John Pilger - Conversations With a Working Man - World in Action (1971)

1971. This is a film about working people and one working man - Jack Walker. Jack represents the silent core of this country - those millions of average Britons who feel they have no voice and have little power to control their way of life.
www.johnpilger.com

[@MaskOfMetal94]

Hi everyone, my name is Andrew and I am the grandson-in-law of Jack Walker. As some people in the comments have pointed out Jack did pass in 1997 from a heart attack, long before I ever could have met him. Audrey remained in their home until her health began to fail 2018/19 when she moved to more sheltered accommodation, before ultimately passing in January 2022. Beverley herself married a man called Tom, an electrician from Gravesend in Kent, who was up in Shipley for work and never went back! She struggled with her own health and ultimately passed in 2012, I also never had a chance to meet her, but she was also a wonderful, working-class, union woman herself by every account. The family that remain all still live in Shipley/Baildon, my brother-in-law lives in Jack and Audrey's house now, we were able to keep it in the family!

[@steveryder1442]

Hi Andrew. Thank you for filling in the blanks to some of the questions I had been wanting answers to. Pity to hear Beverly passing away at such a youngish age..she must have only been in her fifties. Do you know if she had any children of her own?

[@kamranhashmi1575]

Thanks for the info

[@jaybee2402]

Hey mate, thanks for the write up. I hope Jack's descendants and yourself went on to prosper, that was a hard job he had. Those chemical fumes looked a bit nasty, if it were today health and safety would have been all over it. Bit shocked about Beverly dying a whole decade back, she wasn't much older than me 😮

[@stephenholmes1036]

Thank you your grandfather told the truth my dad was a herdsman. Like your grandfather hard working for a pittance. Modern politicians of all colours and alot of young politically motivated university types now mock people like this. Listen and learn.

[@robertbaker6484]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. Even now I’ll have another look at this episode to remind me about what matters in life. Poor Audrey, lost Jack as a relatively young man and her daughter too.

[@OldManRunning-dj7qi]

What a cracking documentary. Real Brits. When people today ask what British culture is, they should be referred to this programme. Many, many families across the UK still live, speak, think, dream and act like this family. Salt of the earth.

[@Kiinell]

Poor Jack dying at 62 meant he never even got a retirement to enjoy. Working in those horribly unhealthy conditions was bound to take its toll. I wonder how many people in the industry died young.

[@bastogne315]

The cigarette industry played its part.

[@tsb3093]

@@bastogne315that’s what I was thinking but to be honest about this, by 1971 we all knew of the harmful effects of smoking.

[@swirljet4245]

I learned great wisdom from the guys i worked with in the 70's. Most served in the war... Glad to be alive. Tbey were patient with me and tought me well. I try to pass this wisdom to my grandkids... God bless everyone like Jack.

[@sandgrownun66]

@@tsb3093 Correct. The first concrete evidence of cigarettes causing disease was published in 1950 by Professor Doll in the UK. Nearly everyone has a relative who was killed early by smoking.

[@tsb3093]

@@sandgrownun66…and by the same token my father and mother were never smokers and lived long lives

[@BelfastManUtdTherapy]

When jack said he was saving his money so that audrey could have a good start to life after school, i had to hold back the tears. What a lovely man. Pure decent, hard working and you can see he loved audrey so much. Great programme. More people should see this.

[@aprilapril2]

Beverly was his daughter , Audrey was his wife. His daughter passed away too

[@jenniferindigochameleon6680]

He also wanted to marry her up into middle class 🤣🤣🤣

[@glpilpi6209]

John Pilger RIP. We need people and TV that gives us the truth .

[@mw3586]

infuriating when you compare it to what passes for journalism today.

[@phrayzar]

This kind of thinking is now decried by an ultra right wing media as radical marxist and unaustralian/unbritish etc. In fact any view that is not hyper capitalist is attacked as extreme left.

[@misst.e.a.187]

John Pilger was a titan of hard hitting current affairs documentaries. He did fantastic research, went into the field, and left nothing unturned. He was also an humanitarian. This was journalism at it's finest

[@clintdavies491]

just read John Pilger has died aged 84. bless his soul, a consummate professional . RIP.

[@nemo7550]

Wish we had more true journalists like John Pilger

[@lovewavesdriftingforever]

@@nemo7550 Have you seen his film about the chagos islands .. it’s called “Stealing A Nation “ ? It’s very sad .. but tells us a lot about evil .

