Photographers protest against police harassment

Spotted the following, which is a handy opportunity for those of us who can’t afford to jaunt down to London to add our support to the ongoing threat of over-zealous policing to our right to take photographs in public places:

January 23, 2010. Photographers protest in Trafalgar Square London © Andy F

Regular contributors to Geograph.org.uk were among over two thousand photographers who took part in a ‘Mass Photo Gathering’ in Trafalgar Square, London, on Saturday 23 January 2010.

The amateur and professional photographers were protesting against increasing harassment and over-zealous policing which, they claim, is obstructing their lawful right to take photos in public places.

The protest was organised by the pressure group ‘Photographer Not a Terrorist.org’ and many attendees carried placards bearing the group slogan. Protesters and onlookers were handed ‘stop and search’ information cards outlining their rights when taking photographs in public places. The event was publicised through word-of-mouth, through Twitter and Facebook, and on photography websites.

The protesters gathered from 11.30am outside the National Gallery but later moved down into Trafalgar Square itself. By 12.30pm there were between 1,500 and 2,000 people present. The event was very good-natured and illuminated by the almost constant flicker of flashes. The Metropolitan Police wisely kept a low profile with very few officers in evidence.

As it was a gathering rather than a demonstration there were no formal speeches and very little chanting. The spoof ‘Vigilance Committee’ (one of whom was on stilts) handed out literature and made mock ‘arrests’ and the Socialist Worker newspaper erected a sales stall. Many newspapers were represented by staff and freelance photographers and several radio and television crews recorded the event.

The protest came after a year of rising tension between photographers and police. Both amateur and professional photographers have been routinely harassed and intimidated by heavy-handed police treatment. The most frequent flashpoint has been misuse of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. According to protesters, Section 44 is being used used widely and indiscriminately against anyone with a camera. It is claimed that victims are often left angry and frightened by police officers. This is despite a recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights which declared that Section 44 is illegal.

For more information see The Guardian website Link and the BBC website Link.

See other images of Mass photo protest, Trafalgar Square, 23 Jan 2010

Our thanks to to Geograph.org.uk for providing the above under Creative Commons, and to Andy F for the words which described the event.

Ayrshire driver fined after blowing his nose

I really try not to highlight anything that might be construed as anti-police (after being given a trumped-up breath test – thanks goodness I can’t drink), but it’s hard not to.

From the victimisation of photographers for no good reason with: worrying decision by an Edinburgh Sheriff, to abuse of the Terrorism Act 2000 and Section 44 as Police continue to abuse people with cameras, there’s plenty to choose from, although the good news for Scots is that most of this is down to the English, and the Met, allegedly.

Were it not for the shock and outrage that sets in afterwards, these stories might be almost amusing, but speaking from personal experience, there is an aftermath if you are a normally law-abiding individual that generally ignores a police presence nearby. In my own case, it was only after some hours that I realised the pair that had made up a reason to stop me, and then suggest they had believed I had been drinking (not off my breath) and required me to provide a sample of breath, had roared off in their white BMW without giving me a chance to make any notes. Something that won’t happen if the scenario is ever repeated.

The lack of goodwill the sort of incidents referred to above must be obvious to anyone with half a brain, but it still seems that someone somewhere is sending police officers on courses at the “School of Stupid”.

The latest story to be featured by the media is that of an Ayrshire driver who was issued with a fix penalty fine of £60, after he was spotted by four police officers while blowing his nose. At the time, the driver has stated that his van was stationary, stopped in a queue of traffic, and that the handbrake had been applied.

The police officer who waved him down told him that he was being issued with the penalty because he was not in control of the vehicle.

The driver’s solicitor wrote to the Procurator Fiscal saying:

“It should have been obvious to the officers what was going on and it beggars belief a ticket was issued”.

And:

“I also wrote – ‘We cannot see, given the circumstances of this case, that it is in the public interest”.

The Fiscal responded by stating that if the fine was not paid the case would go to court.

A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said, “A 39-year-old man is the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal in connection with an alleged traffic offence.”

Nobody can be benefiting from this silliness, certainly not Scotland’s image around the world, as various overseas media have picked up on a silly story to fill some space and publish for laugh at our expense:

Driver Fined in Britain for Blowing His Nose in Stopped Van

Motorist Michael Mancini Fined And Given Penalty Notice For Blowing His Nose At Wheel | UK News | Sky News

No doubt a search would find many more cases of the story being repeated.

