I was on the run from the law in 1990. I spent two years travelling our beautiful country. It was such a fantastic experience and had a profound effect on my life. I wouldn't trade those couple of years for anything! There aren't many travellers left nowadays but God bless those that choose to live outside the mainstream rat race!
I am 71..and what I ask myself about the Falklands war..Thatcher's war , is was it necessary? Seems odd to.me that at the time..Thatcher, was not doing well in the polls..then when she went to war with Argentina..her popularity soured and she won the election. I could not understand why a few British people living on an island thousands of miles away..was worth our young men dying for ? What I mean is..the Brits, could have gone home to England..therefore avoiding war. Was it really worth it ? Later I heard that there was a lot of oil off of the coast of the Falkland island..now that made sense..though I an not sure it that part is fact. I do believe though..the war was to save Thatcher..not the islanders. It was political. We have seen this as well under Blair..another war begun on a lie...as so many are. They depended on lies and propaganda to stir up proud Brits, into supporting the wars. Slowly, as with Blair..Brits are waking up..and not too soon. Same with Brexit..who knows the truth..I mean, both sides lied to get what they wanted. No one knew what would happen..and what a mess they made of it all..still are all these years later. Was Brexit, a good idea..I am not so sure. We will have to see what the future brings.
Loads of New Age Travellers were ex-army. The pattern seemed to be, join the army, get institutionalised, leave the army, fail to adapt to civilian life, end up homeless, realise travelling offered a better existence and go on the road.
I was there lived it I'm still traveling, never stopped. Worked all over the world now 60 plus nothing I like better then honest work loving and living life as best as one can.
***** Why thank you sir, I was a young man in those days a rebel against unjustified enforced authority as in the battle of the green fields. With a free mind I could see the faults on both sides and how they listened to each other intently with deaf ears, and the circles grew. When I was doing security for the green gathering this was ten years after. by law then all festivals had to work with the police and I was working with the self same police force who had closed Stonehenge and was at the battle of the green fields. I was working with Brigg and his wife Ann whom had organized this festival in Warwickshire at a organic farm I found my self working with the chief of police a Mr Rodgers if my memory serves me well. A good man honest brave and open, we worked well together and because of him and his force this festival became a success with very little problems to cut this story down somewhat. under my protection we went to see a faction of travelers that was anti police, because I believed if they would listen to Mr Rodgers life and the festival would be a happier one for all. Like I said he was a brave man. I stayed for while after a shaky start. I left when I saw they the police ( Mr. Rodgers ) and these so called Anti police ect rebels before I left the meeting I asked them individually if everything was ok both said they wanted to carry on talking and in this air of mutual understanding I left. As I have pointed out this festival was a success for all participants or should I say 99% of the public you still do have idiots who want to spoil. but they got short shifted and expelled. I tell you this true story to say not all of them were bad just misguided. I have traveled the world doing all types of work from toilet cleaner, labourer, fruit picker ( really hard work I was 45/ 55 then) A Teacher to mentor still am Teaching and learning. I really have met gurus ( real ones of the people ) learnt 5 languages not fluent but intermediary been a part of so many cultures living, learning a discovery in its self been with out money but not with out hope or determination to carry on. My health is bad now but i'll fight on mostly because if I don't I will die and I still have so much to see and learn next stop China. who can I help what knowledge can I learn or Teach them I love Science an avid Cosmologist learnt Psychology and love philosophic open discussions. ( had a lot of those in India )The best part about China is the ancient philosophy and insights + the true culture of the opening Chinese people. so much to live for once again thank you for your kind words.
***** Well Brother I have a million of those stories, Freakin out at Stonehenge the boys thought it would be funny to lace my chillum which was made with my opiated black with 5 micro dots a bit of coke of course they offed me to fire the chillum great honour....... dam man hit me like a ton of baseball bats after a few scary hours I ended up in this open shower butt naked infront of all the world with shitload of beautiful women surrounding me washing me down only one guy could control me my soul brother speedy dave dead now makin the lord run an laugh his arse of for sure the next day summer equinox I woke on the alter stone at Stonehenge were this huge Celtic warrior and Shield maiden ( I no Joke ) as the sun streamed past there figures ( which were awesome god she was powerfully fit ) he turned it's time kill it,,, he is Blue warrior....WHAT my mind screamed I swear I jumped a foot and they had just disappeared I searched for them for days, seen them on top of the burial mounds even my buds saw them but always at a distance strange days indeed a year later the head of the druids and by "accident" we met strange days and another true story. and that is just the beginning.
me 2 Petersfield if mem still workin , had a few traveller friends had some mighty fine acid & coke .last time i had real coke . shame but true drug were good then.
