ten million people living in rural communities,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42what are the challenges for young people living in the countryside?
0:08:44 > 0:08:47I headed out west to Gloucestershire.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52In some local stables I met 24-year-old Caitlin, who works 12-hour days
0:08:52 > 0:08:56and despite the idyllic backdrop, still feels like she's struggling.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00He wants to come and say hi.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Hello, mate. He's lovely.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04Sweet, isn't he?
0:09:06 > 0:09:09If you were describing to someone who'd never been round here,
0:09:09 > 0:09:10how would you describe this area?
0:09:10 > 0:09:14I absolutely love it here. Like, I wouldn't really swap it.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17I just think it's a really nice area, it's really nicely connected.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19I have no desire at all to go to London,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22so it doesn't matter for me that it's a long way.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24What about young people round here?
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Are they ambitious? Is there lots of work for them?
0:09:26 > 0:09:27Is there opportunity?
0:09:27 > 0:09:29I don't really know that many people my age here.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The people younger than me I know are all about to go to uni
0:09:33 > 0:09:37and they've been working in bars to save up, or go travelling, or whatever.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39What's it like around here? Obviously, driving round,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43it seems pretty affluent and seems pretty well-heeled,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- all of it. - Yeah, there's a lot of that.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48- Yeah?- It's, um...
0:09:48 > 0:09:52There is a lot of money around, but it's quite, you know,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55you can tell how hard people work for it.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58OK. And do they work hard for it or not?
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- Some do.- Right, OK.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06Yeah, being a younger person who's hoping to buy a house
0:10:06 > 0:10:10this lifetime, yeah, I work harder than a lot of people round here.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11Right, OK.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15As we made our way across the country, we passed through
0:10:15 > 0:10:19plenty of affluent towns with tourists taking pictures of quaint postcard England.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Welcome to Burford, everybody.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Apparently all you need here is love, laughter and Prosecco.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29400 quid for a pair of waders.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39Do you think this is a kind of like reasonable representation of kind of like Britain, this place?
0:10:39 > 0:10:40Or is it... Because it looks...
0:10:40 > 0:10:42- No, it's very sheltered.- No, yeah.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47I mean, if you're growing up around here you're kind of quite privileged, I think.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Does it feel like it's a bit of a bubble, this place?
0:10:50 > 0:10:52It is a bit of a bubble, yeah.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56I'd like to think that some of us, at least, realise it's a bubble.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59- Right.- And really appreciate what we have.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05But these towns didn't feel like they were going to give us
0:11:05 > 0:11:08a fair representation of life in the country,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12so we carried on up the road to Cinderford in the nearby Forest of Dean.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17This is rush hour in Cinderford.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20It's all happening.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24What's it like as a town, then?
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Boring. They haven't got any activities.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29We've got loads of pubs, loads of fast-foods.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Like, you don't need, like, a chip shop there, there and there as well as down there.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- We're bored.- Right.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- I go with my own vibe.- Good.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39It's the only vibe to go with, mate, your own vibe.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Yeah, anybody wants to join along, they can.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Is it a nice town, Cinderford?
0:11:46 > 0:11:49I enjoy it. It depends on a person's perceptions, doesn't it?
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Yeah. Is there much work?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- Not at all, no.- So, what's the long-term plan, then, for you?
0:11:54 > 0:11:56I never plan anything.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57Plans always fail for me.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Really?- Yeah. I ride the wave and go with the wind.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03What are the aspirations for most people you know round here,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- young people?- There isn't much aspiration.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09They just want to live for the moment, they want to enjoy their lives while they can.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- Why do you think that is? - Because there's no opportunities.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21There's no opportunities for anyone round this area for a grown-up.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25All of my generation and people that are younger,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29I think, how are they going to get the opportunity because there isn't an opportunity for them?
0:12:31 > 0:12:35I work in the Tesco's shopping store down in Chepstow,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39just not far down from here, so it's literally a train ride for me.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43For me, it's a happy job.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47I struggled for finding myself work for quite some time.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Now I've found myself a job which I quite enjoy.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56It's a cleaning job on the shop floor, do you know what I mean?