Hopefully this will not be forgotten by the local press, and we will see the final outcome, and hope that court has not been on the some course at the “School of Stupid”.

However, that still won’t make up for the cost and loss of real police time in all the paperwork that this will have generated.

Update – Case Dropped

On February 26, 2010, the BBC reported the ‘Nose blow’ driver case dropped

A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said, “After further enquiry and careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances of this case, the procurator fiscal has decided that no further action is required.”

Mr Mancini, from Prestwick, told BBC Radio Scotland’s Newsdrive programme that he was “glad common sense had prevailed”. He added: “I think the authorities need to learn a little bit of common sense and worry about more important things.”

US ready to relax ban on haggis imports

As we head towards Burns Night (January 25), it looks as if the haggis, Scotland’s iconic dish, which has been given a pretty hard time by the American, may be ready to return to tables across the Atlantic.

Imports of haggis were banned by the US back around 1989 because it contains offal ingredients such as sheep lungs, and widespread concerns about the safety of British meat during the BSE scare. However, on the eve of Burns night, the US Department of Agriculture indicated that new regulations were being drafted, in line with international standards.

There have been numerous calls for the ban to be lifted in recent years, as other countries have recognised the changes introduced since the disastrous incidence of BSE, and the measures taken to eliminate those animal parts that could be transmitting the disease.

There are those who believe that haggis is something created in the butcher’s shop, while there are those who believe, with equal conviction, that wild haggis roam the hills of Scotland, are a rare sight, and can only be hunted during the open season.

I hate to spoil a good story, so have shown below one of the few displays featuring examples of both wild and captive haggis as seen in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Both are, of course stuffed, as no-one has ever succeeded in keeping a live haggis in captivity.

Haggis on display at Glasgow Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

I have to confess that it’s some time since I bought and tasted a decent haggis from a supermarket.

Over the years, I’ve tried all the stuff on their shelves that claims to be haggis, and this includes well-known names, and some rather strange names that the supermarket’s marketing teams have dug up, and I wouldn’t give any of them plate space. They may look like traditional haggis, but are usually trapped inside plastic sleeving instead of something a bit more authentic. Without picking any particular one, I find they are generally disappointing, and appear to be filled with some sort of sandy brown mud, instead of the usual ingredients, which I like to be able to see and identify. The taste is just about as inspiring as the appearance.

I didn’t have any great expectations, and wasn’t disappointed, but I even tried the sliced frying haggis, usually packed along with sliced sausage and sliced fruit dumpling.

Surprisingly, because the first time I came across it was when we having a laugh at haggis humour, the only one that has stayed on my list is tinned haggis – maybe because it’s relatively unprocessed since all they have to do is top and tail the freshly caught haggis, cut of the legs and slide it into the tin ready for cooking.

But, seriously, Grant’s tinned haggis is the only one I buy now. It looks the part on the plate, it’s the right colour, I can see the bits and identify them, and it doesn’t look or smell like something that come out of a baby. It also looks and tastes the same as what I was served in the days when I was dragged along to Burns suppers, so I think I’ll be staying with it, and not wasting any more money on trying to find an alternative. I’d rather be laughed at for eating and enjoying tinned haggis, than bothering about what anyone that sees me with it thinks.

Better still, you can buy it online, so you don’t even have to depend on your local emporium being embarrassed by the idea of having tinned haggis on it shelves.

BBC Scotland article: Manuel ‘should not have hanged’

It’s not often you spot a serious report that catches your eye because it has some sort of major significance, but whenever the name of Peter Manuel appears, even though is somewhat “before my time”, I do pay attention.

In this particular case, the relevance is that the country area he haunted and carried out his killing in included an area favoured by my family, and my mother in particular.

This was long, long before I was born though, and it’s no longer country either, but that’s yet another story.

However, it is one of the stories I always remember with no difficulty. Whenever Manuel was mentioned, it always reminded my mother of the evening he joined her as she made her way along the road to visit a friend (no, I’m not saying where – this isn’t a Facebook personal info free for all – the stories tell of his various haunts around Glasgow), and walked along with her for a while, making polite conversation. At the time, she had no idea who he was walking along the road beside, and later described him as a polite and well-spoken young man, who then disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

It was only after his capture, identification, and the publication of his photograph in the papers that she realised who had been walking along the road with, and what may have been a lucky escape, as others nearby were not so fortunate at roughly the same time.

