When Britain’s Ken Loach released Jimmy’s Hall in 2014, there was talk that this celebrated left-wing filmmaker may be on the verge of retirement after fifty years in the industry. Thankfully, it was an unfounded rumour. Since then, Loach won his second Palme d’Or in Cannes with I, Daniel Blake (2016), set around the food bank crisis in the UK, and followed it with Sorry We Missed You (2019), a stark look at zero hours contracts and the pressures so many workers are under.
Premiering in Cannes last week, The Old Oak completes this loose trilogy, once again set in England’s north-east. Scripted by Paul Laverty, Loach’s regular scribe since 1996’s Carla’s Song, the director felt it was a case of unfinished business.
“Our thread through all the things Paul and I have done has been work and how work has changed,” says Loach, who, at 86, hasn’t lost an ounce of his anger. “From security to insecurity, loss of trade union power, and how inevitable that has been through the demands of capitalism – to use the old word. They demand ever more exploitation of labour.”
Set around a crumbling pub in a former mining community, The Old Oak pinpoints the way successive British governments have ignored poorer areas of the country. In the midst of this, Syrian refugees are being shipped in, stirring mixed feelings among the residents.
Some, like the pub’s landlord TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) are sympathetic; others, like the regulars in the pub, mutter racist comments about sending them back to Syria. “Paul had read the first story of the Syrians arriving in the north-east … and then we talked about what ideas we would explore through the collision of the two communities,” says Loach.
Loach is deeply sympathetic for those living in these hugely deprived areas. “It’s a constant in our politics, isn’t it? The economic system produces poverty, produces hardship, produces insecurity, people feel cheated, people feel angry.
“Those who control the media – the politicians, big business – control consciousness, understanding. Through the media, they say the problems are caused by the people below you – the people who are coming in [from overseas]. They’re in your schools. They’re taking your place in the doctor’s queue. In some areas, they’re talking your homes or taking your jobs, and often they will work for less money.”
Certainly these ideas are vented by the film’s less enlightened characters. The turning point comes when TJ meets Yara (Ebla Mari), one of the Syrian refugees whose father has gone missing back home. She’s exactly the spark he needs. “When the Syrians come, TJ has given up, really,” says Loach.
“He says the pub is falling down, there’s nothing in the village, he’s not engaged in those community activities any more.” Gradually, he finds his way back after meeting Yara’s family. One of the film’s most touching scenes comes as TJ and others decide to feed families in the area, both locals and Syrians.
Renovating the back-room of the pub, TJ uses it as a makeshift canteen – the camera glides across black-and-white pictures of miners hanging on the walls. We’re reminded of the word “marra”, a term from the coal mining community meaning “friend” or equal”.
“There is the old miners’ tradition of solidarity,” explains Loach. “When you’re in trouble, we all eat together. It’s very much we support each other and there’s a strength in that. That’s the hope in the film. We have that within us. You’re in trouble, I’ll give you a hand. I’m in trouble, you’ll pull me up. That’s waiting to be expressed.”
It is, of course, exactly what you’d expect from Loach, a director who previously examined the plight of construction workers (1991’s Riff-Raff), cleaners (2000's Bread and Roses) and railwaymen (2001’s The Navigators).
While Loach’s work can be bleak – think of the Scottish coming-of-age drama Sweet Sixteen (2002), for example – The Old Oak is a film that trades in hope. It might just be the most optimistic film he’s made. “Hope became the central issue of the film,” he says. “If you have no hope, racism thrives. If racism thrives, the far right thrives. If the far right thrives, that’s fascism, Nazi-ism, and we know where it ends.”
Loach traces a through-line from the antipathy towards modern-day refugees back to anti-Semitism of the past. “In the Middle Ages we blamed the Jews. Across Europe, the Jews were constantly expelled. It’s finding scapegoats. It’s absolutely to do with money. People will not ask the real question, ‘Why are we poor?’ They will say, ‘Blame the people below you.’
The British director quotes Catholic archbishop Helder Camara who wrote in the '30s: "'When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist.' And that’s it exactly,” he says.
While he previously looked at illegal immigrants in Britain (in 2007’s It’s A Free World), this is the first time he and Laverty have engaged with the refugee crisis head-on.
“The Syrians had been through such horrors, horrors, horrors,” he says. “All the men had been tortured. We sat and listened to them one day and it’s just unbelievable. One woman had the most appalling story – lost her children, lost her husband, lost everything. It was a devastating story. We recorded it in the film, but we realised that if we heard that story, in a way you couldn’t watch the rest of the film, because it was so overwhelming. They were extraordinary people.”
With Loach now on the verge of retirement, does he see younger filmmakers following in his footsteps and fighting the good fight? “I couldn’t name names,” he says, shyly.
“Everyone comes from their own generation. I mean, my ideas were formed in the 1960s when I began work. There was a new left movement, which was anti-Stalinist, anti-Washington. And people now grow up in a different time, with different references.
“But you meet young filmmakers and they’re desperate to do films about what is happening. They’ll find their own way.”
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E660hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C100Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E488km-560km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh850%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOctober%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips for avoiding trouble online
- Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
- Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
- Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
- Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
- Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
CONCRETE COWBOY
Directed by: Ricky Staub
Starring: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome
3.5/5 stars
Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Northern Warriors 92-1 (10 ovs)
Russell 37 no, Billings 35 no
Team Abu Dhabi 93-4 (8.3 ovs)
Wright 48, Moeen 30, Green 2-22
Team Abu Dhabi win by six wickets
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
England Test squad
Ben Stokes (captain), Joe Root, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
