I'm campaigning for the local Labour party.
Hello Peterborough!
This is a very big political moment for the
country.
It's quite crazy, obviously, growing up here
to see it in the national spotlight,
it's quite scary.
It's like the barometer of the whole nation really,
like the last bastion of hope type of thing.
I've seen the way this town has been shafted
over the years, to be honest.
… this isn't even about Brexit,
this is about the kind of country we live in.
… people transform our society,
so we won't be one that's so divided,
we won't be one where we walk by
on the other side
for those that are unfortunate.
I mean, with the odd break,
this is about 14 days on the road now.
Frimley, Manchester, Swindon,
Thornbury on the edge of the Cotswolds.
Look at that,
we've got to go and get a shot of that.
That was post apocalyptic.
GPS: At the roundabout,
take the third exit.
Peterborough has got everything really
that sort of denotes modern Britain for good and ill.
It's got loads and loads of warehouses
and distribution centres.
It has got a huge population of people
from EU countries,
and other countries besides,
and it voted by a pretty heflty majority
for Brexit.
You know there's a giant bird cack down your windscreen
I've kept that there
for symbolic purposes.
It's to indicate the fact we're being that we're being shat on.
I wanted to send a message,
because we are sick and tired of the establishment.
I am here to support it
and teach the elite a lesson.
Tell me about your idea of the elite,
who are the elite?
Well, the elite are the same people who
control the Guardian now and are
putting through your neocon agenda.
Wow!
So where are you coming from politically? Well, it depends, I'm a supporter of Julian Assange,
which the Guardian isn't,
I'm a supporter of Bradley Manning,
which the Guardian isn't.
Left and right all joins.
Right.
I also blame the free markets,
but I don't think they have the free markets anymore.
We have crony capitalism.
Big queue.
In any given political situation,
someone's got a big queue, you know,
It was sort of, Corbyn two years ago,
wasn't it?
And it was Scottish independence,
a year or two before that.
These MPs are payed about £75,000,
they voted in to do what …
... our bidding.
But they're not doing it ...
What we tell them to do, but they don't ...
They're going off on a tangent ...
Respect the people.
I've watched some of these on the internet
and I thought:
'oh, this sounds intersting'
and he's got a very, very powerful message.
The British political class
is rotten to the core.
Parliament has abolished the referendum
and declared war on the British people.
Welcome to the stage,
Nigel Farage!
And trust me, trust me,
there are shitloads, a lot more people feel like this.
A lot more people.
And don't think this movement,
and it is a movement now,
that means nothing still,
that's what they think,
it means nothing still.
Wait until after this European election,
and then Peterborough,
when we win that too.
Who are you fighting?
Everybody.
This part of Manchester is at the other end
of the Brexit spectrum.
I'm just freestyling here, guys.
You're sort of freestyling about topical
things…
I obviously, you know,
share the concern about Brexit
but at the same time,
I am not knowledgable enough
to share, you know,
a prevalent opinion.
What's your sense of the future?
Are you feeling optimistic or pessimistic?
Optimistic, absolutely.
You know, my journey now
is just to carry on creating, that's cool with me.
I don't…
You don't see any sort of…
I'm a bit older than you,
I feel there's a lot of dark clouds on the horizon,
the world's not going in a very nice direction.
Yeah, but for what I can do as an individual,
I just think it's about being, you know,
on an individual to individual basis,
just being positive with one another,
that's sort of the easiest way to effect change.
You are the one man antidote
to the bleak mood.
I've stopped watching the news
because it's like,
what's the point,
it's just the same stuff, different day.
You tuned out?
Yeah.
Just because I've got more important things
to think about now.
What like, one on the way?
Yeah.
What kind of world do you think
you're bringing your baby into?
I don't know.
You're talking to the wrong guy.
You must have an opinion.
My opinion is,
don't worry about the country,
worry about yourself.
Really?
There's nothing else you can do.
If you worry about the country,
what can we do about it?
This is where vox pops are
simultaneously completely unscientific and random ...
But also, very revealing.
About three days ago
we were in Surrey,
at a Nigel Farrage rally.
and I know exactly what they want,
Brexit now, right?
The people I've spoken to here seem much more …
I'm just politically confused.
Do you know about Change the UK,
the independent group?
Yeah, don't start ...
Why you're laughing?
You know why I'm laughing.
Speaking of being politically confused,
there's an event in the centre of town
put on by the other new party,
trying to use these elections
to make a big breakthrough.
No queue here as yet.
It's like a gate at an airport.
The Change UK flight to Romania
is now ready for boarding.
We've decided that we could no longer
put up with politics as it was.
We'll come to that,
we are just whetting your appetite for it.
That's what we're going to do in a second.