Whilst Manuel confessed to killing eighteen people following his arrest, he was only tried for eight murder charges, with another being attributed to him by an official inquiry some time following his trial. Peter Manuel hanged in HM Barlinnie for his crimes on July 11, 1958, and was the second last prisoner to do so.

In 2009, a BBC programme Inside the Mind of a Psychopath argued that the authorities colluded to ensure Manuel was hanged, despite the fact that he was a known psychopath. This issue was raised earlier, BBC News Website (April 2008) Call to examine 50s killer case.

Forum server error

Around 23:30 on Thursday night, January 21, 2009, the host began reporting internal server errors when attempting to access the Forum.

Nothing was being changed, so the host has been informed, and we await their advice.

Update: Unfortunately, although it seemed the rest of the domain was unaffected, further prodding has shown that the problem affects all areas, so we’re effectively offline until something is done at source.

Update: Just an overnight server hiccup, and sorted at start of business – so I really didn’t break it

Simplexity

Simplexity is a word coined by Seymour the Fractal Cat, and arose from a combination of simplicity and complexity, and it means just what it says.

It came to mind a few days ago while I was crossing the road at the Junction of Duke Street, Bellgrove Street and Westercraigs. It’s a while since I’ve been there, and things seemed unfamiliar and complex, compared to past visits, when things seems much simpler.

After taking some pics to compare to the past, I realised I wasn’t imagining things, and the traffic light gnomes had been hard at work.

I seem to recall a government announcement in recent times that the current plethora of street signs and the like which have exploded on to our roads was to be addressed and avoided, but this message seems have bypassed Glasgow’s planners. Having converted Westercraigs into a one way street, which was probably not a bad idea and simplified things, they went and wasted it all by adding a new traffic island at the junction and planting four new sets of lights on it.

I can’t find enough detailed pics to count the lights that were there in the past, but after walking around the current manifestation, found that what is effectively a traffic light controlled crossroads (of only two roads, one of which is one way) has 9 sets of pedestrian crossing lights, and 14 sets of traffic lights, making 23 sets of lights altogether.

The pic below shows the scene presented to the one way line of traffic coming down Westercraigs, 6 sets of traffic lights facing one line of traffic.

If someone is supposed to be looking at road signage with a view to reducing clutter and confusion, they might want to start here. As well as the sheer number of lights, spot the turning prohibitions mounted at bottom of the central pair of lights, where one has a No Left Turn sign, and the other a No right Turn sign

Simplexity?

As seen approaching Duke Street from Westercraigs one way street

After the snow

While I’m not suggesting the snow is over, or not, I was relatively surprised to see it disappear within the course of something like six hours from around our area, having survived virtually unchanged for almost two days, even though the temperature was above freezing. I think the real clincher was the arrival of some light but steady rain, which washed it away, as it was sitting just below the temperature needed to convince it to actually melt.

One of the things that I found a little disappointing over the recent days while my particular part of the east end of Glasgow was decorated with snow was the lack of photogenic subjects. While there were things to take pictures of, when I reviewed then afterwards, they were less than impressive, and not worth the effort of uploading and sharing.

I wondered why, so started to look around the various albums of snowy pic that have appeared over the past few weeks, and it soon became clear that I don’t live in the right sort of place to get decent snow scenes. While I have individual subjects that might make interesting studies, I don’t have any scenery, and that seems to be a fundamental need for a snow shot that is going to be anything more than boring. I don’t have any scenes with trees or water, and the view of anything distant is just that, and if I can see past the houses, then the hills are miles away, with nothing inbetween.

The other option would have been interesting features, but since no-one provided something like an accident, flood, or burst pipe to produce a frozen waterfall, that option was a non-starter.

Just about the only pic I didn’t think earned a swift press of the Delete key (apart from some views of the River Clyde) was a large bottle of our other national drink, found at the roadside, full, unopened, and frozen solid. At a guess, somebody left it in their car during the freeze, and ditched it before thinking of just defrosting it. If I didn’t have such a suspicious nature, I might have taken it home, but I know some funny people, and don’t trust what might have been in the bottle – the colour of Irn-Bru can hide a multitude of “other” things.

Clyde swans

I wonder if anyone has ever counted, or estimated, the population of swans along the length of the River Clyde?

