Large crowds gathered outside the Russian Embassy in West London over the weekend to show their anger and opposition to the invasion of the Ukraine. Most cars that passed along Bayswater Rd also beeped their horn in support which raised cheers in the crowd. Some guy in a red Mazda drove round and round the block just so he could keep honking. The entire front wall of the embassy had been graffitied in chalk with anti-war statements. Chants of ‘Putin is a murderer’ and ‘We stand with Ukraine’ echoed across the busy street.
It was an impressive turnout yet it was highly unlikely anyone inside the building was going call up Putin to tell him to end the assault but that’s not the point. We were all there because we wanted to be seen and heard and because protest makes you feel like you are doing something as oppose to nothing, however futile it seems.
And I am putting up these photographs not in the genuine belief it’s going to stop the war but because it’s all I can do. And all the other yelllow and blue posts that are now plastered across social media in support of Ukraine are not just empty token gestures. They are there so that they can see the world does care about them, and our government’s inaction does not reflect our collective desire to see them rescued from this tyrannical psychobully.
When you watch the horror and the misery of others unfold before you very eyes on the feed of doom you feel utterly helpless. In recent times we have had to watch atrocities committed against the Syrians, the Palestinians, the Uyghurs and Yemen’s Houti Rebels and in all those situations, like now, the international community has not got involved through fear of the aggressor. (Actually I say ‘not got involved’ but the UK actually sent arms to the Saudis to help kill the rebels so there’s that) And not that anyone wants us to be dragged into more wars but can we stand by and do nothing?
The Ukraine was convinced to give up their nukes in the 90s on the promise from both the West and Russia that they would never invade. They signed a friggin treaty on it for fuck’s sake and now that it’s happening we are reneging on that promise to protect them. I know we don’t have a good track record for interference. When we do go into places (Iraq,Afghanistan, Libya) we tend to fuck shit up worse and then just walk away and leave them to deal with the mess we created but Putin must be stopped. Because he won’t.
In hunter gatherer times if anyone stepped out of line or tried to take too much of their share or try to dominate they would immediately get knocked down. In action movies and superhero films, the good guys always go and defeat the evil bad guy. In the 20th century the west used to have this role. But what happens now? The heroes have to save the day but who and where are they? Why isn’t anyone stepping up? If we won’t do it, who will?
The world seems to be constantly at the mercy of dickless dickheads like Putin who need to chuck their weight around so they can be the most powerful. I know it’s primate hierarchy in action but can’t we get past it? Can’t we evolve? I am actually sick to death of these 20th century dinosaurs who favour destruction over resolution, war over peace, profit over people, fossil fuels over renewables. We have to remove them in order to find a future we can all live in. They will be the death of us all if we don’t.
I once wrote a b movie sci-fi story called ‘Planet Arsehole’ where they had been able to identify the ‘arsehole gene’ in humans and everyone who tested positive was banished to another planet. It’s a lovely thought but even if that was scientifically possible the leaders of this world would block it because they are, in fact, the arseholes and they know it. As I have said before we are sadly represented not by the best of us but by the worst of us, mainly because anyone that wants power isn’t someone you want in power. End of.
Truth is there is terrible shit going on all over the world all the time and even though you sympathise with the plight of the persecuted everywhere you cannot carry all the conflicts with you because you wouldn’t be able to get out of bed. But you are naturally more affected by those that are closer and ones you are personally connected to. I have been to Kyiv and it’s a beautiful place and met some truly lovely people there who are now all trapped inside this war zone and it is just horrific to think of what they are going through and pray for their safety.
A very good friend of ours lives in Kharkiv right on the border. This town has been heavily bombed since the invasion started and she has been hiding out in an underground car park. The city no longer has any power and a lot of it has been reduced to rubble. Buildings are decimated all around and the Russian troops are now marching in towards her. What was she doing a week or so ago? She was living a normal life, working, looking after her son, walking her fluffy white dog and baking fucking cakes…and now she is now on the run and fleeing for her life. And she is just one of millions.
Post, petition, protest, make a donation..do what ever you can. See link below which has lots of info on how to help and donate.
All shots this week from Portobello Road. I know, that’s not that unusual for me as most of my shots come from there but I explain that a bit later..
What I most love about this street is the variety of people you see. You’ve still got the old school locals but you also now have the new Notting Hillbillies, and the posho Europeans who moved here, and the tourists and the Rastas and the West London fashionistas and an entire mix of cultures and communities all rubbing shoulders. There maybe a few less characters around than there used to be but it is very rare I do not spot someone on my daily walk that is not worth capturing.