This made so many travellers quit England, to buy cheaper property, live in open air, beautiful scenery, relatively free from out right police agressivity. Many regions in France, Spain, Portugal and so on have regions that are now a haven for older travellers, although often rather closed to new comers, each having their own land and vehicule, yourte, tepi or whatever, even cabins, or small farms. It's cheap and you don't normally get thrown out, even though the locals are not always very welcoming, but in the right places there are lways others from the UK travellers not too far away. Many help each other out, to learn the ropes, language, no-nos to be taken into consideration, as it is a different way of life, with different rules, and it's only correct to change a little to adapt to a new country. But it is relative freedom, in comparison to the never ending laws in the UK, and really a relative freedom if you're not the right shape to fit in the proverbial square hole in the English society! Eventually you get tired of running and need a quiet life to raise kids, breath, just LIVE...
I'm reading this several years after you've written it and it's only getting more authoritarian...new anti-protest laws coming in soon, being ushered through parliament by those supposed to represent the public. These scum only represent business and their own interests. People need to rise up against the government again.
WOW...This was so long ago now,, it brings back so many bittersweet memories, Kaylaigh at Coombe Farm for instance.. its strange seeing younger selves on TV.. Leah looking and sounding so very professional..I think these days created so many strong , intelligent and insperational people...
I remember the New Age travellers moving into my home town in the early 90's...was great having them. Some lovely people in that camp, and I used to buy my hash there when I was a kid! 😂. They stayed for a few years but were eventually moved on by a combination of police harassment and council pressure. Such a shame. It shouldn't be impossible to have a mobile, non-settled lifestyle, yet that seems to be the case. If I was allowed to drive, I'd happily have a bus to have this type of life.
Thats weird because we done that too.. I live in a rural area and when the travellers set up camp we eventually built up courage to knock on a caravan door.. we were a bit nervous but this young bloke opened the door and its as if he knew what we were after.. We asked for an eighth, it was 15 quid but there was at least a quarter..I must say it was some of the best Lebanese Gold that we ever smoked.. We were wrecked ! Great bloke and very kind people, its a shame they arent allowed to have a life the way that they wanted.
Those were great times. I remember in London, everybody was unemployed and there was a great squat scene, free gigs and parties, loads of drugs. I did so much acid and E's I'm amazed I survived it.I knew plenty of people who didn't. Used to hitch down to Glastonebury with no money and had the best time...
It was called the criminal justice bill, just caus it seemed like a good idea at the time by the Tory Gov, but it wouldn't have matterd what government was in at time, no masters, no gods and a big fat FTS
@Claire Ellis they were only in it to rebel against mummy and daddy,,so long as they could still collect there monthly allowance,,,the blurs,common people comes to mind.
In the words of Chief Seattle: Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. One thing we know: our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator. Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted with talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is to say goodbye to the swift pony and then hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival. When the last red man has vanished with this wilderness, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left? We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it, as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children, and love it, as God loves us. As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you. One thing we know - there is only one God. No man, be he Red man or White man, can be apart. We ARE all brothers after all."
I used to live in Seattle. Anyway he is axiomatically clearly right that's why we are all in the grips of the 6th mass extinction. 200 species per day a 50% decline in insect biomass a 50% decline in phytoplankton biomass since the 60s. Melting permafrost ready to release the 50 gig methane burp. Loss of the multiyear arctic ice and it's reflective albedo. Soon the world wide agricultural collapse. "We are under the gross misconception that we are a good species going somewhere important and that at the last minute we will correct our errors and God will smile on us. It is delusion." Farley Mowat
Good documentary. I went to Castlemorton and other gatherings. I had some fun met some really nice people. I also met some nasty people. Society mirrored. I can remember someone sharing their last teabag and joint with us. Community spirit was nice. As per usual some nasty ones ruin it. Solstice at Stonehenge is now like Friday night in any large town crap food, litter , excess of all things bad. Not much Spirituality. Great upload.
Lets have a one off Stonehenge reunion, i was there in the eighties im now 61. Im sure we could get something properly organised with the necessary authorities, proper toilets and rubbish collection ect. Who's up for it?