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Cleaning up after people, like, rubbish on the floors,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03following a routine of checking things and making sure everything's in order.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06A basic job like that for me makes me happy.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12My ambitions, I can't really think of any ambitions that I really have.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14I haven't gone nowhere else.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17It's always been here. The future for me just makes me feel like
0:13:17 > 0:13:20it's still going to be the same for me as it is
0:13:20 > 0:13:22but just being a different aged number
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and hopefully seeing some gradual changes.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28As a whole on a plate it's just going to be the same me,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30hopefully have some better things,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34living somewhere, and that will be me, that will be happy.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42What's the vibe round here with all the people your age?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Do you feel like there's hope and possibility?
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Do you feel like things are going to change?
0:13:48 > 0:13:52To be the truthful person, no, because the fact of
0:13:52 > 0:13:55where it's such a small place there's no go in the place.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58There's no general hope with anyone or anything like that.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01The vibe's just sit round in, like,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04just sit there in a group and just put your music on, really.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06That's the only vibe there is.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15When you were a kid, did you think it's going to be great,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17I'm going to go off and I'm going to...?
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I knew full well I was still going to live this sort of life,
0:14:20 > 0:14:21be down here for so long.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25And as it goes on this is where you want to sort of like be, right, I want to get away from Lydney.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Like, all the time I think to myself, I just want to get away from here.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30So, then, do you feel isolated living here?
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Yeah, I'd say I am isolated.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Are you interested in politics?
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Oh, Christ. It's all a big jumble.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43It's like a jigsaw puzzle, really, and stuff with politics.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45But it just doesn't really make no sense, really,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48cos it's not going to change nothing down here, so there's no...
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Do you genuinely think nothing can change, then?
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Not down here. If ever it did happen, Christ,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56I'd hold my hands up and thank God or something because, I don't know,
0:14:56 > 0:14:57nothing will change.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07And are you from here, boys?
0:15:07 > 0:15:08- Yeah.- Yeah, yeah.- Yeah?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- Lydney, yeah.- You've all grown up around here?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13- Yeah, I've lived here all my life, yeah.- Do you think you'll stay here?
0:15:13 > 0:15:16I've always wanted to move abroad, Miami or something.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19I can't see that being a realistic thing to happen, yeah,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21- but...- Why not?
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Expand.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26If life goes to plan then that's where you end up,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28but I wouldn't be unhappy
0:15:28 > 0:15:31if I stayed here for the rest of my life.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33And did you get involved with the election?
0:15:33 > 0:15:36No. My reason is, like, I actually don't know enough.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I don't look into it to see what you can vote for, what it benefits,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41so I just stay away from it.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42I don't think it will, like,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45change my life enough for me to worry about it that much.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Really? So, what, just basically,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50there's no point getting involved because it doesn't matter
0:15:50 > 0:15:52what party's in, it's still going to be the same old thing?
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Because they, like, help quite away from all, like,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57the main places, means you don't see a change really out here.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00So, if they're going to change funding for whatever it is,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03by the time it gets to you lot there's not much happening anyway?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05A lot of empty promises.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06There's not a lot going on.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09You want more promise, don't you, definitely?
0:16:09 > 0:16:12If you were mayor of Lydney, what would you be doing?
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Bring in maybe like a McDonald's like they did say they would and they haven't. A Domino's.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- Er... I don't know.- There's an old bar over there.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Even a clothes shop, maybe, like Primark would do it.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Or a Topman. Topman, you know?
