Plan B's iLL Manors: 'This is the true, dark reality'

The song inspired by last year's riots has now become a film. Plan B, aka Ben Drew, explains why he was driven to make it.

"A lot of people outside this environment don't believe it exists," he continues. "So in the film, rather than glamorise it, I'm trying to say to people this is the true, dark reality. This is what happens. It's not cool. No drug dealer really has the last laugh."

Dark reality is, if anything, an understatement. The film is an unapologetic and at times unnerving and uncomfortable drama, a depiction of life in the most unloved and unforgiving streets of east London, seen through the interwoven lives of its dysfunctional characters, linked and part-narrated by six new Plan B tracks. Starring established British actors such as Riz Ahmed (aka rapper Riz MC) and Natalie Press alongside unknowns such as Keith Coggins (Drew's godfather in real life) and Ryan De La Cruz, it shows the spirals of hopelessness and violence that vulnerable individuals can easily be sucked in to.

ILL Manors is not a manifesto or a direct polemic, but, like many of the best protest artforms, concentrates on capturing a mood – of desolation and anxiety. Rather than judging or preaching, it's more concerned with encouraging debate about the root of the problems it presents and demonstrating how they can have a domino effect on people's lives. It's also a surprisingly accomplished piece of work for a directorial debut and Drew, you could argue, is becoming a much-needed spokesman for an alienated sector of our society that feels it doesn't have a voice.

"I just wanted to say, 'They're not all scum,'" says Drew of his characters. "They act the way they do because of the shit that happened to them that wasn't their fault. It's not your fault if your parents abandon you and put you in a home. It's not your fault, but there comes a time when you have to take responsibility for your actions. But for a lot of them, there's no one there saying, 'All that shit that happened to you in the past is fucked up, man, and I feel really sorry for you, but you're just repeating that bad and negative energy through what you're doing and you can't keep blaming the past for the way you're acting now.'"

Read the full interview/article: The Guardian

What role did brands play in last summer's riots?

'After the Riots' is the name of a report produced by the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel which was set up after last summer's riots. This is a very interesting article featured on the Guardian website that discusses the report's findings, the way big brands market themselves and the effects they have on young people.

Simon Armitage: 'poetry is a form of dissent'

Poet and novelist Simon Armitage has been writing about Britain for decades now. In the latest in The Guardians National Conversations series of interviews, Armitage talks to John Harris about the obstinate nature of poetry and the culture of violence in Britain that he believes precipitated the UK riots.

Groups, Leadership and Groupthink

Groups we belong to and why.

Group identity and cohesion; group dynamics.

• Group cohesion: tendency to remain intact

• Groupthink: whereby an individuals performance is inhibited by the priorities of the whole group

• Intergroup communication: communication between groups

• Interpersonal communication: communication within individuals

• Intragroup communication: communication within a group

• Group dynamics: how individuals relate to each other within a group

What is a leader? What makes a good leader? Provide an example of what you consider to be a good/bad leader and support your choices by discussing the qualities you think they possess/lack. Who considers themselves a good leader? What are the advantages/disadvantages of being a leader? Think about the the importance of a leader to a group's success.

What makes an effective group? Focus on the terms cohesion and conformity. What pressures exist?

Media, Culture & 'Dumbing Down' - Morrissey - 'Songs That Saved My Life!'

Cultural icon Morrissey discusses how the media is obsessed with insignificant issues and fails to make valid critical comments on the state of nation, the august riots, contemporary culture and the current music scene in an interview with clashmusic.com. Read it here.

Watch the video below and consider the cultural implications that the song implies:

Charlie Brooker on "How to prevent more riots"

Charlie Brooker uses his regular column in The Guardian to give us his own unique take on the Riots. Read it here.

JD Sports and the riots

This article in The Guardian asks questions about the marketing strategies of the retailer hit hardest by the riots

A Teacher's View of the Riots

Emma Jones is a former teacher and resident of Tottenham. This her contribution to the debate posted on 'Mortarboard Blog' in The Guardian.

Many of the rioters are just kids

A bit of light relief from 'The Poke' satirical blog:

Plan B's Message to Rioters

Plan B's distress at what he sees as class betrayal is obvious in his audio message to looters on the NME's website.

The Role of Social Networking

There have been many comments and theories about role that social networking had in the riots and their aftermath. Here are some links that take a variety of viewpoints.
The Guardian reports on David Cameron's speech to Parliament in response to the riots, where he calls for a clampdown on social media sites.
In contrast, this article from 'The E word' reports how the Manchester Police used Twitter and Facebook to their advantage during the course of the unrest. This report, also in The Guardian tells the story of a 21 year old club DJ who cycled for hours around Bristol giving up to date and accurate information about the riots in his home city. Also on the BBC website is an article about Andrew Bayles' photograph of the 'Broom Army' volunteers who cleaned up after the riots.
The story of 89 year old barber Aaron Biber and the money raised to help him after his shop was trashed, is told on the blog 'Keep Aaron Cutting'.
DeLoot London is a website set up to encourage people to shop at and support those independent shops that were looted during the riots.

Competing Arguments to explain the causes of the riots

The very useful article on the BBC website brings together many comments from varying sources on the underlying causes of the riots, from consumerism to spending cuts and a lot more.

This post by Jonathan Maunder on the 'Pluto Press' blog, criticises the media's response in general. It discusses the idea of 'structural' and 'subjective' violence.

Absent Fathers

Here are two views from The Telegraph about the importance of a father figure in preventing crime. One is from Cristina Odone and another from Ed West.

Has British Society lost it's sense of community?

Telegraph Columnist Ed West points to the Turkish shop keepers of Dalston, East London, as the true embodiment of 'Community'. Go to the newspaper's website to read his blog.

Russell Brand and Peter Oborne comment on the riots

Russell Brand in The Guardian and Peter Oborne in The Telegraph start from very different viewpoints, but come to similar conclusions in the debate on the ethics and morals of judging the rioters.

Birmingham - August 2011