[@Call-me-Ishmael]

As a young man I was very conservative and we hated Pilger and the light he shed on injustice. I feel very different now. A magnificent crusader for truth and justice.

[@fredatlas4396]

​@@nemo7550 Absolutely, John Pilger was a legend. He went to war zones as well Vietnam etc. He was a proper journalist and sought out & told the truth

[@davidjohnhull]

An amazing man

[@patstanton2907]

During my years as Trade Union official I met Jack Walker (in his senior years). He told me of this World in Action interview he did in the 70s, thank you for uploading this, his comments around 14.05 still ring true today. He was a great man and mentor to me and sadly passed away at Berwick Railway St, travelling back from a visit to my home.

[@spike197047]

Hi Pat. Do you know what became of his daughter?

[@patstanton2907]

@@spike197047 sorry mate I don’t, lost contact many years ago

[@robertbaker6484]

Thank you for this. There’s something about Jack that brings me back time and time again. Only one when this was made and yet he represents so much that is good, decent and honest. Seemingly he didn’t get to enjoy much of his retirement?

[@edwardconnolly572]

Rip a true hero xx

[@MaskOfMetal94]

@@spike197047 Hi Stephen, I am his daughter Bev's son-in-law, unfortunately she passed nearly 11 years ago now.

[@Automedon2]

Sitting here with tears in my eyes. I hope the men like Jack know how grateful we are that men like him built the world we now live in. You were a good and decent man, Jack and I hope that life treated you better in later years. God bless you.

[@karlbrowne3361]

Beautiful comment this my friend. I have a frog in my throat watching this. What a true hero Jack was, a true northern grafter. Wouldn’t it be nice to go back a shake a true gentleman’s hand.

[@scouseaussie1638]

Get a grip

[@jenny2tone242]

​@@scouseaussie1638shut up

[@metalman4141]

Are we, how do you make that out then ?

[@sandgrownun66]

Where's your god's blessings here?

[@davedyson4730]

I found this very moving. Jack obviously a very hard worker who like most deserved far more. It reminded me of my late Dad who would cycle 20 miles a day in all weathers to feed us. Rest in peace my old man.

[@sandgrownun66]

Why didn't he use a car, or get a bus?

[@jenniferindigochameleon6680]

He couldn’t help but brag a few minutes in he does nothing but smoke for an hour and a half once machine is set.

[@davedyson4730]

@@jenniferindigochameleon6680 point accepted

[@DuncanEdwards-h8k]

I​t isn't, & wasn't, always that simple, or an available choice. Is it !

[@sandgrownun66]

@@DuncanEdwards-h8k What isn't an available choice?

[@Vortigan07]

He still had the Teddy Boy look that I dare say he sported as a teenager back in the 50's.

[@markrichardson5701]

A true legend from his day. Blood, sweat and tears all for his daughter. Imagine what he would think of today?

[@LondonGoldie7]

Mark. Please drop into my office when next in. Thank you.

[@devally2432]

I was in my second year of my working life when this documentary was made. I am retired now. What a lovely family, sad to hear they have all passed on. R.I.P. It was a different world then, a much nicer place.

[@Kurt293]

It certainly looked it, My grandad used to say the days were long and sometimes only a dripping sandwich to come home to afterward. But there was none of this complaining and entitlement you see today. Good people.

[@paulbaumer8210]

? ......Huh? How was the world "a much nicer place"? To work in some chemical-drenched factory with no windows for 60 hours a week until you die with no money at 62? Man, that SUCKS.

[@devally2432]

@@paulbaumer8210 60 hours a day? What planet do you live on?

[@paulbaumer8210]

A week (corrected).........but it may as well have been a day for the effort put in.

[@EdekLay]

Yeah it's just been out sorced to China, some poor sods still paying the price somewhere. ​@@paulbaumer8210

[@jazzdub4958]

That short haunting theme tune to start and end this iconic and classic British topical affairs program is unforgettable for viewers old enough today to remember it on at 7.30pm in the evening. Britain from a long bygone era.

[@carolebarker2195]

I love the World in Action theme tune, very evocative.

[@AB-kx4nc]

Yep the memories are indeed haunting

[@Steve-zs2cl]

8 o'clock, wasn't it? After Coronation Street on a Monday night.