0:16:24 > 0:16:28- Get River Island in Lydney, man. - We need branded shops in Lydney.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37They feel they've got no possibility
0:16:37 > 0:16:42to kind of impact what's going on in the kind of wider world.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45None of them have got any idea about politics or any interest in politics
0:16:45 > 0:16:47because they don't really feel like it affects them.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50They feel completely cut off from everything.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Rural areas often get called the left behind areas by politicians.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Distribution of resources changes your life experience
0:17:00 > 0:17:02and that's something that we need to talk about.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07People who live in those sort of environments where there isn't a lot
0:17:07 > 0:17:09going on in the local community, no youth clubs and whatever,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and that sort of stuff fosters boredom which then fosters stuff like crime
0:17:12 > 0:17:14because there's nothing to do.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17They're very much forgotten by the government and that's really sad.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19We have a responsibility to help everyone in British society.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Moved from a really right-wing little village
0:17:22 > 0:17:25with absolutely no transport links
0:17:25 > 0:17:28and a few pubs and a little shop to a city,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31and it's opened my eyes a lot, I think.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33It's removed any isolation.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36My community exists online, on Facebook and Twitter.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38It can span miles.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40It goes across countries.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43It's a lot easier to change who you follow on Twitter than it is to move
0:17:43 > 0:17:45house if you don't like your neighbours.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49We sort of think of the English as all being completely different from us,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52which is probably not the case.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56I headed to Faslane on the West Coast of Scotland,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59home to Britain's Trident nuclear weapons system.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Does the sense of being unheard get stronger the further you go from Westminster?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07UK politics is a mess,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11particularly from the viewpoint of a Scottish person who's consistently
0:18:11 > 0:18:15not seeing their own views reflected in Parliament.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Scottish independence is a pipe dream.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22I'm completely behind it both as a Scottish person and as an antinuclear protester.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24But whether or not we're going to get there in this current
0:18:24 > 0:18:26climate remains to be seen.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Iona lives in a commune as an antinuclear protester.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37I wouldn't say that we're like very high up on the pecking order
0:18:37 > 0:18:40for people's respect in this country,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43but, hey-ho.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45That's the way it is.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Look at this.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Faslane Peace Camp since 1982.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51Wicked.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Hello. How are you doing?
0:18:57 > 0:18:58- It's nice to meet you. - You all right?
0:18:58 > 0:19:01- I'm George.- Iona. Nice to meet you. - Are you good?- I'm good, yeah.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03- Great.- It's a little early. It's a little wet.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04- It is a little wet.- But we'll be OK.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Yeah. So is this your caravan?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08This is my van. This is your van.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Let's have a look.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15I'm in the one with the nuclear mermaid who's got two tails and two sets of eyes.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20She's got nuclear reactive breasts, three of them.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24"Fuck off"!
0:19:26 > 0:19:32Every Wednesday, the protesters hold a vigil outside Her Majesty's naval base where the nukes are kept.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35- We're going now.- Cool.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- I don't think he wants to be on the camera.- Right, OK.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Ooh! Almost.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Oh, look, here we go. There's a few other people here.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50Banners are up.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54It's an interesting mix.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57The younger ones look like what you'd expect activists to look like,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01and then you've got Mary there who used to live in exactly the same peace camp but 20 years ago
0:20:01 > 0:20:03and she looks like your mum.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05The legitimate face of activism.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10On the end you need to clamp the top and the bottom because the wind,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12it flaps up on the word "no,"
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and it just says "more Trident," "more Hiroshimas", it's really bad.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19What is it in you that makes you decide, right,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23I'm going to get off the treadmill and I'm going to get involved in something that's bigger than me?
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Part of it is from coming here and watching other people doing it.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29It's very infectious and you do tend to get caught up in it.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Personally, I've got this sort of added grievance of the fact that
0:20:33 > 0:20:36they're British weapons that are housed in Scotland.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39If there's an attack here, if there's an accident here,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42you're talking about the entire central belt of Scotland being wiped out.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47So, for me, it does definitely feel like Scottish lives are collateral damage for Westminster.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- Scottish lives matter.- Yeah, exactly. Scottish lives do matter.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- Maybe that's the new campaign. - Yeah.- But then what do you do,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56- because then when you got offered the referendum you didn't want it? - I know.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Is this a good turnout?
0:20:59 > 0:21:02- Yeah.- Yeah, this is pretty decent, yeah.- Definitely.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Do you think you're any closer to getting this place moved on?
0:21:07 > 0:21:10We thought we might get Scottish independence,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12which would mean this country could throw them out,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14and for a lot of us that's why we voted for independence.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Our main reason was it was a chance to get rid of Trident,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19so we were gutted when we didn't get that.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Do you see being part of this as kind of opting out,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27or do you actually see it as the opposite, actually, kind of opting in?
0:21:27 > 0:21:31I think a lot of people would say there's a source of pride in the sort of opting out of everything,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36deciding not to contribute your labour or your time to, sort of,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39systems that continuously fail the masses.
0:21:39 > 0:21:45So it's kind of resistance through a kind of social refuge, I suppose.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48You know everybody's names.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- I know I do.- How long have you been talking to activists?
0:21:50 > 0:21:52- 26 years.- Really?