So … ah!
While we find our wi-fi connection…
I want to stand on a platform
to rebuild something,
to reshape and to change our politics.
We are campaigning,
if we're going to go off the cliff in October
to revoke article 50.
It's not quite funny
but it's not bad.
It's the way in which
my community is dismissed,
the way which is smeared as some liberal
metropolitan elite,
it's disgusting.
We have to walk,
otherwise I am going to miss this train,
and I'm going to be killed
if I miss it.
You should have called yourself
the remain party,
shouldn't you?
No, because the broken nature of our politics
is far beyond Brexit.
You're not going to out
with a whimper, you don't worry about that?
No, God no.
I mean, I wouldn't…
Apparently were these narcissistic, 
egotistical careerists ...
we've done like the most non-careerist thing you can think of.
Hi mate, are you alright?
So what happens next?
I hear there's infinite possibilities so …
Infinite possibilities.
Right, go and get your train.
I am going as well!
There they go.
Change UK.
Well considering how het up everyone's
got about this election,
it's a little bit tumbleweedy.
Not by the look of it.
What, because two people have got in to vote?
It's not exactly South Africa.
It's not like Nelson Mandela.
You can't tell us how you voted,
could you?
I wish I could.
Who did you vote for?
Brexit.
Did you?
Yeah.
I mean, you know the fella in charge of
of the Brexit party, Nigel Farage?
A great fan of Mrs Thatcher and all that.
Well aren't they the people who did for Merthyr 
not that long ago.
You can't keep going back in history,
can you?
What do people say leave the EU
to make things even worse?
I don't believe it.
They said the day we voted out.
Everyone said that the European Union
has put so much into Merthyr, and they have.
You know, we've got a nice bridge, you know, 
we've had a lot of funding,
but it doesn't help us.
Do you work?
Yeah.
What do you do?
I'm a gardener.
What do you do?
Healthcare.
You know,
there's always a struggle.
I don't know, it's the same as it's always been.
And that's why we need to change.
Radio presenter: It's Friday for most
of us today,
Some warm sunshine around as well.
There'll be some changes coming in to the south-west …
We drove across the social spectrum
on election day,
and went a bit mad in the process.
John, what are you doing to my car?
What have we done?
Two things were pretty constant.
However low trust in politics was before
the referendum,
it's worse now.
Brexit party or no Brexit party.
I don't believe Farage for one minute
he's for the working people.
And no one likes the media either.
Every time you switch on the telly,
it's Nigel Farage.
Yeah, I agree, I agree.
That's media driven,
with respect to you guys.
In fact, no one seems to trust anything anymore.
We don't know where we are.
Feels good though.
This is the sort of place where
vox pops could be.
What have we got here? Blair Parade!
I'm liking it!
Can I talk to you for a minute?
I ain't got time.
Come one, one quick question.
What?
Are you going to vote today?
No.
You're not?
No.
Wow!
Blair Parade.
- Blair Parade.
What do you think of the state of the country?
Last question.
It's not very good, is it?
So why don't you vote then?
They will do what they want to do anyway.
Not this time, maybe.
Yeah, right …
They are corrupt, got to go.
All the bankers, mate, all the top bankers, 
the Rothschilds and all them lot mate
The politicians, they're all under their cuff now,
They all give them money.
The entrails of this modern internet politics
are everywhere, aren't they?
Everyone is a conspiracy theorist now.
Which is why, in retrospect,
holding a referendum just as technology
completely changed the way millions
of people thought about politics
was always going to turn everything
on its head.
Do you know what it is?
The beauty of representative democracy
and I include myself in this, right ...
Is you don't have to have
a detailed opinion about fuck all
you can vote on the basis of whatever you like
and it just goes in a big mincing machine,
and out comes the government …
If you don't want them you can vote them out.
The idea that everybody's got to be an expert,
it's ridiculous.
Look at that lorry mate
Why, what's wrong with it?
It's on zigzags and he knows that.
They ought to take your license away
He just blocked someone in.
So, have you voted yet?
Yes.
I'm going now, mate.
And who are you going to vote for?
Have a guess.
Brexit party?
Yeah.
Why do I need to be in Europe?
You give me an answer to that.
Well, because it's a series of trading arrangements.
How did we trade it before?
Different world then, no?
Different world?
Yeah, it's a different world now.
What needs to change about the country
to make you feel better about all of this?
You don't want it on there ...
Go on.
Have you been up Swindon town?
No, go on.
Well, I will tell you what,
on a hot day like today.
When I go to town ... it feels like
I've already gone on holiday,
and you know what that means.
They are not the people who do all the work?
Keep the place ticking over?
Who's not all the people who…?
Well, the immigrants you're talking about.