[@JoolsUK]

Do you notice we don't see this so much anymore? Raw reporting of British life. Its all gloss now, not real.

[@johnashe4792]

This film makes me feel very humble❤

[@Lizzymint]

I remember my dad earning £30 a week to keep 6 of us and a mortgage he had to do extra jobs in the evening and weekends, I also remember him passing out on a job due to sheer exhaustion,trying to earn extra money for Christmas,even then it upset me and I've never forgotten it, he was an extremely hard working man, we didn't have what our friends had but we were brought up with good morals, good natural food, and clean clothes,my mother baked and made clothes ,they are fond memories. The working class are the backbone of this country...fine honest people.

[@Mark-c9h3l]

Those younger people complaining about oldies having it easy with their cheap houses etc. should watch this for a reality check. They have NO idea. Working class people were just glad to have a roof over their head. Most started with nothing, literally, begging old furniture and thankful to have at least a bed, a sofa and something to cook on, normally in rented accommodation. Dining out was a rare once in a blue moon event, holidays one week a year, two if you were lucky. This life was true minimalism because there was no money for extra or excess anything. Now people expect to start out with everything all perfect from day one. The lucky ones get help from their parents, many of whom lived just like Jack and Audrey before being able to build something up to pass on. If you are doing well, thank your recent ancestors, because they are largely responsible for where you are and what you have in life.

[@ObsoleteOddity]

Well said, thank you.

[@ludicer122]

The council houses look so clean! Streets looked well kept and tidy.

[@stevetaylor8698]

They weren't that clean but most of the litter was paper based and soon disappeared unlike the plastics of today.

[@FigaroHey]

I live in a Central European city that was surprisingly clean...until we got the first McDonald's. The McDonald's rubbish on the street started appearing a few blocks away from the "restaurant". It was the only litter. It seems to have created a sort of freedom to throw trash around. Before McDonald's, cigarette butts and nothing much else. But once people started throwing McDonald's trash around, the litter problem got worse and worse.

[@FigaroHey]

It's easy to keep a flat or house clean when you only buy and have as much as you need to use. The modern family "needs" so much crap, kids wade through toys on the floor and can't find anything to do, closets stuffed with more clothes and shoes than anyone actually wears... So we "embrace minimalism" to try to have a clean home and less stress. But how much real money are we shovelling into the landfill when we become minimalists? We want...something...and we buy stuff to fill the desire. These people had community, family, convictions, the ability to converse and the desire to make a decent world. They had values higher than buying stuff,so they didn't drown in stuff. They invested in family, neighbours, society, hobbies... *Real life* instead of buying a "lifestyle."

[@jaijai5250]

@@stevetaylor8698exactly. I remember stray dogs and their excrement all over the streets. There were litter campaigns when I was at primary school in the 1970’s. Memory is a lot sweeter than reality! Too many people love to wear rose tinted glasses!

[@markusmybusiness2141]

Heroes. What a woman and what a man.

[@cosworth6nut]

I wish this show was repeated. World In Action was probably the very best programme on television describing day to day events. These days, we unfortunately cannot trust what we are told, but back then, we knew it was honest.

[@michaelroberts7374]

Too right!!

[@OAKROADSKETCHES]

Agreed.. amazing

[@petemullen842]

Terrible conditions in them days, no health and safety, I subcontracted for Courtaulds worked in some terrible conditions during the 70s breathing in all types of chemicals. I am now in my 70s struggle with Bad health, since I was about 50 amazing, how I made it up to now ,God bless people like Jack, I was one of them. I also was paid just over £20 a week for eight hour day people these days have it a lot easier . if you were unemployed, then you got the bare minimum, not like the big handouts they have these days, everything paid such as your rent et cetera et cetera we got next to nothing we had to go to work whether we liked it. Or not absolutely no choice. excellent video, thank you for putting this out in one way so sad God bless that family .❤🇬🇧

[@clemmteetonball11]

What a giant of a man !

[@suesuesuperswot]

A truly wonderful man and his lovely family. He had a very straightforward way of thinking and speaking, and wanting so little out of life for all of that effort. The precarious nature of life hasn't gone away sadly, for the workers.

[@jatindersahans9620]

This reminds me of my dad he sadly died at 53 Supported me mum and my sister and alao his parents brothers and sisters throughout the 70s when his job was affected by strikes He was an honest bloke, it’s the honest who suffer in this world

[@phillipecook3227]

Christ. Working people didn't live long in those days did they. So many dying in their 50s and 60s. Hellish

[@melsagelord3991]

If tv was this good in 2024 I’d watch it again.

