Our Friends in the North – a personal view
January 21st, 2017
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Mary explains Alan Roe’s plan – Elaine looks like thunder
“Let those who want to buy, buy. Let those who want to rent, rent, but what will they rent if I’ve sold all the council houses?” asks Mary of her replacement, Elaine.
“Well, why not use the proceeds to build more council houses?” replies Elaine.
“Because a) I have to sell them dirt cheap, and b) I’m only allowed to use half the proceeds to build replacement houses.” – replies Mary. “The other half has to finance a reduction in the rates.”
This exchange is one of the reasons OFITN might fairly be described as a Northern housing drama. The above exchange is one of many examples illustrating the effect the housing situation had on its residents, from the shoddy system built flats of the 1960s through to the Thatcherite push for home ownership via right to buy and its concomitant effect on the declining estates and their residents signified here by the desperate situation of Sean Collins at Valley View.
The scene near the end in the bar, between Geordie, Sean Collins, a young lad of 10 or 11 and his dad Christopher – is one of the most moving and powerful in the entire film, and the empathy shown by Geordie towards Sean, says a lot for his strength of character, his own life having suffered hours dreadful and things strange to say the least.
“System built flats” and “right to buy” are phrases that recur in architectural writing of today. Although no blocks fall down in the film, a number are demolished and the system built Ronan Point remains a touchstone in the history of tower blocks in the UK and damp, leaks and condensation issues were of direct relevance in the demolition of many concrete blocks and sometimes entire estates in the 1960s and 70s for reasons of poor quality panel manufacture and criminally careless construction.
Housing issues in OFITN centre around Willow Lane early on, both developments involving T. Dan Smith to some degree; and the issues raised later on by Tosker’s business ideas including the quote above relating to right to buy where it soon becomes clear that Tosker’s business advisor is hoping the market will crash leaving thousands of would be right to buy owners at risk of repossession and his shareholders only too happy to clean up by benefitting from cheap housing paid for by ratepayers.
In the coming days I will publish nine articles being the plot details for each of the episodes 1964, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1987 and 1995 along with my comments tacked on as and when I felt it appropriate.
References
T. Dan Smith – 33m out of 55m originally – First broadcast BBC Two 2 April 1986 20.05
How we made Our Friends in the North
The River Tyne 1962 – BFI – first 10m and last 2m. A period piece 🙂
http://www.oxonianreview.org/wp/an-interview-with-peter-flannery/