Since I discovered that the river was a reasonably close neighbour, and that there were numerous legitimate, and maybe some not so legitimate, ways to get down to it, I’ve been a fairly regular visitor over the past few years, and walked most of the riverside path that can be reached within a day’s walking. I’ve been fortunate enough to cover some stretches with a local historian, able to point at some of the structures evident along the edges, and evidence of long lost bridges and crossing, and I’m grateful for his help, as this experience has enabled me to spot more of these features, which would have gone otherwise unnoticed. The only disappointment is that I’ve managed to identify very few of them, even with the help of old surveys and maps of the area.

One of the odd things that I have noticed during these visits is that the river always present some swans for me to look at. Not great flocks, usually just a few pairs, but they always seem to be in sight somewhere.

The pair below seemed to swim into view from nowhere while I was visiting the old weir at Carmyle, and a few seconds after I grabbed the pic they flew off, and I didn’t see any more for the rest of the day. The weir served a bleachworks and grain mill, long lost from the area.

Swan on the River Clyde at Carmyle weir

The bridge or viaduct seen in the background is interesting, and used to carry the railway track over the river, in an area where there used to be numerous coal mines, and mineral railways. Like most railways, the line was closed many years ago, and the track lifted. In this case, the crossing comes to a complete dead end in the trees to the right of the picture, leaving a something in the order of a three or four metre drop to the ground below.

The crossing itself has been stripped all the former track, and the two ends are supposed to be closed off and sealed by metal fencing, however, access panels have been cut into these, and it’s possible to cross the river using the bridge. I’ve only used it once, more of curiosity than need for access, and the engineer in me wasn’t sure what to make of it. Clearly abandoned and unmaintained for decades, the deck is full of holes, and even though it is now grass covered, there’s no problem in seeing the river through the holes. With no maintenance, the structure is riddled with rust, and while it all looks solid, and the impact of one tiny body may not be significant, I also know that rust can eat through such structures and leave little surface evidence while the metal below is little more than a crumbling oxide. Once, it would have carried steam locomotives weighing upwards of 70 tons, plus their tenders and carriages, yet you wonder of you might become another river statistic if you head across it a few years after it was closed.

Without a survey, there’s no way to know whether or not any given spot underfoot is solid metal, or crumbling rust, but it does seem to be a pity that it wasn’t preserved or reused in some way to provide a proper and safe pedestrian crossing over the river, if they weren’t going to remove it fully when it was closed.

The frozen Clyde

Inspired by some pics published somewhere by the Beeb, I thought I’d try and find a nearby spot on the River Clyde that might have frozen during the current chilly spell we’re enjoying. I won’t make a definitive statement, but the media started off by saying it was the coldest spell of continuous cold weather we’d had for twenty years, then changed that story to thirty years a few days later, and then the politicians got a hold of it, and someone in the Scottish Parliament appeared to raise the figure to fifty years, so pick whichever period you like best.

Thinking about the places that would be both accessible, and have some reasonably slow waters to allow ice to form, Carmyle seemed to be the most likely. Dalmarnock is also reasonably easy to get to for riverside shots, but I guessed that the flow there wouldn’t let anything interesting form, and I had also remembered that Carmyle has the fairly substantial remains of the old weir that served the bleachworks and grain mill. These are, of course, now long gone, but the weir and parts of the gates that controlled it still remain, and might provide some photographic opportunities.

Before I left home, I wondered if I would get anywhere near Carmyle, let alone the river, as the last outing had been a nightmare. The streets were unsalted (or it was ineffective) and the sun had melted the surface, only for it to refreeze into sheet ice. An hour and a half jaunt to the shops had taken an hour longer than usual, and although I didn’t fall, I really don’t know how I managed to avoid it. I needn’t have worried, fresh snow had covered the ice, and not frozen over it, and the ice which had been a problem had largely broken into pieces – it was awkward to walk on, but thankfully no longer slippy. The only downside was the peculiar walking method enforced by the loose material underfoot, and after a couple of hours, I had aches and sore joints not experiences before.

It was worth the effort though, and although the amount of frozen Clyde was not great, it was still there to be found.

River Clyde frozen near Carmyle

I followed the Clyde Walkway along to Cambuslang, but as expected, the faster flow of the river in that area meant that there was no surface ice to be seen.

Back at Carmyle, the old weir delivered some more ice, thanks to the way it interfered with the flow of the river.

The nearest gate, on the north side, had a huge lump of ice that had formed above its outlet. Chances are it might even have been bigger if I’d been able to make it down there sooner.

North side gate

Across the river, the south gate

South side gate

Although the gate on the southern bank of the river is simpler, further away, and inaccessible, it remains my favourite of the two because it is still fairly complete with its screw jack mechanism in place, as if it could still be used to control the gate and regulate the weir.

