More than 100 far-right protests were expected across England last night, an extension of the recent unrest we've seen among a small (and often drunk) minority of anti-immigrant extremists. And what happened? Apparently a whole lot of nothing, at least from the right-wingers. There were some isolated skirmishes but the anti-racism protesters far outnumbered any representation by the far right.
The recent street violence in England is the product of relatively few lawless hooligans, and the right-wing press has stirred the pot in order to put pressure on our new Labour government. That's my theory. Despite what you might read on certain far-right news sites, England is not on fire. My high street looks just like it always does, and in my outings around town over the past week I've seen nothing out of the ordinary. Don't believe the hype. The police and law enforcement are on top of it.
I have an update on my most recent slide rescue project. I e-mailed the woman who runs the web page I mentioned yesterday, about the slides' deceased photographer, whose name was Joan Tubbs. I told her my plan to put some of the scanned slides online, and she was enthusiastic and said she believed Tubbs would have been thrilled. So that was good to hear. I decided to go back to Camden Market and pick up the rest of the slides, just to keep them all together. (Remember I also did this the last time I bought a bunch of slides? I just can't stand to break up someone's photo collection.)
I paid £25 for the rest, which I then brought home and sorted on the dining room table. I think there are about 250 altogether. Obviously I won't scan them all. But I'll keep them together in case someone eventually wants them.
It's an interesting assortment, and probably only a fraction of the photographer's total output. Some are numbered, but the numbers go all the way into the 700s and I don't have anywhere near that many slides. Also, some are from trips -- to the Shetland Islands, to Namibia -- and in those cases I have only a handful of images, which suggests I don't have everything. No one goes to Namibia and takes only eight pictures.
It's occurred to me that these may be the dregs of Tubbs' collection. Maybe someone saved the best shots, or maybe they were already picked through at the flea market. Maybe another dealer got the rest. Who knows? But there are still good pictures in this assortment and I'm looking forward to posting them.
In today's weird news, have you seen that some kids in China are pretending to be birds? (At least, on social media.)
(Top photo: Olga on a recent sunny walk.)
Didn't Tubbs appear in "Miami Vice"?
ReplyDeleteGood decision re the Tubbs collection.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen pictures from Brighton...5 men and a dog protesting...surrounded by two dozen policemen...and thousands upon thousands of peaceful people surrounding them.....
What a sweet project! Can’t wait to see what you share. As for the birds, it would be cute if it weren’t so incredibly creepy.
ReplyDeleteThe long casting shadow is so dramatic
ReplyDeletePerhaps this collection is similar to my parents collection of slides. Once back from the developer, the slides were numbered to keep them in order and then they sorted through them, putting the best ones in carousels to display using their slide projector. The remaining were put back in their box and stored in a larger tub. Perhaps what you are seeing are all the slides from the extras tub while the best ones remain in carousels in a descendant's collection.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the media blows up just about any event so why I believe what they are saying (if from a reputable source), I often don't believe the urgency or alarms that they are trying to raise.
I theorize that angry out of office Tories are helping foment trouble, to undermine the apparently popular Labor government intent on dismantling Tory blunders. But that's me.
ReplyDeleteYou're a natural curator, with your work on old photos and now slides.
It's getting to be sad that you cannot trust the media much these days. I feel like I have to hear a story and then Google it and then decipher down from that what the truth might be.
ReplyDeleteThe whole I Want To Be A Bird thing makes a lot of sense to me. Those children are all pushed to the extreme to excel in school in order to grow up and be successful and for what?
ReplyDeleteI think it's fantastic that Ms. Tubb's photos will be in one place and given a platform for viewing, even if it's just a very small percentage of her total work. Good on you, Steve!
I love your big heart for other peoples' photographs. Can't wait to see some of the ones you rescued!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update on the atmosphere in England. Whizzing up and promoting untruths is not appreciated. There are enough real issues without this nonsense. Rescuing the Tubb's photos is really good. I will look forward to these posts.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that the streets of London are safe. It's hard to tell exactly what is happening from the news.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot of slides that you've rescued. I'll be anxious to see the photos from Namibia. That's someplace I would love to go but given my age, probably won't make it. There is just something about Namibian scenery the speaks to my soul. Perhaps I lived there in a previous life.