0:21:52 > 0:21:55- 26 years. Wow.- So, that's why they'll call me.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Do think this'll be here forever?
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Well, I think it'll see me.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59- See you out?- Yes.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04It's weird because there's a bit of me that thinks,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06"Is this really having any effect?"
0:22:06 > 0:22:08But then at the same time, they're standing up for what they believe in.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10That's most important thing.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20What's on the menu, Chef?
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Here we've just got a pot of couscous from...
0:22:22 > 0:22:25I love that you turned into a TV chef, there.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- Oh, I'm sorry...- "Here we've just got a pot of couscous that I've prepared..."
0:22:28 > 0:22:30We did make it earlier.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Could you see yourself still living here in a few years' time,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36or have you got aspirations to go back to the city, or...?
0:22:36 > 0:22:41I don't think I have the complete sort of selfless nature required to live here full-time.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43There was a bit of me that's looking at these people
0:22:43 > 0:22:47that have been doing it for 30 years and I'm like, "Is this happening? Is there anything happening here?"
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Do you feel, kind of, validated in your efforts?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53I think you have to certainly lower your expectations.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56When you arrive, you think there's going to be stuff going on all the time,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00you think it's going to be really positive because you get so in the spirit of things. Um...
0:23:00 > 0:23:05And definitely, sort of, spending the amount of time here has to teach you that patience is absolutely key.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Things, you know, aren't going to get done overnight,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10under any circumstances.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Iona's made a choice to remove herself from society,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19at least for the time being.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24But not everyone wants to live on the outside.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29And when you step back on the treadmill,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33that comes with an inevitable amount of responsibility and stress.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37I'd place my partner and I, and our circumstances, kind of, yeah,
0:23:37 > 0:23:38middle class, really.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41So, I wouldn't say we're right down at the bottom, like,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45we're not struggling that much that we're crying out desperate desperate,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48but we're not comfortable at all.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54I still go to bed worrying about finances and things.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57If you're just managing, I want to address you directly.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01And I know that sometimes life can be a struggle.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06We're going to go and meet Claire.
0:24:06 > 0:24:07Her and her partner just had a baby.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10And they describe themselves as just about managing, you know,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14and these are the kind of bleary-eyed alarm clock Britain workers
0:24:14 > 0:24:17who are out here, you know, working really hard,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20but seemingly not being able to get ahead of themselves.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25We've always worked, always paid our taxes.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29When all the bills come out, the rent comes out, you know, things for Leo,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31just the essential stuff that needs to come out,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33we're not left with a lot.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36So, yeah, we're just about, kind of, getting there.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37- Hello!- Hello, how you doing?
0:24:37 > 0:24:39- Nice to meet you.- I'm George.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- So, how long have you been living here?- Couple of months.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Who's in your family, then?
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- Who's the...- So, it's me, and obviously my son and then my partner.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Before you had Leo, were you working full-time?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Yeah, I was working full-time.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I'm a nursery nurse, so, I work in a private nursery.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55And, your partner, what does he do?
0:24:55 > 0:25:00- He's in the building trade. - What kind of percentage of your take-home is spent on rent
0:25:00 > 0:25:02and just running the house and all the rest of it?
0:25:02 > 0:25:0485%, even a little bit more.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06- Really?- Yeah, oh, definitely.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09We're, kind of, just kind of scraping by,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11just kind of paying what needs to be paid.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13So, when it comes to, you know,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17us maybe one day getting a house and stuff,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20it's just never going to happen, because you can't save with, like,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23the rent being so high, it's just impossible.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Does it stress you out?
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Yeah, of course. Me, especially, because obviously I'm...
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Do you know what I mean? I'm at home all day, so it's kind of...
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I got a bit more time for it to process in my mind.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37What are you doing then to try and make your money go as far as it possibly can?
0:25:37 > 0:25:42Food-wise, we'll go out and get, you know, like freezer stuff, things with like long dates or like...
0:25:42 > 0:25:45pas...do you know what I mean, pasta, rices.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- Yeah.- If lights don't need to be on, you know, they're switched off.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51It's just wasting money, it's just basically throwing your money away.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Are you entitled to any, like, at work benefits or anything like that?
0:25:54 > 0:25:57No, because me and my partner earn over...
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I'm not quite sure what the exact figure is, but it's either 28 or 29.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- And you earn just over it. - But we're literally just...