Total 'Call of duty' black ops. Protected suit of armor ,heavy arsenal I cannot believe many actually do whatever they want leave a trainwreck mess. Lol Trainwreck. Ha!
someone i know was there... they tried to get away in their van... but policed smashed windows and abused them. they had children in that van :( they shot his dog aswell. honsetly awful. This is what society does to peaceful people :(
Mid 80s inevitable clash to the Stonehenge road (since 19:20) ... Thatcher was really a sick soul... Police first started the violence...gratuitously... Thanx for the documentary... BBC always at the top of the world for that All my Sympathies to the counter culture... greetings from (the french speaking part of) Switzerland :-)
Never confuse new age travellers with hippys,a lot of the crustys i knew were from the anarcho punk scene,a lot of them had been living in squats n when that became tricky they just hit the road in whatever vehicle they could lay there hands on.
Whether you sympathise with this lifestyle or not I think it seems fair to say that wider values of community, co-operation and trust in British society have diminished greatly and are possibly dying out altogether since Thatcherism and the essentially Thatcherite governments that have followed. Maybe it's not a problem if you have a sustainable living to turn to but with increasing lack of job security where do you turn if it goes wrong? Homelessness and demonisation it would seem. Sour Times
Why is it so many of us Brits hate any sort of culture which isn't the accepted norm? We allow some culture to exist alongside ours but you must assimilate and not be to visible. A great shame a rich culture was lost.
The land was stolen from the English during the Enclosures and from the Scottish during the Clearances by the rich. This is never taught in schools. In my county (Berkshire) much of the common land was stolen with money brought back from robbing it from the Empire, particulary India through the East India Company. In that respect the English were as much victims of the Empire as any other race. The travellers many of whom were squatting and having a hard time in the cities just wanted to get back to the land what was their birthright but the goverment who are only interested in the rights of the rich and landowners saw to that. Much of the land owned in this country is still owned by the descendants of those who either got it from the Norman conquest or through the enclosures - it was stolen. Many of the reactionary sheep who comment on the NAT will pay their taxes and high mortgages for their tiny plot of land and look down on anybody that questions economic inequality.
It seems to me that travellers who want a relaxed life of freedom get exactly the opposite. They are moved on where ever and whenever they try to stop, in general they have to ask the government for money to pay for their living expenses and on a day to day basis, live a life that is neither relaxed nor one of freedom. It is full of tension and dependence. I'm not making a value judgement, just an observation.
DarkAngelEU Sure, but if you are referring to digital nomads, ie, those who make a living on the internet and therefore can live anywhere, I doubt many of those are living on the road with no property of their own. They are renting or own property. If you mean people who have a skill to be paid for, then it would be possible to live as a nomad, parking up on a construction site while working there, for example. But it would be a noisy, dusty environment and not safe for children.
If you've ever lived predominantly outside without amenities, relying solely on that which you can procure for yourself, you'll know full well that there's bare hard labour to be done daily. Wood is heavy, water is heavy, batteries are heavy, trucks and buses are very bastard heavy. To live that life without tools, skills and friends is almost impossible. Freedom is a thing that comes at a price and that price is too expensive for lazy, towny office melts who eat money and cry about getting the wrong flavour of icecream lol
No matter how crazy you are, you can always find a group of like minded individuals who will help you find your way. There is always hope in this lifetime, no matter how bad it seems. I'm living proof.
What pisses me off is the New Age Travellers were beaten into nonexistence but nowadays Irish Travellers are protected under Law and the Police just let them destroy seaside towns like Cromer or trash Brewery manufacturing plants like Thwaites.
Is that what pisses you off? You not bothered about people from other cultures taking over whole towns and getting housed and free money? Least the travellers don’t ask for anything
Can you not read and understand what I said? I'm complaining about the treatment New Age Travellers were subjected to by the Police in the 80's and how times have changed to the point where certain traveller groups now have protected characteristics. I can be pissed off at whatever I want, thanks.
@@alm5966 when I was living with the Irish travelling people the police were always out to get us but after I was in hospital they in power told me that I must live in a house and I’d be in all sorts of bother if I went travelling again as my card was marked
Dude you dont like people generalizing new age travellers but ur doing the same to Irish Travellers. Im a traveller and trust me things were so harsh back then
Love this! Lots of old friends on here! Re-posted to my facebook so traveller folk I know can see it, but alas! 'Not available on mobile' - is there any chance you can make it viewable on mobile so some of the folk in the documentary can see themselves 'back in the day' pls? (Travellers are online - mostly on mobile to save space!) :) Cheers! (Great upload!) xxx
I watched this video today and was inspired to write a song about it. Hope to upload it sometime...'War on Peace.' Like rivers of life on the open road, bound for Stonehenge we would go. With peace and love for all mankind, but Maggie had a plan in mind. She gave us war when we wanted peace, as we felt the boots of the war police. Scared and helpless in the fields, from the hammer of batons on the riot shields. Chorus Oh Maggie what you doin to us? You hate me coz ma home is a bus. Persecution day and night. We may look wrong.... but we still got rights. Smashing the windows of the convoy, Maggie's goons were on the border. The finger of blame said you're next now we're finished with the miners. The coppers pushed ma face in the mud, cracked ma head, spilled ma blood. We can't stay here but we can't go there, as Maggie quotes St Francis prayers. Chorus Not in my back yard the farmer screamed, a shotgun for your hippy dreams. Genocide by installment plan, Still Maggie quotes the holy man. Instrumental. Now Maggie's down where she belongs, so shake your hair and sing your songs. Drop out, tune in, turn me on. Yeah, clap your hands, the witch is gone. Chorus.
