Discuss ways in which social developments associated with ‘Thatcher’s Britain’ are reflected in ‘Babylon’.

Babylon is a film from 1980, which was directed by Franco Rosso. Its about black youth growing up in Brixton, South London. To many it stood out because it reflected the very dark, depressing realisms of Britain at the end of the 1970s. Back then it wasn’t really received by the public, probably because it revealed the hard naked truth of Britain, but now it’s known to be one of the best British films ever made. Its about a young Rastafarian rapper who has hopes to rise above the trails of his daily life and succeed at a sound system completion.

Around this time Margaret Thatcher becomes the new prime minister of 10 Downing Street. She was regarded as one of the most important prime ministers of the 20th century being credited for breaking ‘post war consensus’ in British politics. Thatcher re-invigorated capitalism, allowed for market forces to ‘let rip’. All of this, as well as increasing inequality between the rich and poor and also in some ways between the whites and the ethnic minorities. This is fully reflected in Babylon.

A way in which social developments associated with Thatcher’s Britain that is reflecting in Babylon is police brutality. An example of this was when blue in the film gets chased b police for no reason and then beaten up. Then later accused of something he did and taken to court. Police brutality was prominent around this time, mainly due to the police’s racism. The black youth had had enough. At the end of the film blue stands his ground. This police brutality then led to the riots of 1981. The rioting erupted in Brixton, in the south London borough of Lambeth. For three days, rioters, mostly young, black men - fought police, attacked buildings and set fire to vehicles.

Another is the inequality and lack of opportunity. An example of this in the film is the lack of employment; the youths find it especially hard being black and looking for work. Which then leaves them residing on the streets selling drugs. In Thatcher’s Britain, she increased inequality, making the rich richer and the poor poorer. There was a great lack of opportunities for the working class.
A lot of the anger felt by the black youth, comes from their alienation by those who are higher. Thatcher’s Britain alienated the youth, which leaves them hopeless and angry at the world.