Previous | Next :: Critical Mass Riders block the Road : Marble Arch : Central London : UK | December 29, 2009, 10:31 pm

This morning I was listening to me old mate Justin Webb on the Today Program........ They had the artist David Hockney as the guest editor of the show..... I've always liked him...... and admired his art work........ these days he has been accused of distinguishing himself as the 'grumpy old man against the smoking ban'........ and he is sort of that....... he wasn't very eloquent on other issues....... and to be fair to him he denied he was political or motivated by other political issues but he did use the smoking ban to express a frustration at the atmosphere of regulation, authoritarianism and control that exudes in Britain.......... Im not a smoker....... So personally the smoking ban does not really affect me........ But I see the smokers huddled outside in the winter rain and snow and can't help thinking this seems harsh treatment of them.....

I certainly am affected by the hundreds of new sign posts affecting speed limits and bus lanes......... so much stricter specific control of the speed you are supposed to be doing on a given stretch of road.... gone are the straight forward days of 30mph or 60mph...... now you see 15mph, 20mph, 30mph, 40mph, 50mph, 60mph,....... bus lane enforcement at particular times...... blah blah....... all policed by cameras....... if you do not know a stretch of road..... and unless you constantly watch the signs you might inadvertently break the law and be ticketed without ever driving dangerously...... this stops you from driving in a smooth regular way..... as you approach cameras you need to slow right down just incase ..... as you never know what the speed limit on a particular stretch might now be deemed to be these days as you may have missed a sign ...... you must watch signs not watch the road..... I find it all counter to actually being a good driver....... and its true....... all this feels really intrusive and is very controlling.......

And of course you know my particular problems with the rise of the 'No Photography Laws'....... and the 'No photographs without permission' culture........ Britain's recent Labour Governments have passed thousands of new laws including 'No photography laws' as part of anti terror legislation .......... Although I am not a smoker........ I am a photographer....... And anyway I felt a fair bit of sympathy with the David Hockney position..... even though it wasn't really that eloquently put...... but it was born of a real frustration which I share more than just a tiny bit.... Yeah... I definitely share a frustration with and fear of the increasingly powerful and proactive, authoritarian Nanny State.

Something to illustrate this ?........ er...... well no not really right now ........ but here on my desk top floating about ....... I found this bike protest picture........ I shot it a while back for the Sunday Times Magazine........ 'Critical Mass' ............ a large bunch of cyclists....... they get fed up with always riding inside the rules of the road.......... So they hit 'critical mass' then just block the road for other users and just ride as they please ........ causing enormous frustration to those other road users but hey its fun for the bikers...... :-))........ I guess on this one it depends......... Depends if you are on your bike having fun......... or paying the taxi meter in a massive jam........ as to whether you like the rules of the road to be properly policed and harshly enforced against errant massed cyclists.

Cheers Jez XXXXXX

PS......... Sorry about my lapse blogging over the last couple of days ....... the Jezblog service always goes out the window a bit when I am visiting my folks in the Warwickshire countryside....... in the wintery wifi, internet and cellphone connection desert they call home......... and Im still here like a smoker chewing my finger nails.... looking for somewhere to be allowed to service my addiction ....... in my case just connect to the web:-))

PPS........ Hope you had a great Holiday Break and are chilled as we all head for the New Year......... :-))