I grew up on the road with mum Helen and mac who's still about. We ended up in squat life... Police brutality was traumatic. 1978-1984 can never find any footage of may hill riots hep A BBC ripoff our dog got shot. I was the brat who hassles for 10p
not only a holiday, but the chance to meet up with many friends from all over the country / world.. i have been to many festivals, yet henge was always the best, i reckon it held the real spirit of the proper festival spirit, as im sure there were other festivals, actually the forest of deans first little festival was cool, even the second that had no music, because of no music license, yet the vibe was great..need a time machine , i would be very happy to go back to the henge and just stay.
Are you against the rich? Never mind the bollocks, but your anarchic statement is a load of bollocks. The survival of the rich may be seen as independant of the poor. Very often it is elsewhere where ever the poor are not or where the last sheeples of the Christians are not as it's the Christians who preach take no spare clothes, shoes or any money. Your view point seems purist anachistic as if designed to be purly antagonistic against rich people. I think you see things in terms of an average calculation where the rich are only rich relative to the existence of the poor. Therefore to you your statement may seem true. But it is not true in the bigger picture as clearly you do not see it from the rich person's point of view. Millions of supposedly poor people choose to be poor either for their spiritual beliefs or because they choose to live on the wrong side of the tracks. Therefore there is always in modern western Towns, Cities and Village societies generally a larger amount of poor people. Whilst that is true there are also those who did not choose to be poor but would rather work or have enough or ample to live on with out being poor. Those in your way of thinking would likely have to be seen as dependant upon the rich for their change of circumstances. The key here is the wrong use of the word dependant. As clearly if the poor who choose not to be poor were to find their way out of poverty in to the wealthy rich society they would have to be independant of the poor. Or to have to have found their independance. So the survival of the rich is not dependant on there being the poor or an abundant supply of poor people. Your saying is like trying to say 'The inteligent are only intellegent because there are stupid non intelligents. Or fat people are only fat because there are thin people. But the truth is the two groups are independant of each other and not dependant. They are only dependant in graphs, data statistics or socilogical societal studies where society as a whole is studied. In such studies the user studies the society as a whole and therefore to have an average there has to be a maximum and minimum and all the data is combined and relative to the other data. But whilst that is supposedly a view of reality it is not the reality that the two groups are independant. IE. If you thought of a fifty pound note being able to speak upon your issue would what I wrote make more sense if I told you the Fifty Pound note said: 'You think I am dependant upon copper coins'? You know also a wad of fifties can survive a lot longer than a bag of copper. Infact the coppers are dying right now as their content is being replaced by magnetic iron.
@@Noises You do not, nor did not have to read or comment upon a reply to an other person's comment. Clearly you expressed no opinion so there was no reply to you about a subject you had chossen to publish. So my comment was clearly specifically in reference to the subject of the original post. Call your self a Tory Twat if that suits you. But it's not any way close to being any political party I am affiliated to.
“If they want a drink they’re perfectly entitled to have a drink, and if they ain’t got the money to have a drink, I’ll give ‘em the money myself!” - what a great old guy - history has judged him better than the silly woman trying to shout him down. Bless him and his relatives and ancestors. Just better times back then, better people and better life. We’ve lost so much humanity that isn’t even talked about . Kids now don’t even know what they’ve lost.