City of Adelaide rots while authorities dither

I was going to entitle this post City of Adelaide rots while authorities fiddle, as a parallel to Nero fiddling while Rome burnt, but I thought the chances of being sued by the officials of the actual city of Adelaide for suggesting of corruption was just to high if they spotted the title, and didn’t read further.

I am, of course, referring to the ongoing and increasingly sad case of the clipper, City of Adelaide (better known as The Carrick to the good people of Glasgow whenever it was afloat), whose hull lies abandoned, derelict, and rotting on a slipway at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine.

Remains of the City of Adelaide pictured on the slipway at the Scottish Maritime Museum Irvine in 2005 © Chris Allen

If ever there was a story that refused to lie down quietly, it must surely be that of the planned destruction (deconstruction), or not, of this once proud shipping relic.

Scottish Maritime Museum

Jim Tildesley, acting director of the Scottish Maritime Museum, said the decision to break up the ship was down to resources. He said:

We are taking the vessel apart so that you actually learn from doing it – it’s a bit like a piece of archaeology. But initially we’re attempting to save the bow and stern and have them preserved in our main museum. What we don’t know yet is the cost of actually doing that and whether we can afford to fund that bit of preservation.

It seems that every news story that suggests the end of the remains of this clipper has arrived is followed almost immediately by another which says not so, and suggesting that some sort of rescue is still possible, if only someone would either come up with the cash, or allow the remains to be removed from Irvine and restored.

The stories are beginning to lack consistency and credibility to some degree however, and if the most recent is to be believed, then the remains should be in no danger of being lost, since it refers to not only a bid from Sunderland, in the north east of England, but also a rival bid from Australia, which was the vessel’s destination for 28 round trips.

With rival bids being tabled, surely the question should no longer be one of the recovery of the vessel, but who is going to win ownership of the remains.

Or, does the real problem actually lie with the Scottish Maritime Museum and/or Historic Scotland?

Is someone somewhere playing silly buggers, something along the lines of “This is my ball and you’re not playing with it – I’ll burst it before that happens.“

Sunderland City of Adelaide Recovery Foundation (SCARF)

Campaigner Peter Maddison (a Sunderland councillor) has been quoted as saying: “I wish it could be straightforward, but it won’t be. Every inch of the way we have to contend with awkwardness and obstruction.” Maddison occupied the hull back in October 2009, as a protest, but ran out water after four days.

He has said that he has an engineering firm willing to help, with a naval architect and engineers ready to plan the recovery. two hotels in Irvine ready to take 30 volunteers, former shipyard workers from Sunderland, and that half the bars and clubs in Sunderland are on stand-by, ready to hold fundraising events to support the volunteers in Irvine. Further details of this effort can be found on the SCARF (Sunderland City of Adelaide Recovery Foundation) web site.

City of Adelaide Australia

City of Adelaide, The Splendid Clipper Ship is an Australian web site hosting an appeal to Save the Clipper, and which sent an open letter to the Prime Minister and People of the United Kingdom back in November 2009, pleading for the demolition of the ship to be prevented. This letter notes that the reason for this destruction is merely to clear the site to make way for a housing development.

The museum appears to have just left the vessel to rot over the years, and I don’t say that as mere criticism, as its masters may not have been able or willing to provide sufficient finance for it to do anything else once it had the remains on site. Then again, what of the housing development’s part?

Historic Scotland

However, Historic Scotland has now been quoted as follows:

Following recent discussions, Historic Scotland said: “Sadly, and despite the recent widespread publicity about her future, no viable option for her restoration has yet been presented. Deconstruction is “the most appropriate conclusion”, a spokeswoman added.”

While I don’t necessarily endorse the view, I have noted that Historic Scotland does receive adverse publicity in the media occasionally, for being obstructive and unhelpful, and if there are rival bidders looking to take over the remains of the City of Adelaide, and they are not asking Historic Scotland for money, then surely Historic Scotland should accept any bid for what has become little more than an embarrassing pile of scrap, and get if off their hands?

One might be tempted to think someone is exerting their authority merely because they can, and damn the consequences.

Surely it matters not if the remains go to Sunderland or Australia, so long as they are preserved in some way?

BBC News – Ship protester hails breakthrough

Sunderland Maritime Heritage

Sunderland Maritime Heritage has written a background summary regarding the deconstriction.