Street Photography

Yesterday a friend of mine took  a picture of a derelict house in Finsbury Square in the City, when a security guard tried to prevent him from doing so. This guard was employed by UBS, that Swiss bank fined $740 million for a tax fraud in the States. They are set to shed 10,000 jobs by 2015, as it turns out their ability to make real profits when not involved in a massive criminal conspiracy that would make Tony Soprano blush was illusory. Presumably the guard was trying to preserve his job by showing his zeal in stopping rogue photography. Unfortunately, he has committed the cardinal sin of being born not-white and not from public school so his efforts are mostly likely in vain.

The high-vis jobsworth's behaviour does highlight a worrying trend in modern Britain, where someone taking a picture in a public place which they have an absolute legal right to do may be prevented by any  number of martinets in day-glo yellow ranging from security guards, community support officers (or plastic filth as da yoof round my way terms them) and genuine not plastic, bona fide police officers.

In any debate about civil liberties, the temptation is to refer to slippery slopes and Nazi Germany, conjuring up images of Gestapo officers whizzing down waterslides (at least that's what it does in my head). I've already given in you see, by referencing Nazis in the previous sentence; sadly I have all the self-control of a dog caught short on a bowling green so it was bound to happen.

Interfering with street photography is  a rare occasion when the slippery slope cliche applies.  We are all entitled to take photos in a public place and letting self-appointed control freaks who do not know the law intimidate us means we lose a small but important freedom. Blame the 'war on terror' or rather blame the mindset that comes with such a stupid and self-defeating concept. Before the Trade Centre attacks and the July bombings on the tube, no one bothered about who was taking a photo of what. Why? Because trying to prevent a terrorist attack by stopping people taking pictures of landmarks or buildings is about as sensible as building a dam made of Disprin.

One way of preventing terror attacks is specific intelligence of radical groups. Another way of preventing atrocities is this: when a man arrives at the UK borders with hooks for hands, who preaches the destruction of Western civilisation, do not let him in the country. Simple really. Sadly common sense and government were last seen together under a bridge, where government was witnessed brutally shoeing common sense in a sickening re-creation of the underpass scene in A Clockwork Orange.

We are not powerless though and the only cure for this attempt to remove of our freedom by stealth is to take as many photos as possible of everything. Don't take pictures of serving police officers because thanks to Section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act, that actually is an offence and I suppose if I encourage you, I could be guilty of some kind of terrorist conspiracy. Everything else is fine, especially if it's got a security guard in the frame and even better if its a bank recently found guilty of criminal activities (which is all of them isn't it?).

Let's hear those digital cameras make the simulated sound of a shutter releasing.