[@Sweetie8387]

Agree with that

[@andriabrown1723]

Brings tears to your eyes to see decent/good people suffer.

[@beaucorr2561]

Yes,it did make one rather tearful to see good and decent people receive so little in life. Although one can blame the captains of industry for the conditions of the likes of Jack Walker the likes of Jack have to shoulder some of the blame. I have little doubt that Jack and his colleagues have,''always voted Labour'',just like their fathers. The Labour party has sold the British working class down the Swanee with the worst Labour government being led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. I suppose the only way Jack and his pals will ever get off the treadmill is to either win the football pools or the lotto. Or failing that death!!

[@mkfloyd9131]

Empathy shows humanity. Even today some people are relying on food banks, brave new world; I think not...............

[@Richard-pe4cx]

@@beaucorr2561 you don't think that the owners of mills etc sold out their employees by moving production abroad your comments after that are shameful

[@mikesaunders4694]

World in Action along with Panorama ….proper long form journalism. This is the kind of environment I grew up in (was 3 in 1971) my dad being a maintenance engineer in a factory making Perspex sheets. It saddens me that this kind of strong working class community and these kinds of people no longer really exist.

[@DaveSCameron]

Rest well Mr Pilger, you are a beacon for us all. 🙏📚☘️👍

[@cornishiron]

Thank you Jack and John. Desperately moving reminder we are midgets on the shoulder of giants.

[@mark3evo]

rip Jack , hard working backbone of Britain

[@Che-x7k]

21/09/2023 and it’s harder now for the working families than ever before crazy times lay ahead 😞

[@davidm-1965tb]

What a lovely man! Not bitter, hard working and such integrity! If only people today had the same work ethic and outlook on life. Jack and his generation had a tough life, and watching this made me realise how my mum and dad worked (survived). Great days and great people. All that said, the working conditions and reward were dreadful and jack and his peers deserve so much respect.

[@tonybalm1513]

He was lucky I worked 12 hour shifts in a dye house running 4 machines. It was bloody hard work and really hot in summer. I learnt a hell of a lot about life and met some great people over the years. I have some fond memories!!!!

[@laetitialogan2017]

Tough work for sure

[@tonybalm1513]

@@laetitialogan2017 Yes but it was very well paid considering what people get paid nowadays. They don't even pay people for working shifts now. None of this industry is left in the UK now it's 20 years since I worked in textiles.

[@yourenicked7969]

12 hour shift? Luxury lad ... It's not Monty Python tha knowst

[@philcarson6731]

You had it easy we would work 25 hours a day in t mill and paid mill owner for privilege

[@tonybalm1513]

@@philcarson6731 yeh right OK

[@unknown-user]

Little this fella knows that was actually an industry market top and things just went downhill from there. Those jobs are long gone.

[@MrMontythemouse]

Watching this had a profound effect on me, i grafted to a point of being quite comfortable but this reminds me so much of my parents struggle.

[@standeasy6571]

Hi Andrew, you must be very proud of them all. I'm in my 70s and can remember those times. 'The good old days' I don't think so. The pride in his garden and the love for his family says a lot about the man and his wife. Thank you for bringing it up to date.😊

[@ashpete21]

That bit where Jack related that they scraped and saved 100 pounds over three years - all in hopes of giving their daughter a better start in life than they ever had - nearly moved me to tears.

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

🙏❤️☝️ me too 😔

[@davidmurphy8364]

This was absolutely heart breaking. Good, honest hard working people struggling just to get by, and theirs is just one story out of millions. I wonder what happened to them.

[@BigDuke6ixx]

They ended up buying their council houses at a discount. Shame they didn't do a follow up.

[@freedomforpeopletruelies6]

Yes but no difference really regarding wages. Its worse living in todays society with the drugs everywhere.

[@BigDuke6ixx]

@@freedomforpeopletruelies6 he got home at 2:30pm. Plenty of time for another part time job.

[@freedomforpeopletruelies6]

@@BigDuke6ixx He was on a decent wage for the times , dont forget his vegetables. Some will of been traded and some sold for a few bob.

[@Bloxdio_God]

Good honest hard working English people. Between Thatcher and immigration their existence has been ruined. NO to immigration.