0:26:03 > 0:26:04I'm literally, like...
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Just by the smidgen, just over.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Does it you frustrate you when you see other people, you know,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12living nice lives who aren't working, you know,
0:26:12 > 0:26:13anywhere near as hard as you guys?
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Yeah. You got people that you just know full well could be working,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20but don't, obviously are claiming benefits,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and then living a much more comfortable life than what, you know,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27people are that are working their, like, arses off.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Something, yeah, that really frustrates me.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Seems like a nice neighbourhood, this.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Yeah, do you know what? It's not bad.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Do you feel kind of positive as a young person then, like,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43about your future?
0:26:43 > 0:26:45At this moment in time, no, not really.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Not with, kind of, you know, everything that's going on.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50But I can't see us owning a house.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I just don't think that is possible.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Do you feel like young people are being heard?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58No. No, not really.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59I just think we kind of...
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Because of our ages,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I just think we kind of get put in a kind of category.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05You know, they're only 21, so...
0:27:05 > 0:27:07What do they know.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10- They don't know anything. - What does your tattoo say?
0:27:10 > 0:27:12"Do good and good will come to you."
0:27:12 > 0:27:14And is it working?
0:27:14 > 0:27:15No, not at all.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Because I'm doing good, but no good's coming to me.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- Yet.- Yet.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22But, we shall see.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24We don't know what the future holds.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I want to bring up my children, my future children, in my own house,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33and not have to rent off someone.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36If the housing crisis stays the way it is,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39I don't see myself moving out of my parents' house any time soon,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42or even, you know, thinking that I could afford to do that.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45It's pretty rubbish, really, if you're young.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49There's no way that most of us can afford a house of our own.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52We'll just keep paying rent month in, month out.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55It gets framed in terms of, like, generation rent
0:27:55 > 0:27:58and young people not being able to move out of the family home,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and isn't that terrible, and that is a problem that needs to be fixed,
0:28:01 > 0:28:02but that is not a youth issue.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Everybody needs housing.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07The rich people, they might have a house, they might have a nice car,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10they might get up every morning and go to work,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14but only because their parents had a bit of money behind their back.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17And me now, it might be a hostel, but I'm sorting myself out.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Once the UK's third biggest port, Hull suffered decades of decline
0:28:23 > 0:28:27as the fishing and shipping industries were decimated.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30The UK City of Culture 2017 is Hull.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33CHEERING
0:28:34 > 0:28:38The city is now benefiting from much-needed investment.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43But not everybody here feels like they're winning.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44That's when my son was just born.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47I was full-time in work, I was happy.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Things changed.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52I think I've...
0:28:52 > 0:28:54I believe times just got hard.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58I don't know. But that's one of my favourite pictures.
0:29:03 > 0:29:04It's a shit hole.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06River's a shit hole.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08I mean, just look at the place.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Hull won an award.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15But I don't see anything looking better apart from
0:29:15 > 0:29:19they're putting a couple of statues up, or loads of lights.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Water fountains, I don't know.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24I don't know how that can benefit me.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Or anybody else.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30I hand in my CVs, I do my job searches.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32There's nobody willing to take me on.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Because I can't get a job, I can't work.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Yeah, I just can't get no work whatsoever.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38I'm not on t'sick.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40I'm fit, I'm healthy.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43I feel so isolated from society, well,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46because there's nothing around here for me.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50I met up with Spence outside a food bank.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52How long have you been homeless, then?
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Who, me? A month nearly now.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56- Really?- Yeah, it's the first time I've ever been homeless.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58- You got a kid?- Three. - You got three kids?
0:29:58 > 0:30:02- Three kids, yeah. - So, were you working, then, up until a little while ago?
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Yeah, well, the last job I was getting a bit of cash was pot washing,
0:30:05 > 0:30:07but I left that cos it was shit.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08Because I didn't really think ahead...
0:30:08 > 0:30:10What, when you jumped out the last job?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- Yeah, I just jumped.- What? And you just assumed you'd get a job, then?
0:30:13 > 0:30:15No, I just didn't want to work.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17I know it sounds stubborn, but I just couldn't be arsed.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20My head was up my arse. I felt like...
0:30:20 > 0:30:21You what, sorry?
0:30:23 > 0:30:25Who was up your arse?
