Yesterday the tube was closed because of a strike. Supposedly it will be closed Thursday as well. Dave and I live close enough to work that we can easily walk -- as you know I often walk anyway -- so for us it's not a problem. But for people who have to commute it's a nightmare.
Although I am a supporter of labor and unions generally, I don't quite get the point of a transit strike. It just makes life miserable. All it does is punish the riders, who aren't able to do anything about the workers' demands anyway. London already has a Labour mayor, who's going to be most sympathetic to workers' concerns -- so it's not like we can vote in new leadership who will be more compliant.
Anyway, when I walked past the tube station on my way to work, this is what it looked like (above). Mobs of people waiting for packed buses.
The gates to the station were securely locked.
I walked onward. It was a rainy morning, which made things even more delightful.
I passed these paintings, which had been set out in someone's driveway, I assume to go out with the trash. The two leaning against the fence caught my eye, but there are also at least 14 more stacked on the ground.
I corrected the perspective so we can get a better look.
Hmmmm...
Oh, I also found out what those bright pink signs are for in my previous post. They're used by film production crews when filming on location. Just in case that was keeping you up at night!
Oh, I also found out what those bright pink signs are for in my previous post. They're used by film production crews when filming on location. Just in case that was keeping you up at night!
How strange to leave those paintings out like that. Not brilliant art, but they have taken someone time and effort to create! (The lady on the right seems to have a see through top!!)
ReplyDeleteYes, she definitely seems to be wearing a filmy blouse!
DeleteI didn’t know about the tube strikes. So frustrating and especially difficult for those without other options. My brother told me last night there’s a baseball strike in the States. Millionaires whining about millionaires. Now THAT will never get my sympathy.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the info regarding those signs. I’ve been up all night.
Yeah, baseball strikes are even MORE pointless.
DeletePunish those who use The Tube equals pressure on management and the government. Repeat and rinse until the government gives some ground. If the public are inconvenienced enough, maybe Khan won't be Mayor anymore, no matter that he's pro Labour.
ReplyDeleteThe art to be discarded would be excellent as entrants in our local Museum of Particularly Bad Art annual prize.
But any alternative to Khan, it seems to me, would be worse for the RMT. The Tories? Please.
DeleteThe Rail, Maritime and Transport Union say this of the strikes: "... because a financial crisis at London Underground Limited has been deliberately engineered by the Government to drive a cuts’ agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten their working conditions and pensions.
ReplyDeleteThese are the very same transport staff praised as heroes for carrying London through COVID for nearly two years, often at serious personal risk, who now have no option but to strike to defend their livelihoods.
The politicians need to wake up to the fact that transport staff will not pay the price for this cynically engineered crisis. In addition to the strike action RMT is coordinating a campaign of resistance with colleagues from other unions impacted by this threat."
I guess I can see how it might increase pressure on the politicians, but it's a shame that the riders are the ones who pay the price.
DeleteThe strikers also pay the price in terms of lost income.
DeleteI hadn't heard about the transit strike. And of course it's raining..
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the people putting out the artworks were hoping passersby would take them. I also wondered if you did..
I couldn't get to them! They were behind a locked gate. I think they're meant for the trash.
DeleteI sort of like the painting of the redheaded woman on the left there but she reminds me of someone I don't like so forget that.
ReplyDeleteGlad you can walk to work but what a pain for everyone.
I like the blue cat. The woman, not so much.
DeleteI don't know much about art but I know what I like ... and that's not it.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, a transit strike only punishes people who ride transit.
LOL -- yeah, sometimes bad art can be good. But not all the time!
DeleteWhat a pain a strike like that is. It makes me think about the time I stayed in south London and the tube to my stop at Balham kept closing "for repairs". I had to take a bus one night and since I wasn't familiar with the area, it was a bit nerve wracking.
ReplyDeleteA night bus in London is always an interesting experience!
DeleteThat artwork ... The one on the left ... the fingers look quite arthritic! Ouch!!
ReplyDeleteThe one on the right looks like an afghan hound with clothes on!
LOL! An Afghan hound! I love that.
DeleteI hope that the Tube strike is over soon, but your right about it hurting the people and not the business so much. Like you said, the people that are depending upon the tube, they can't do anything about it anyway.
ReplyDeleteI just caught up on the last few posts I have missed over the last few days, and I am sure that Dave is going to be surprised to have his sampler reframed. People used cardboard boxes years ago for so many different projects, especially for the backing on frames and even patterns when sewing a skirt or dress.
Have a awesome day. xx
Glad you got caught up! I think it's cool to have that blender hiding within the frame. :)
DeleteFortunately I live in a place where mass transportation isn't even an option. I can imagine how hard it would be on families if you suddenly told me that I couldn't drive my car anymore for an indefinite amount of time.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have never seen any laying on the streets for the trash, I have purchased some stacks of old painting before to bring home, coat with gesso and turn my children loose on them. Cheap and fun entertainment. Perhaps the owner of those paintings had done the same thing.