You're trying to put words into my mouth.
What I am going to say is,
look at our town, mate, Primark's all we've got here, Primarks and a charity shop, look at me.
Right? Primarks and a charity shop.
These old jeans.
I am not a Primark or a charity shop shopper.
I worked hard.
There's a lot that's going on for my age to be truthfully honest, like, not many of my friends my age vote
or to be truthfully honest,
so, it's one of these things that I try to
get information relevant to it
but I don't know…
What if I said though that by not participating
you lose to people like the gentleman we've just met.
Who's that?
Who thinks Swindon isn't Britain anymore,
doesn't want immigration
and he's going down there to vote for the
Brexit party.
OK.
And you and your friends
aren't really engaging on politics
and therefore, he's winning.
I know, I can see why you're saying that.
I am more concerned for what my daughter
and my kids growing up
and what it's going to be like for them,
to be truthfully honest…
I don't know,
I really don't know.
But I literally need to go.
Go, go.
Who did you vote for just now?
Where is this going?
On the Guardian's website.
Right.
Put it this way,
democracy is broken.
Go on.
That's it.
Work out from there.
It's the Saturday before
the Peterborough byelection.
Activists have come from all over this part
of England
and beyond,
to help Labour get their vote out.
We need a Labour government.
How do you feel about the state of the country,
right now?
It's dying.
The far right is on the rise,
racism is almost as bad as it was on the 70s.
Thanks to all of the constituencies that are
here today.
and of course the danger is if I start mentioning them I'll leave somebody out,
and be told off forever more,
but I'm used to that kind of problem
with the mainstream media.
And I don't care!
The one-trick pony Farage
is in town today.
What does he know about education,
what does he know about police cuts?
What does he know about the pain
of trying to survive on universal credit?
He's not talking about Brexit.
The B word is unmentioned.
We're going to go because
we have stuff to do.
Can we follow you around?
Sorry to disturb you …
She's voting Labour.
Can you tell me what you think about Brexit?
Is this your business?
It's my aunty's.
So you're from a Portuguese family.
I am.
But were you born in Peterborough?
I've been here for 20 years.
How do you feel about the state
of the country right now?
Brexit and all that…
Shit.
Sorry, I don't know if I am allowed to use that,
but yes, it is, it's really bad.
I work at Pizza Hut in town,
and we are all foreigners.
And we get quite a lot of,
you know,
abusive …
And we've noticed it more since Brexit.
Like you know,
that we're worthless, really.
Nigel Farage, I've just tried
to have a bet on him
He's 200-1 for the next prime minister
and I'm going to have £10 on him.
Do you mean that's a good or bad thing
if he was the prime minister?
I think it would be a good thing.
But what's the point
if it's all corrupted?
They listen to the English people,
they don't listen to the foreigners.
We've got no say here.
It's called democracy
It's corruption, really,
it really is.
Well with democracy we should be allowed to vote for the Brexit as well because we pay the taxes.
It's amazing how for Brexit only the older
generation voted
and not the younger generation.
If you think about it, it's the younger generation
that's going to be here,
not the older generation.
See, you're judging me already.
God, but the atmosphere has got worse
in Peterborough ... you say.
Are you canvassing for the Conservative …
Oh, no, you're Brexit party people.
Only the Brexit party can bring about the
change
in politics that Peterborough desperately
needs.
Well, I was into Ukip
but that relationship ended.
But I've got from left to right, you see.
I stood for Labour in West ward here.
I did.
- Isn't politics weird these days?
It was a question of democracy
and sovereignty.
What Nigel said is that he's going to bring
direct democracy,
like the Five Star Movement,
his aim is to make the Brexit party like the
Five Star Movement in Italy,
which has direct democracy,
where members vote on the policies electronically.
God, what a funny old state the country is in, eh?
That he wants direct democracy.
Beppe Grillo.
Well, you better bring back hanging then, 
that's the thing.
See, what I think this is all about is something we've only just started to understand, you know,
it's really about what the internet does to
politics.
Because everywhere is open to everything.
Who would have though that we would meet
people in with a shout of getting an MP
who go on about Beppe Grillo's direct democracy.
You know, people who are sensibly on the right of politics who support Julian Assange ...
And then Corbyn comes out and says …
makes reference to the mainstream media.
And it's sort of out of anyone's control.
And it's still going.
And the crowd here is different.
It's more diverse, there's more women,
there's more young people…
Probably shows you that the Brexit party
is spreading.
Well I think its the realignment of politics,
isn't it?
Left and right is in the past.
This is about a call for people to try
and you know, reconnect
with you know, where power is actually…
Do you feel like that yourself?
Yeah.
Thursday, in Peterborough, is democracy day!