Looks like a big job but if anyone can take it on and do it justice, it's you, Steve!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know if the title was leading up to more picture slides or more political commentary, lol
Nice "shadows & light" photo of Olga and the barriers!
There is always hype and I think part of that is the 24/7 news culture and the need to be the first to report any/everything... whether it's accurate or not. I remember my son was living in Minneapolis during the George Floyd incident and yes, there were riots and problems, but the city was not burning like people across the country were told. He had friends calling him about it and had to tell them he was literally looking out the window of his downtown hi-rise apartment and everything was normal.
ReplyDeleteThe slides are exciting! Finding treasure! Your table looks like NYC apartment buildings. Only a stamp collector would have this sort of patience...
ReplyDeleteI would guess that such protests are unlikely to happen in your area.
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of slides to deal with, as interesting as they must be.
I already had to look a VP candidate having fun on a sofa and now, children being birds. Actually, the children being birds is both interesting and disturbing.
Thanks for the view of what is really happening, unfortunately the media is more interested in click bait than reality.
ReplyDeleteI saw footage on twitter of six right wingers cowering behind a line of cops and the street was absolutely full of people who are not right-wingers. Good to hear that you're not burning.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you wrote about the protests. Several people kept writing "I hope things in England calm down before your trip" and since things have been a little crazy here, I had no idea what they were talking about! So, this is good news. I'm pretty fascinated by your slide collection and the thoroughness of what you do. I knew you collected but appreciated your keeping that collection together. Is Swiss Cottage near where you are? That's where we will be staying much of our trip.
ReplyDeleteYP: Ha! Coincidentally, I've been watching "Miami Vice" the last couple of nights -- a nostalgia trip for me while Dave is away.
ReplyDeleteGZ: That poor dog!
Mitchell: The bird thing is both creepy and funny. You just never know what kids will come up with.
Roentare: It was a good day for shadows -- we don't often have those in England!
Ed: You may be onto something. That would explain the curious flaws I'm finding in some of the pictures. Perhaps these are her "spares." Having said that, some of them are really good shots.
Boud: The tories probably appreciate Keir Starmer having to deal with all this (rather than them), but I think the real instigators are the fringe followers of Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson.
Bob: There's a level of hype in it all that I find frustrating. I hate to keep tooting the horn of The New York Times, but I think overall they do the best job of keeping things in perspective.
Ms Moon: It's funny that they chose birds. I guess being symbolic of freedom and flight, they're an appealing metaphor.
Bug: I just can't stand the thought of cultural history being lost.
Susan: Exactly -- we have enough real problems without creating more! (Not to say the rioting wasn't genuinely a problem.)
Sharon: I have eight of her photos from Namibia, and they're all of the sere desert landscape -- what Tubbs called a "moonscape." I scanned one of them but I wouldn't say they blow me away.
Jenny-O: I've done enough politics for a while. LOL! The slides aren't a big job if you like looking at and sorting old pictures -- then it's more fun than work!
Kelly: Yes, exactly! That's a great parallel situation. There's unrest and it's serious, but it's not like the streets aren't safe or we're all trapped in our houses. Most of life goes on as usual!
Linda Sue: It is a lot like sorting stamps! It took me a while to figure out what you meant by the apartment building reference, but I get it now. :)
Andrew: Maybe, but in 2011, when we lived in Notting Hill, there was rioting on our street. It was crazy. This is nothing like that, at least not in London.
Jim: I think that's it -- competition for eyes. And also a need to fill a 24-hour news cycle with fresh material.
Allison: Yeah, apparently sensible people far outnumbered the right-wingers! It was good to see. No burning here!
Jeanie: Ha! Swiss Cottage is less than a mile from our house. I walk through there every day on my way to and from work!
I have slides of my wedding that I have offered to all my kids and none want them. I may eventually give them to the youngest to keep so he can show the twins when they get older that this is how nanny looked on her wedding day.
ReplyDeleteThe news feeds off and thrives on drama which is why they overplay any kind of protests. (and seem to love publicizing Trump) Didn't Elon Musk fan the flames of those protests too? What a piece of you-know-what!
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