Me and my camera in my home town, my capital city, my london
The photographs this week reflect the notion that we in the U.K now seem to be living in an utterly divided nation. Left vs Right, Privileged vs Poor, Immigrants vs indigenous, racists vs non-racists, homeowners vs rentals, london vs the rest of the country, equality vs hierarchy, young vs old, peace vs war, leave vs remain…the EU referendum just highlighted and exposed the conflict already present in our un-united kingdom, and just as Scotland found from its own referendum, we were maybe unaware how deep the divide went until the result. Everyone seems to have retreated into their various sub-groups. Lines in the sand have been drawn and whether those lines have been drawn by cash or culture, religion or race, geography or history, they are fragmenting our society.
What it all ultimately means is that we no longer feel we identify as a whole. Divisive propaganda by the likes of the Daily Mail & the Express have done a magnificent job during and since the Brexit campaign of generating hate amongst the various different ethnic groups present within this country, which the present government has essentially endorsed by offering no reassurance to any immigrants, from Europe or otherwise, that their citizenship is safe or indeed that they are even welcome here. If we don’t include everyone how we can we expect people to even feel British enough to want what’s best for the entire country? And if being British is all about exclusion rather than inclusion then you have to ask yourself, is this what I support and want to be included in? And if we all can’t relate to being British how can we possibly all agree on the way forward for a country we don’t even feel like we belong to? How can we work together when we see each other as the problem not the solution?
We must see that we are all the same, regardless of where we are from, where we live, what we earn. We just all have to want to live in a good society that has a sense of community, that provides its citizens with no more than the basics: a living wage, affordable rent, free healthcare and a sense that we all have a purpose and an importance no matter what we do. A sense of equality was built in this country in World War II when it was understood that every component and contribution was vital. Since then that idea has slowly been eroded, and now it is only the top echelons that are championed and supported. Those in power always maintained that there would be a ‘trickle down’ that would benefit everyone but it was bollocks and it never happened. There wasn’t even a trickle…
And with America now very much under the control of the forces of evil aka the fossil fuel industry who are clearly dictating policy just in an attempt to protect their profits and keep their stranglehold on the whole planet. They know their day has come and they are clinging on, using Trump to do their dirty work at the expense of pretty much everyone and being nothing less than an obstacle to the future of the human race – and we would apparently prefer this as an ally to Europe? We must be as insane as the Donald himself. Brexit is also bollocks. Everyone knows it.
We are on the brink of an election and in some ways, never more was at stake. We are at a crossroad and could go either way. We need to see beyond the bullshit of politicians and work out for ourselves what is important. There is an opportunity to steer this country away from the ‘me’ and towards the ‘we’. Does it matter how well you are doing in society if the society itself is fucked? Does it matter what rung of the ladder you are on if the ladder is rotten and crumbling to bits? We need to reinforce the ladder and make sure everyone can get on it, not use it to escape the horror around us…