As I have walked down Portobello almost every day for the last 20 years and taken squillions of shots ( yes, I know, it’s a lot) I am starting to think has anyone taken more photos along this one road for a longer period than me? Maybe I’m the Portobello photo guy?
This guy who you see with the old fashioned camera in the shot above possibly thinks that as well. In a somewhat ironic moment he actually stopped me and asked if he could take my picture. I said, sure, I just took yours.
Last year when I was ill I had to stay local so my neighbourhood became my world. I could just about get to Portobello and back and I remember thinking, well if this is it and I can’t get further than this one road, it might as well be this one.
Portobello has a vibe and an energy to it unlike any other street I know and although it’s not as busy as it used to be and the demographic of the people who frequent it has massively changed since I have been here it still has a real buzz to it, especially on Saturdays which feels like a mini festival every weekend.
Additional:
I wrote this before the Ukrainian invasion yesterday and now when I look at these shots today I just see people going about their daily lives, going shopping, going to work, hanging out, living a normal life, just as they would have been doing over there, and then in a single instant they are plunged into total chaos and horror. Their lives are now under threat and they will have to fight for their very survival. It is no different to if it happened here to us. We must see that. We must support them. We cannot abandon them to this fate.
shit, late again! I keep forgetting it’s a daily blog so I have to do it every day. I might have to start setting an alarm. Like I do for everything these days. Brain fog has lifted but there is still a deep mist in the air…
Ok, so back statements this week. (bada bing) Be a walking billboard for your own opinion. Well, not yours to be fair, the fashion designer who thought of it. You’re just wearing it. But we do always tend to take more credit than we should for what we choose to be seen in. When someone compliments you on an item of clothing, you thank them profusely as if it was actually you who created it.
Literal fashion statements seem to be everywhere. Why wear something that says nothing when you can wear something that says something? We want people to know how we feel without having to open up our gobs so guess this is the easiest way. In these polarising times heaven forbid someone might walk past you and have no idea what you stand for.
This guy in the picture above however is kinda unique. He had stopped dead in the street as I approached which was great for the shot and presumed he was just engrossed in his phone and had been turned into a temporary statue like so many street texters are, oblivious to the world around them as they try to find a suitable emoji that will convey both interest and nonchalance.
But this guy was different. He was finding his soundtrack to bowl down the street to. But not just for him. For everyone to hear. As I got closer ‘The Wanderer’ by Dion started blaring out from his phone. To match his jacket. And he proceeded to loudly sing along “I’m the wanderer, ooh yeah the wanderer”. So turns out he really was ‘The Wanderer’ and he just wanted everyone to know it.
I guess it just threw me because I’ve never witnessed anyone accessorise their clothing with a bit of music before…
i have been locked and lost in my own little world for a very long time so it’s so friggin good to be out again observing and interacting with people.  Although ironically what I am noticing is that everyone seems to be lost in their own little worlds. There is this bigger reality that we are all apart of but that no-one seems to want or be capable of dealing with so we withdraw into ourselves rather than confront it.
And yet not only does this mean we are ignoring what we should categorically not be ignored but it’s also just not that healthy And unfortunately, the further we look inwards the more narcissistic our gaze becomes.
We essentially have the same approach as ostriches, only instead of burying our heads in the sand, we bury them so far up our own arses all we can see are ourselves.Â
The 90s (if you were alive then or can remember that far back) were a decade which revelled in the nuances of personal choices. We were all delighted with our own brand of specificness which we would happily recounted in great detail to anyone who would stop talking about themselves long enough to listen (I know, not much has changed).
This was probably best personified by the comedy series Seinfeld which correctly observed to much hilarity that we are all highly self-obsessed. In the relatively carefree and calm 90s this seemed like an acceptable way to live but we can no longer indulge this approach. In these more troubled times we have to pay attention. We cannot ignore shit any longer…and yet the worse it gets the harder it is to cope with. And the more we need to ignore it. Yup, a good ole Catch Twenty Fucking Two.
And if you do try to take it all on board it’s utterly paralysing and renders you useless so what’s the point of that? Being back on the streets I can feel the strain and tension a lot of people are under. Our only hope is to share the load. To confide in each other. To not pretend like everything is ok when it clearly isn’t. That will bring strength and unity and an ability to cope and to take action. That will get us through this…
