Many pages of today's newspapers look like they were written a while ago and took as their template the newspapers of last year, the year before, the year before that, etc. So we have the all too predictable reviews of the sporting year, highlights of the political year, coverage of the year in entertainment, gadget of the year, camera of the year and so on, accompanied by the inevitable quiz of the year. It must be drudgery of the first order to write these pages, and it's not much better having to read them. In fact, I don't, and I haven't for many years.
Unfortunately, in Britain this recycled news is in the newspapers at the same time that the New Year Honours List is published - the gongs and titles given to the great, the good, the not so good, the toadies, backslappers and political party paymasters of the land. The first I read of this year's installment of the annual absurdity was a while ago when it became public knowledge that Danny Boyle, the film director and the person behind the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games had refused the knighthood that had been offered to him. Good for you I thought. Not only was it the right decision, he'd put himself in good company. But, when I glanced at today's list of those who had played along with this anachronistic nonsense, my heart sank. However, the mood of despondency was short-lived because I then read Tanya Gould's article in today's Guardian newspaper - "New year honours are little more than postcard pomp", and was pleased to find someone who shared my views and was able to articulate the absurdity of this yearly ritual. I strongly recommend it.
All this, of course, has nothing to do with today's photograph of window cleaners at work on the side of one of London's many glass-walled office buildings.
photograph and text © Tony Boughen
Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 105mm
F No: f8
Shutter Speed: 1/125
ISO: 1600
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On