0:30:25 > 0:30:28- My head.- Your head was up your arse, right.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32I didn't know what to do with myself.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35The only reason why I got into the life of crime was because of the people I was hanging around,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40and I could see there was money to be made, so I thought I'd do it.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45I made a bit of money. Got done for it, went to prison, come out,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48did it again, and then did it until I realised that enough was enough.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51And I haven't been to jail for the last three years, now.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Why do you think you've ended up having this life?
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Um... I don't know, because what's around me, I reckon.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Do you take any responsibility for it?
0:30:58 > 0:31:00I do now, yeah, but back then I didn't.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07- You're the lad from the hostel. - How you doing, mate? You all right? I'm George.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Nice to see you, man. Are you good?
0:31:09 > 0:31:10Yeah, yeah.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13How's it going? Are you from Hull?
0:31:13 > 0:31:14He's lived here all his life.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Have you been in prison as well then, or not?
0:31:17 > 0:31:21- Yeah, yeah.- Do you think you're going to get yourself out of this situation?- Yeah.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23- Genuinely?- It's just hard.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28Hull's main priority's build these hotels for these posh people to come and enjoy Hull.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30We're just city rats to them, we're fuck all, aren't we?
0:31:30 > 0:31:33What are they going think to me, "Oh, shut up, little boy."
0:31:33 > 0:31:36- They'd think, look at these two chavs.- Yeah, they'd say, "Fuck off."
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Unemployment is over the national average in Hull,
0:31:41 > 0:31:44and in recent years there's been an influx of European migrants.
0:31:46 > 0:31:5267% of Hull's voters were prepared to take the leap into the unknown and voted to leave the EU.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55I got laid off, because Polish people were coming to work for cheaper.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57So, in the end I lost out.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Foreigners are coming over here because the Government's let them.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03They come over here thinking, "Oh, we got better benefits, NHS..."
0:32:03 > 0:32:07And they can milk the system, but that's when people like us lose out.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09So, if we stop all immigration...?
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Yeah? Life would be so much better, wouldn't it?
0:32:12 > 0:32:14- Then you think you'd be all right? - Yeah, yeah, miles better.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16Because you'll be able to get the jobs?
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Yeah. This is England, this is our country.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21This isn't Poland, this isn't Holland, or whatever you want to call it.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23It's England. Fuck off, I don't like it.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26It pisses me off. Because there's nothing for us, is there?
0:32:26 > 0:32:27Because they're taking it.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37I find it really sad that poor people go after other poor people
0:32:37 > 0:32:40basically because they're from a different country.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42All his anger's focusing on the wrong stuff.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Unfortunately, Spence is not unique in this situation.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50There's loads of poor guys living in hostels around the country
0:32:50 > 0:32:53who, you know, coming from broken homes,
0:32:53 > 0:32:57have created their own broken homes, can't get into work, in and out of,
0:32:57 > 0:33:01you know...in and out of prison, and I don't...
0:33:01 > 0:33:04You know, I don't know how you get it...
0:33:04 > 0:33:05I don't know how you make it better.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09Despite my differences of opinion with Spence, meeting him -
0:33:09 > 0:33:11a man who wants to find work but can't find any -
0:33:11 > 0:33:15I understand why he has grievances, even if for me they're misplaced.
0:33:20 > 0:33:21In making this film,
0:33:21 > 0:33:25I'm seeing that most of us are just products of where we come from.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28It's all a lottery, and when we get handed a winning ticket we manage
0:33:28 > 0:33:30to convince ourselves it's all our doing,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33and forget about those who didn't happen to get so lucky with their ticket.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36You get us, you get middle-class, and you get the best.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39And the best are going to always outwin us, because they got power.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43So, you've got class, race, age, gender, sexuality.