[@elainecarrington6796]

Thought provoking. RIP Mr Jack Walker.

[@dukedepommefrite]

What a wonderful little film. Jack came across as a lovely man. I really felt for him because he was just scraping by.

[@TheBlueOwl21]

A really interesting documentary that has brought back many good memories. Proud hard working guys like Jack stand for the Great, in Great Britain !

[@keithparker1346]

You do realise that the Great was basically referring to it's relative size of Bretagne and nothing to do with quality

[@TheBlueOwl21]

@@keithparker1346 To me it represents the Best ! 👍

[@keithparker1346]

@@TheBlueOwl21 I suggest you travel a bit then you will probably conclude that Britain is below average

[@paultester8672]

I love the remark about deductions for being 3 mins late. I’ve told students this and they think you’re joking. Salt if the earth yet portrayed as greedy if they look for a rise. Their combined wages are approximately £530 today. The average rent , today, would take almost half of their monthly earnings!

[@philgolden3786]

What a decent man he was. Hardworking articulate in speech Saw happiness in the smallest of things- colour of his flowers aww😊

[@marcusward7099]

Love Jack, it's a shame John Pilger wanted to present this only as a bleak existence, rather than a strong, informed fight against a faceless, oppressive industrial system they have no option to work for. There is some power in this with Pilger doesn't focus on.... I would have loved to see Jack ask John how much he can save over 3 years as comparison

[@Ian-ym1rn]

I love these old documentaries. 👍gets a ten from len.

[@EnidAgnusDei]

I can only hope Jack got his shop.

[@a.p.3004]

This man and his family made me feel emotional. He is/was the source of good people that exist in every country and are not felt by their govts.

[@debbiefarley3913]

What a lovely family Jack was such a strong family man and jsck snd his wife worked so hard to make a lovely warm home for there daughter i would be so proud to have had a dad like jack😊

[@andrewlivesey2777]

R.I.P. Jack, lovely family, much like our history in the Lancashire Mills. would have loved a game of snooker in your local club with you, what a great family.

[@andygretz]

He speaks so well

[@salfordguy69]

he is complaining he could only save £100 in 3 years. Today that £1343. That would be considered a staggeringly good saver for a working man today. We truly have been conned and shafted since 1971.

[@Vroomfondle1066]

Correct analysis.

[@HilaryAnderton-h6c]

I’ve just found this and having given it some thought that nothing has changed 😢

[@FigaroHey]

I think the family, society, morals, and general character have deteriorated terribly.

[@Dad-Gad]

Real journalism , when the media actually told the truth .

[@jimmy_jivefunk]

when he said all of their savings were going to their daughter it brought a tear to my eye. truly relentless labour and toil, all for the love of their daughter. beautiful

[@Wolfspiderxl]

Used to watch this programme as a kid, with it's groovy prog theme tune, seeing this brings back memories.

[@me-cq7wv]

That was a great interview it realy showed how life was in the 70's

[@basher1285]

Wow! What an amazing man. A true grafter and gentleman. Rest in peace.

[@markr4189]

Someone tell Jack that in 50 years we will have phones and flat screen tv’s but also going to food banks😢

[@nogingerfool1]

godspeed all workers , peace , good luck jack n beverly x

[@traffic71]

What a decent hardworking man. I actually felt quite upset watching this. Both of them working very hard, getting barely any pay but remain proud of who they are and what they do.

[@johnoreilly8496]

I was born in Bridlington in 1958 and remember all the family's, just like Mr Walkers arriving for their holidays in Brid. My Grandma used to open her house up as a B & B for them and they were very kind and happy. Reminded me a lot of my own childhood helping my Dad at his allotment and him bringing his wages home. Those days are gone now. Ordinary hardworking family's don't get enough recognition for what they had to endure. Thanks for the upload

[@peterscotney1]

9.08 goodto see the old pay packets , miss having them ,and pound notes !

[@andrewdaley3081]

I remember finding a pound note in the early 8os on a trio to york with my parents i was a happy bunny that day i say that because it was Easter. 🇬🇧👍😁

[@bernadettec6386]

Thank you for the video. Yes this should be shown on main stream TV , show all these people who dont want to work how our forebears worked b .. hard for their money and saved and were decent. Salt of the earth these people.

