PLAYING WITH FIRE - ILL MANORS TAKE I WITH ELLIE ROBINSON, COUNCILLOR FROM FOREST GATE NORTH, NEWHAM COUNCIL.

So, let's start the "Games".

Ellie Robinson was kind enough to give her contribution to this work. I believe it is important both for Plan B's fans and other people that eventually are not acquainted with this reality and others that share a different punt of view:

   

                          

King_leer (KL):

Ellie, first of all tell us if you know Ben Drew (Plan B) and in what way this record was received by you and since you are part of the local Labour party how did the Council react to its release and major attention brought to that particular region in the UK both by the record and also the motion picture release.

Ellie Robinson (ER):

I do not know Ben personally, I am acquainted with his family. His mother was on the same governing body as me.

I wrote this article on the film which explains my views:

http://labourlist.org/2012/06/representing-ill-manors/

The Council did not respond to the film and to be honest it did not get enough coverage for the Council to have been expected too.

(KL):

Being this record mainly a social picture of a certain Britain, more focused on the 90's give me your view as a citizen about growing up around Forest Gate and surroundings that are mainly the central landscape of this record and the place Ben was raised.

(ER):

Most people who grow up in Forest Gate do not experience the type of social circumstances the film portrays. However I have known people to experience knife crime and prostitution and other issues highlighted. These are definitely things that happen in Newham as they do in other deprived areas. However Newham is also a place of opportunity, we have the youngest population in Europe, and the most multicultural community in the country. We have just had the Olympic Games in Newham which has bought regeneration. Our schools, against popular belief, achieve very well for our young people, above national average. I have really enjoyed growing up here as you learn so much about humanity.

(KL):

As a social active person what you think that should’ve been done in the past to avoid – and I’ll quote Ben on last week’s (at the time this Q&A took place) interview at the Jonathan Ross show – “the main reason that we had the riots is because we have a generation of kids that in-parent (I suppose the parents) no one show them love...they feel they are not worth, they walk at the front door and read the newspaper and the media tells them the same and the society reads the newspaper and they believe it as well. And when they contact with a kid like that they are pre-conception of them and treat the accordingly...” – what should have been done in the past to prevent this to happen and what are you major actual social activities to avoid this in the future?

(ER):

I think we have to make sure young people have a range of good role models, not just their parents, this can be achieved through schools and is increasingly so. The local school, Forest Gate Community school runs a project called Future First in which alumni return to the school and advise the young people on their futures, these are good role models for young people.

(KL):

Besides when I was younger I was never connected to any political party but if I was I’d like to embrace the spirit around a creative moment like this and use it as a social catalyst to improve local policies. How the council interacts with this cultural achievements?

(ER):

We haven't used the film in this way.

(KL):

Have you watched the movie ?

(ER):

Yes.

(KL):

What is your favourite track from Ill Manors?

(ER):  

 ill Manors and Playing with Fire.

THE END

Let's take a look at one of Ellie's favourite tracks, "Playing with Fire":

  

                  

Hope you liked it.

To Follow:

·         Mark Winterburn, Engineer from Edge Studios after John Delf indication.

·         Faith SFX - Beatboxer and long time Ben's colaborator and friend.

Cheers,

LG