Oh, that's a good idea. It's a shame they didn't bale up the canvases and give them to charity. I bet someone could have found a use for them.
DeleteI didn't know about the transit strike there. Such a bummer for commuters. I hope the issues are resolved soon.
ReplyDeleteYou do see some interesting art there.
Yeah, it's no fun for anyone.
DeleteWell, one thing I can say about the artwork - it's better than I could do (that is EXTREMELY FAINT praise - ha!).
ReplyDeleteAs the daughter of a union man, I somewhat approve of strikes. I know they're inconvenient for everyone involved, but I guess that's the point. And you know I love baseball but this current strike makes me roll my eyes. The only point they're fighting over that I agree is an issue is the treatment of minor league players (they manipulate their big league time to delay their free agency by a year).
That's true for me, too -- I couldn't paint even that well.
DeleteI approve of strikes in principle, and certainly against private businesses, but strikes against the general public are something else. I'm not sure they work all that well and they lead to a lot of strife by, as I said, punishing the wrong people.
I guess it's good that you can walk to work though in the rain isn't much fun.
ReplyDeleteI hesitate to call it bad art as I've seen some celebrated art that wasn't much different. but then I think that's bad too. I wonder what the smaller paintings looked like.
"Bad" is in the eye of the beholder, right?! I don't think the smaller ones were much better, from what little I could see of them.
DeleteThe Union has been a large part of my families core. They are striking for a good reason i reckon. Riders may appreciate the service more - if it requires more expensive oyster cards then so be it. IF that is a solution (?)
ReplyDeleteThe canvases would be worth a save- to gesso and re-use.
Unfortunately I think the public is so jaded that they feel any increase in price will simply be "wasted" by the "bureaucracy." It's just like people feel about taxes. No one ever believes a tax increase is necessary or beneficial to them.
DeleteThere does often seem to be a lot of collateral damage when it comes to strikes (or sanctions, or war...).
ReplyDeleteI live near a rural small town with no public transportation at all. I think there might be one person who offers a private taxi service. If I didn't have a car, I'd have to walk miles to get anything!
I DO value public transportation a lot here, and I use it all the time (just not to get to work). It's a huge part of what makes the city livable.
DeleteI support labor but some things like this strike will not get them much sympathy.
ReplyDeleteExactly. It creates ill will among the public, which is not what the RMT (the union) needs.
DeleteAre those paintings even on canvas? Looks like a dreary day for you - bet your garden is happy for a little rain, but it sure makes finding alternative transport a drag. We had an extraordinarily heavy downpour last night - more than 2 inches in 1 hour! And the forecast had called for a dry night.
ReplyDeleteIt LOOKS like canvas, judging from the edges of the stacks of paintings on the ground. But who knows?!
DeleteStrikes are hard because, as you noted, they hit the people who have no control over the situation anyway. The weather is dreary here too.
ReplyDeleteIt's like spanking your children because you don't like their teachers.
DeleteIt's raining again. The brilliant sunshine we had is no more, which is kind of a bummer. My father, an FBI agent and a fairly conservative person, was heard to say that unions were a necessity, without them business men would try to sell their mothers if there was profit to be had. That was fairly unexpected.
ReplyDeleteAt least you can walk to work, here's hoping the weather improves.
Well, your dad is right on that front, and I think it's unfortunate that unions have diminished in strength since the Reagan years. They DO protect working people. But as I've said, I'm not as much a fan of strikes against the general public.
DeleteThe photos for this post look like big white boxes here...
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm...that's weird! Hopefully a transient problem!
DeleteWhen I first saw the title of your post on my blog reader I read it as "Tuba Strike". I'm sure there would have been some interesting photos if that had been the case.
ReplyDeleteHa! Dave is a tuba player, so he'd appreciate that. He always thinks tubas are undervalued. :)
DeleteDid you take some art home?
ReplyDeleteI would have looked through it if I'd been able to reach it, but it was on private property behind a locked gate. :(
DeleteSometimes a walk in the rain is a much better thing. Well, it can get old -- but sometimes! It looks far more interesting than sitting in the tube!
ReplyDeleteI would have walked even if there hadn't been a strike, honestly. I like the exercise!
DeleteI don't like transport strikes either, but at least I no longer have to get to work. Those paintings are a bit odd, is that green shirt one supposed to have nipples poking through the shirt?
ReplyDeleteI think so! I think it's supposed to be some sort of see-through blouse.
DeleteStrikes that affect the public are not happily received, but they're the only leverage the workers have. It's a hard position to be in - for both groups.
ReplyDeleteThat IS an excellent blue cat, but now that you have the photo of the painting, you'll always have the blue cat, no one can take that away and you don't need the whole shebang. Which you already decided for yourself. lol
Yes, good point about the cat. Sometimes a photo is enough!
DeleteThose paintings. Sad to see them discarded like that.
ReplyDelete