You are so right, my daugter hates this generation too. As a raver, I never liked the drugs side but I felt more sence of community at an illegal rave than anywhere else, illegal parties were our riots! Kids worked together more and cared about money less! I hate booze culture it's ruining everyone, it turns people into idiots. These reality shows are disgusting, people making money out of being total idiots, partly why I don't own a t.v. I'm proud to be teetotal too.
ppl will realise when the big corporations have fucked the planet up completely in their obsession with money n proft that we cannot eat money, the hopi Indians knew this and have sent their message to us all about the dangers of this evil thing called money, it really is the root of all evil....
the beauty of this is that like 1950 you too can walk out, simply out walk out dont be afraid open yourself on the road to others youll see theres people who think like you want to live like you life has so many colors poetry tales music we are forced into this life working 9 5 to make someone else rich to consume and then die of cancer ppl are living like cattle
It could have been the start of something wonderful.What do we have now? Simon Cowell killing the music scene and bubble world with people who think they are better than everyone else,slagging you off on you tube cos they live boring lives have nothing to say and have got nothing better to do....I'm sure I know a few of the faces on this documentary from the Millenium Drome in Weston st, London which was also later known as SE1
Agreed Stewart brother but I imagine it would be a lot harder these days...benefit sanctions, cctv everywhere, media perception management...yeah much harder I'd say mate!
Now we have vanlifers because a generation cannot afford to rent or buy a house, in many ways we have come full circle the option of living in a self-built van will be even more appealing after the pandemic is over and the economic consequences of that and Brexit hit home.
Many of them are masons and earn out of the fines. The fines issued these days are from private companies. They are fine collecting corporations found on companies house.
So sad that they started nicking from each other. Not exactly the community spirit that many embrace that lifestlye for. I also struggle to understand the fact that they want to be 'anti-establishment' and 'free' yet so many are addicted to alcohol, smoking and drugs. To be free of debt and be free of addictions is to be truly free, and wherever you live is your lifestyle choice. I would loved to have taken my children to the 70's scene, but I'd be a lot more cautious now. Live free and happy days.
I own my own house and do not have a mortgage ....I do not drive...I live in the country....and I am saving up for some land where everyone can live in peace. The best thing is, the police and the authorities won't be able to do a thing about it.
I find the last girl's comments interesting. She bemoaned in surprise that England won't tolerate alternative living. But England has always been that way. They used to have an empire that was based on trying to control people who were different and make everyone like them. They no longer have the empire but they still do it at home, whereas the U.S. has taken up doing it in the world.
Good on you I admire anyone for living there own way I went to a couple of free festivals & met a few new age travellers l almost nearly went on the road myself I wish I had now I followed the rave scene for a while too. I can't believe it's 30 years on now sometimes I wish I could go back in time.....
@@stevencockroft6455 look up alternative livers on Facebook, we still exist, live off grid and exchange ideas info and advice. Society might ve bust our culture but gave us technology so we've adapted our movement but it's more underground. good luck!
Best welcome i ever recieved as a stranger was at a very hippy , new age rave ! Highly intelligent, lovers of the beauty of our outdoors, music, humanity and oh how i wish i could go back 2 those days , philosophers, safe halucagenics and amazing musicians, artists and a very spiritual experience for 1 night only i had , and it was free of charge , fk alll 2 do with rougues, drug deallers ,or con merchants !!!!
Who says we have to pay in order to live. If someone wants to live in a car or whatever let them. They dont have to work if they dont want to as long as they are not robbing or killing.
I remember teenage diaries documentary “between two worlds” a bit of footage from this documentary , was Rachael on here cos I couldn’t begin to imagine what she’d be like growing up she seemed like she’d change her style a lot
It’s all very well branching out, doing your own thing in my opinion, but questions like who pays for their health care, disposal of waste, disposal of human waste and provision of food etc, and what have they paid into the system that might provide that? Imagine if we all adopted that lifestyle, where’s the money coming from? The rest of us pay in all our lives for these things so we can rightly take out, but what about these people?
The hard part is keeping up with trends. I repair used bikes... In the SF Bay area, people aren't buying them anymore... And you don't see many riders either
round the m25 in the wrong direction? I dont think so. Maybe reversing up the exit of a service station, but no suicidal head on convoys as far as i remember
For foreign viewers a little explanation about the British police. Although there is a tiered hierarchical structure to county and city police forces, each police constable is essentially a one man police force. A bit like a sheriff or a deputy in the States. But unlike a US sheriff, they are not empowered with policing powers by the local community, but directly by the monarchy. Each police constable swears allegiance to the crown and acts on behalf of the current monarch, not the government. The separation of police powers from Parliament is meant to keep them incorruptible to politicians.
God was born a man in the Son, Christ Jesus; in Him the glory of God was seen in human flesh. By the power of His eternal spirit Jesus Christ atoned for our sins on the cross of Golgatha and rose from the dead! Receive Jesus Christ in faith as your Savior and Lord and follow Him - whoever you are.
My experience of New age travellers was at Gladstonebury PEACE festival in the Eighties! On the way in the traveller kids were begging for money as we drove in. When we refused they kicked the car. They also did it to everyone else that refused! If that is the "New Age" way then you can fucking keep it!
