Ideology (S6)

• How is the spectator positioned in TIE?

  Shaun --> encouraged to align with him but not encouraged to be persuaded by Combo's views
• How is the film anti-nationalist?

  Combo is presented as a violent bully, and his gang predominantly poorly educated followers
• How is TIE anti-war?


  Disturbing archive footage of dead and injured servicemen and Shaun's lost father
• How does Meadows' communicate his view that Thatchers' policies should be challenged in TIE?

  Combo's comments in the 'This is England' speech, repeated loud voice of Thatcher on radio, anti-Thatcher graffiti shown repeatedly in film
• How does Shaun's characters' loss of identity connect to political context at the time and how is it shown?

  Shown through --> fatherless, bullied at school, vulnerable

  Connects --> working-class England's sense of alienation from the divide of Thatcherism
• What war is TIE set against the backdrop of?

  The Falklands war
• How is Shaun's father being missing a metaphor for the time period?

  Metaphorically a fatherless period - working-class England abandoned by the system
• How did the neglect of young adults by the government effect them?

  Left them vulnerable and susceptible to groups such as national front
• What's the national front?

  Extreme-right British political group
• How is deindustrialisation relevant to TIE?

  Set in midlands which is an area that relied heavily on the manufacturing sector and it is places like this that suffered economically from Thatcherism because there was a rise of unemployment in these sectors
• What did sub cultures such as skinheads offer during the individualism of Thatcherism?

  Identity, community and solidarity
• How does Meadows use Woody to subvert the skinhead stereotype and why?

  He's caring and brotherly to Shaun, he does this to show the positive side of skinhead groups before they got stereotyped by extreme right-wing groups
• How does Meadows subvert the skinhead stereotype of racism?

  Through Milky's inclusion in Woody's gang - multicultural skins
• Examples of Meadows mediating to ensure reasons are given behind characters' behaviours:

  Combo/Lol car scene, Combo talking to Milky about family
• The film offers a social commentary (social realism genre) on the rise of fascism under Thatcher's government
• What was an effect of the rapidly shifting world in the 80s?

  Made youth open to all sorts of influences that made claims on their identity
• Meadows attempts to reclaim the skinhead image from the traditional Neo-nazi image
• How does Meadows encourage audience to feel about Combo?

  He does not condone Combo's behaviours and doesn't want us to, but offers reasons behind them