0:33:43 > 0:33:49They're checklists on how well or how not well you're going to do in society.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51I'm a white, middle-class, straight guy.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54I'm privileged enough that I don't have to engage with politics.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57No matter what governments come next, I'll bear pretty well,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59but there are people out there that won't.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02I have a voice. I shouldn't be labelled by, like, my disadvantage.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04I have power, like, just like anyone else.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09I'm from a pretty standard working-class family.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12I grew up in an estate in Hackney, just up the road,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14and then went to university at Sussex,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and from there I got involved quite heavily in politics,
0:34:17 > 0:34:19and then got into journalism.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23I think today's political climate is extremely exciting.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27With the Brexit vote, there's been an explosion of discussion
0:34:27 > 0:34:30about people getting up and getting engaged in politics,
0:34:30 > 0:34:32and I think that's really shaken the status quo.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Back in London, I met Ella.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37She's optimistic about the future,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40and feels that young people are finally waking up.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43We've been going all over the country, and, you know,
0:34:43 > 0:34:47particularly the people who really need help, they have this kind of,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51you know, just total apathy for politics and don't really...
0:34:51 > 0:34:54They don't believe in themselves, they don't believe in their ability to change anything.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56OK, so you've talked to people who've said that,
0:34:56 > 0:34:58but I've kind of had a different experience.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02Over the last two years I think we've had some really monumental political shifts.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06The Brexit vote last year I think was the first real turning point.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10People who weren't interested in parliamentary politics suddenly were
0:35:10 > 0:35:15really enthused by this argument, and were rebellious,
0:35:15 > 0:35:16and I think that has continued.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18The Grenfell Tower, the Brexit vote,
0:35:18 > 0:35:20all of these things have got people talking,
0:35:20 > 0:35:25and there's no better way to get people engaged then for there to be stuff to get engaged with.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Do you think we live in a disunited kingdom?
0:35:27 > 0:35:29No, I don't think we live in a disunited kingdom.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32I think that there's a lot of division on issues.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35So, there obviously... There was, you know, the Brexit vote was a big division.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38There's talks about Scottish referendum.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43There's a big disjoint between the urban centres and rural areas.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45So, there's lots of big questions being asked,
0:35:45 > 0:35:46and people are fighting about stuff.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48But I see that as a very positive thing,
0:35:48 > 0:35:50because if you've got a bit of argument,
0:35:50 > 0:35:56if you've got a bit of contention of people positively but assertively
0:35:56 > 0:35:59making their voices heard, and coming into conflict with each other,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01then that's where real change happens.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05There's actually nothing really more important than, like,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08playing an active role in society.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12Like that, surely, like, number one thing is you're a person,
0:36:12 > 0:36:16you're part of this big collective, you have to have...
0:36:16 > 0:36:19You have to have some kind of understanding of your role in it.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22You're not a bystander in it, you are it.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24It's so refreshing meeting somebody like Ella,
0:36:24 > 0:36:26because she's full of hope and possibility,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29and she genuinely believes we can change things,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32and I think that's because she's decided that she's going to engage with it all,
0:36:32 > 0:36:36and she's going to figure out how she can be part of the solution.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38I think something's only screwed,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40something's only ruined if you say it is.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43I feel like there's a lot of uncertainty.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Through that uncertainty, that's where the hope comes in.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Because I feel like people will be like, "Yeah, OK,
0:36:48 > 0:36:50"it's time for us to make change."
0:36:50 > 0:36:54And getting engaged doesn't mean that you've got to go on marches or chain yourself to trees.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59You know, at the very least you can just start listening to people, all the people around you,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03and realising that your perspective isn't the only perspective.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05We've inherited a lot of things that aren't our fault,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08and we're going to have to find the solutions to them.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Do I feel like our generation's been screwed?
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Um, yeah, absolutely, but I think every generation does.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16There's a tiny minority of people who have all the power and all
0:37:16 > 0:37:20the wealth, and everybody else is just struggling to survive,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23and that's crazy. Inequality's not going to solve itself.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26Right, how I feel about the future right now?
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Nervous, excited, terrified, but I...
0:37:33 > 0:37:37You know, I like to think that there's a decent future in store for my generation.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40I don't think our younger generation is screwed.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44I think we most definitely have a chance,
0:37:44 > 0:37:46it's just whether we're going to take the opportunity or not,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48when it comes.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50Young people are screwed only if they decide they want to be,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53and if they're going to let themselves be.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57If you want things to be different, take responsibility and make them
0:37:57 > 0:38:01- different.- We have seen the mistakes of the past generation,
0:38:01 > 0:38:03and I feel like we've learned from that.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Our future's sorted, that's not going to happen.
0:38:05 > 0:38:06That's not going to run with us.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08We're going to make things a lot better,
0:38:08 > 0:38:10and they'll just have to watch and see.