[@montyf2165]

Mr Walker spoke well and is the pure definition of "salt of the earth". The demise of industry rang the death nell for people like these and we are more the poorer for it.

[@noelht1]

1:42 When your dad always said that he had to walk 10 miles up and down mountains to get to work and back every day and you didn’t believe him. But this guy wasn’t lying.

[@robertbaker6484]

It would be great to see John Pilger revisit this fifty years later. Jack, what happened to him and of course his family. Fantastic TV and something I’ve watched a number of times and made in a year when I was just one year old. Jack I salute you my friend.

[@steve40092]

Baildon nowadays is very very middle class, he will have done alright if he bought his council house

[@SUPERLEEDSYRA]

@@steve40092 not all of Baildon is middle class, the streets around where Jack lived and the flats are definitely not middle class today.

[@dvidclapperton]

Monday at 8.30pm is an ideal time for it to make a big comeback.

[@mistofoles]

I don't want to sound insensitive, but he's probably dead now.

[@Bloxdio_God]

Where did Jack live in Baildon?

[@robbflynn4325]

If they lived today they would long for days gone by. Things were simpler, folk didn't have as much but trust me they were happier. Material things do not bring happiness. A strong family unit and a good sense of community is so important. Ps. Not much health and safety though

[@philbraithwaite1316]

People like Jack are the salt of the earth. This was before Murdoch and his sort set working people at each other’s throats. Rest easy Jack, you did your bit and more besides.

[@colinwilcox4266]

damn, remember this at the time..... still very powerful

[@nicksealey7004]

What a wonderful watch, what a man, people were so much better them day's,,,

[@SimonPhillps]

I'll say this, to have a full-time job, decent meals each night, a nice garden plot, not have to worry about not being able to afford gas and leckie, have a nice summer holiday, a nice semi-detached, say what ya want it's not a bad life. Yes the job he was doing was a bit rough, but some jobs now are awful and it was only 8 hours a day which is easy enough. Better than nowadays that's for sure.

[@sandymcgregor8858]

Bloody hard work in noisy conditions with no ear plugs!

[@S.Holloway]

Good hard working people like this made England, may they rest in peace.

[@pifflepockle]

Digging the old World In Action theme. Suitably bleak for our times

[@TheCrescentBar0961]

it's never going to change, society is formed to keep good men down

[@UncleBoratagain]

Held down yet, providing for his the family and sharing the workload with his wife. self respect and just a few years in the future and thanks to Margaret Thatcher, able to buy their council house, if renting. Really bizarre film, a similar bloke and his bloated idiotic spouse in June 2016 could elect to spit on their European brothers and sisters, inspite of their Fathers fighting the penultimate invasion of the free world. What would Pilchard make of that!

[@mickeydodds1]

I would *NEVER* describe those dirty scab bassteds from the EU as my 'brothers'.

[@andyclark1426]

It’s even worse nowadays

[@tedoneilclark4710]

Absolutely the salt of the earth, God bless them all 😊❤😊

[@ontheroids]

Young people need to see this. They don't realise where they are headed unless they unionise and start to fight to keep what their grandparents fought for. Jack was a real man who loved his family.

[@sandinelson7915]

What a great guy. Good role model

[@daddydidge1]

Looks like he died nearly 20 years ago.. he lived in the same house until his death, he built a conservatory on the side of his house so I guess he finally bought it. I wonder how Beverly did in life?

[@1967bigjohnny]

so sad

[@mancunianace8428]

That's heartbreaking if true, probably only had a few years to enjoy his retirement. Rip Jack. I've worked with a few guys like Jack, grafted all their lives, then after retirement passed the on.

[@nikkijackson2981]

How do you know please?.

[@Bloxdio_God]

The house is in Somerset Ave Baildon. No 11. Audrey died in 2018 and they eventually bought it under right to buy. I don’t know about Beverley. I guess she married and would have inherited the home.

[@robertbaker6484]

@@Bloxdio_God Thank you, I often come back to watch this program again to see such decent people and their struggles.

[@RichardG0linsky]

Nothing wrong with a job made us all people together i grew up and even now all any body says how you working when you working how is work i did it it makes you proud

[@crumplezone1]

When I started work in engineering in the late 70s I knew lots of older guys like Jack who I always held in high esteem they had morals and were decent family people, infact they shaped me to be the person I am today and will always be eternally grateful for their guidance and always having time for me, RIP Jack

[@petewarby7158]

Fantastic ... I'm only a few minutes in and this is already great. And it's so BEIGE!!!!!!

