Powder Keg in Palestine

In light of the increased tension and violence in Jerusalem over the course of the past month (including 30 Palestinians deaths and 7 Israelis), a Protest for Palestine was held on the 17^th of October on Kensington High Street opposite Kensington Palace Gardens where the Israeli Embassy is located.  The demonstration was organised by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Palestinian Forum in Britain and Friends of Al-Aqsa Mosque.  I shot two not dissimilar protests last year (one directed at the BBC and one at 10 Downing Street).  In their demonstration notice, Stop the War Coalition stated:

We have come together to oppose this escalating attack on Palestinians.  We welcome all who stand with us in our opposition to all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.  Supporters of Palestinian rights encompass all faiths and none.  Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Atheist, religions and non-religious people all stand together on this protest….We stand with Palestinians in their struggle for a future free of racism, colonialism and apartheid.  There is no place for racism in a progressive movement fighting for justice and human rights.

I was fortunate at be able to get right into the centre of crowd where several individuals were leading the chanting prior to speeches.  What I find fascinating about these protests are the large range of people participating – from young to old and of all races.  From a photographic point of view, what I found particularly ironic is the juxtaposition of this extremely serious subject with the seemingly carefree posh shopping area of Kensington.

B2B in TW2

Last month the Best of Richmond, a marketing, advertising, networking and reviewing firm, hosted a business exposition at Twickenham Stadium, as it has done for years.  The event featured a presentation by business guru and owner of Watertight Marketing, Bryony Thomas, as well as 80+ stalls in which local businesses displayed, demonstrated and explained their goods and services.  I had the great privilege of being asked to photograph the event and I had a fantastic time.  The atmosphere was one of high energy and a positive outlook about the future.  I really do feel fortunate to be a small business owner myself in this patch of London – filled with other serious, hard-working professionals who love what they do.

During the morning, I also got to meet and photograph Twickenham's new MP, Dr. Tania Matthias and made a collage for her to display in her office (whether at Westminster or locally). Despite the fact that I'm not a Tory, Tania is impressive - and has great fashion sense. 

Golden Barbarians at the Gate

I recently had the opportunity to accompany a group of photographers to the Thames Barrier located just downstream from the O2 in London.  The outing was organised by, in my opinion, two of London’s finest photographers, Umbreen Hafez and Arpad Lukac.  The view of the Thames Barrier with Canary Wharf in the background is probably one of my very favourite cityscapes in London.  I’m not exactly sure why, but perhaps it’s to do with my fascination for the intersection of nature, the built environment and beauty.  This gigantic series of gates is the second largest in the world (after one located in Holland) and its importance to the safety and welfare of London is immeasurable.  I learned a lot in this project by just looking online and also discovered that 2014 was, unsurprisingly, a spike year for tidal and fluvial flooding and therefore the closing of the gates.  In comparison, in the 1980s there were four closures, in the 1990s there were 35 and in the first decade of this century there were 75.  According to the Environment Agency, the rate of closures is above that predicted and is increasing rapidly.

 

Now getting back to the aesthetics of this structure, I’m so struck by how the piers that control the opening and closing of the gates appear at night.  They’re like beautiful golden beacons or turrets guarding the city and its inhabitants behind them  I’ve personally never seen anything like the Thames Barrier anywhere I’ve been to in the world.  And the fact that it’s beautiful but also technologically complex and a vital component of London’s infrastructure make it all that more fantastic to me.

Pushing Through Ideological Change by Stealth

Since the Health and Social Care Act was passed in 2012, it has significantly grown the role of private companies in delivering health care services in the UK.  Today Clinical Commissioning Groups are responsible for purchasing NHS services for patients in England.  As such, they may commission services from any qualified provider via commercial contracts subject to competition law.  But because certain private services operate under the NHS logo, it’s difficult for a patient to know whether their treatment is provided by the actual NHS or a private company.

Why does it matter? Cost and coverage.  Estimates of regulating and administering the market range from £4.5bn - £10bn per year.  Administration costs have risen from 5% of the NHS budget in 1979 to over 14% in 2010. Furthermore, the Act removes the obligation to provide comprehensive and universal health care. 

My daughter and I participated in the enormous demonstration back in September 2014 and more recently I assisted 38 Degrees’ efforts locally on George Street in Richmond.  For every person that walked past, there was another – often with children – who signed the petition on the spot.  I applaud the wonderful 38 Degrees activists who have gone out every weekend since the end of February.  They’re highly inspiring.