New Year Honours and the Limehouse Link

click photo to enlarge
There's nothing wrong with a society recognising those who make an exceptional, selfless contribution to their community. Unfortunately few societies manage to do this well, and the UK does it exceptionally badly, shrouding the whole process in secrecy and frequently using it as a reward or bribe for politicians and their supporters. This year's New Year Honours List has recently been published and is no different from those of previous years - a mixture of the deserving, the unexceptional who are rewarded with status for doing what they get paid for, and a sickening list of gongs for the establishment's boys (and girls). It's the latter group that the list exists for, and the former are there simply to make the cronyism and paybacks by the government to those who work for it, bankroll it and publicly support it, appear less obnoxious and more legitimate.

The whole system, as I've said before, stinks, and it is only the fact that some principled people turn down the chance to become a Dame, a Lord, a Sir or to have anachronistic letters after their name, that makes the whole thing bearable. So today, rather than despair about the thirty or so members of the Conservative Party who received honours, or Lynton Crosby who "masterminded" the election of the current government and is rewarded with a knighthood (as well as the fat salary he received), or actors, actresses, sports people and the rest who leaven the unsavoury pile with a sprinkling of populism, I await a Freedom of Information Request that lets us know who turned down the baubles of the Queen and the Government in this round of honours giving.

Today's photograph was taken in the Limehouse Link, a 1.1 mile long tunnel that runs from the Tower Bridge approaches to the northern edge of Canary Wharf. It has the distinction of being the most expensive stretch of road in Britain (£50,500 per foot at 2011 prices). Interestingly, this is simply a relief road tunnel constructed, as its rectangular section suggests, by cut-and-cover methods, and not one that passes under the River Thames.

Happy New Year to All.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Photo Title: Limehouse Link Tunnel, London - Out of Focus
Camera: Olympus E-M10
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 17mm (34mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/80 sec
ISO:800
Exposure Compensation: -0.3 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Not so new year

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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  

Baubles, baronetcies and MBEs

click photo to enlarge
Today the UK newspapers carry the annual new year list of those who have received "honours" (medals, knighthoods and the like) for their contributions to national life. A few years ago the government tinkered with this system of awards to make it more "inclusive". In fact, they were reacting to the increasing ridicule and anger that the awards - the establishment's slap on its own back, ranked according to class and social position - have received in recent years, and so now ensure that a few more of the lesser accolades go to poorer people. I am one of those who despair that this antiquated nonsense is allowed to continue.

Consequently, today I pay homage to all those upstanding people who, when offered or nominated for an "honour" had the strength of character to tell the government where to put its bauble. A list of those who refused the offer can be found on Wikipedia. Note the pathetic measures the establishment has introduced to try to ensure that people's rejection of these trinkets does not come to light. Anyone having a look at the list should note, in particular, the number of refusals made by the painter L.S. Lowry! He did well to hold-out against the establishment's repeated temptations.

This balloon full of hot air drifting aimlessly across the sky seemed an appropriate accompaniment to today's reflection. I've taken only a couple of shots of a balloon before, and found it helpful that it was flying low so that I could include elements on the ground. There's not a lot you can do, photographically speaking, with a balloon high above you, but fortunately there was a fairly well-placed cloud that I could use to make a composition.

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 150mm (300mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/400
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On