[@Paulstluke]

I used to love watching world in action top show.

[@SUPERLEEDSYRA]

Ive just drove down Valley View and past Jacks house. Its got a conservatory buillt in the side of it now. Couldn't help thinking of Jack and Audrey as i went past.

[@johneeeemarry34]

He saved enough to buy his council house at a healthy discount from Thatcher.. That’s why Guardian man and self confessed globalist John Pilger didn’t do a follow up..

[@gpo746]

Wages after tax £20 - Rent..£3.27 in 1971 ....Wages after tax £220 - Rent £90 in 2017 ..We are getting shafted royaly ....

[@rocksoliddude1]

rent now is ridiculous

[@michaelstevens9394]

What a good man. Straightforward no nonsense union man.

[@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim]

the Tories bang on about working hard to improve your life, yet however hard these people work, those they work for get richer and their lives don't change.

[@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim]

Keep folk poor with only *just* enough to live on and nothing in reserve, so that they are always afraid of losing their shitty jobs, and you can control them easily.

[@andrewh2u]

..... "now the redundancies are being posted like battlefield dead" - there are lines from the days of true jounalism which are timeless

[@fredatlas4396]

Looks like nothing much has changed for an awful lot of people here in the UK, just now there's no jobs for life anymore, no real job security for most people. And in many towns etc now people don't come together anymore, it's very easy to become isolated. A lot of people now have the attitude bugger you I'm alright Jack. There are people now literally dying alone in their accommodation. The tories really do want to take us back to the victorian era or maybe the dark ages

[@Retro-cabin]

I’m 43 I worked in a joiners shop for 15 years clocking in and out a very Victorian way of life, but I enjoyed it and got some great skills with wood work and the crack we used to have. And for the last eleven years I have been in preservation, hacking plaster off, carpentry and joinery, damping, waterproofing, bodies taken a beating. I’ve always been a grafter learnt that off my dad, there’s lots of people still out there to this day doing hard graft like me, it is what keeps the country going. And we can’t lose the skills otherwise we are going backwards.

[@62Wilson]

Well done jack,Audrey,Bev we won’t forget you RIP

[@benpeter1239]

Jack and Audrey have a good chat when they both get in from work. How's your day been Jack! Fair

[@Juliukas101]

He's probably exhausted and doesn't want to tell her how soul-destroying it was. Audrey's day probably wasn't much better in the pram factory either.

[@mrjohn.whereyoufrom]

ben peter These days people don’t even look up away from their phones when talked to.

[@bernardlane4517]

@@mrjohn.whereyoufrom Yes but to be fair if mobile phones existed in those days the people back then wouldn't have looked up from them when spoken to either.

[@mamabones99]

This is wonderful. Thanks for putting it up.

[@Yourismouter]

so sad the human condition of working class and poor people in the uk :(

[@jules031056]

A common word pervades this film and the comments: decency. A word that’s not easy to define but we - as did Orwell - know it when we see it; sadly, less often encountered these days, it seems.

[@adeleellie6]

RIP John Pilger. An important voice in the wilderness.

[@spidyman8853]

5:43 he will do his back in. I'm guessing by the time he retired he was suffering from a bad back pulling this thingy back and forth all day. Respect to him. Hard graft

[@fargodavilleitnotd6729]

You know what an all, Jack just got on wi it, thats how I was raised, big up Jack and big up the working men and women of the world X

[@terryyakamoto3488]

In my opinion, the big change came in the eighties when Thatcher's philosophies of "greed is good" and "there's no such thing as society" divided the working people against each other. People became increasingly materialistic and saw neighbours not as friends but as competition for status

[@pipfox7834]

Yes, MT provided the play book for Ronnie Ray gun and Milton Friedman - and look where we are now. Disintegration of all that's worthwhile

[@molliepepper6881]

I really hope this lovely man was well paid for his contribution to this documentary.

[@roachbasher]

I was brought up in household like this back in 71 .My dad was a miner I use to listen has my parents discuss the union meetings and labour club committee meetings my socialist education.

[@johneeeemarry34]

Socialism doesn’t work, so it wasn’t an education..

[@thomasrutter824]

Jack Walker's attitude towards life is an inspiration. It saddens me to see that the social economic divide is so strong in this short documentary.