November 30th Strikes

Wednesday saw possibly the largest one day strike since the winter of discontent. Members of over 30 public sector unions downed tools and took to the streets in protest over planned changes to their pension schemes. The government claims that as people are now living longer the changes are unavoidable, especially at a time of such economic distress, when the whole country needs to tighten their belts. Union leaders are arguing that under the proposed plans workers will have to work longer, pay more, and recieve less, and that it is unfair that the public sector should have to foot the bill for a crisis they did not create whilst bankers get away with huge bonuses.

N30 Protest

Today I am in London covering the planned public sector strike action. If the unions are to be believed, the expected turnout could be one of the largest public sector protests in recent years. This all comes after legnthy talks between union leaders and the government, which in the last few weeks have deteriorated into a somewhat petty PR battle.

From what I can tell, public opinion on these strikes is somewhat divided between those who either support the strike or support their right to strike, and those who believe that the unions are being selfish at a time when the country needs to pull together.
I'd personally like to add that whether you support the strikes or not, could you all please respect their right to strike as it is a valuable part of our democracy.

Follow me on twitter @RDG_Documentary for updates throughout the day.

Could it all be over for the Occupy movement?

As you may have heard, police forces in New York removed both protesters and their camp from the Occupy Wall Street movement. By the sound of it the British arm of their movement outside St. Paul's Cathedral may be facing something similar in the days to come. They've been issued eviction notices, and the government and local council are gaining confidence from the events across the pond.

So yesterday I went down to Nottingham's Old Market Square to see if they've been affected by this. They were still there, and bigger than when I last saw them. When asked if they were worried about being removed given the current state of their world wide counterparts, they seemed surprisingly optimistic. They told me that they had proof from the planning office that the ground they are on belongs to the citizens of Nottingham so they can't legally be removed. I guess this begs the question, what gives them the right to be there anymore than any other citizen of Nottingham?

Text before Subtext in Photographs

The meaning of 9/11's most controversial photo

Follow the link for quite an interesting article about one of the most controversial photographs taken on 9/11. I find it amazing how much people read into it without much thought into other options. It just goes to show what can happen when you attempt to read subtext into everything you see without taking a step back and having a look at the bigger picture.

It made me think about how I see photos, and how other people may see my images. For instance the photograph below is one I took back in January at a protest in London. It was chosen by the BBC to go on their round up of the weeks news as the one photo to represent the large protests that took place in both London and Manchester. I think this may have been partially down to the fact that most peoples first impression of the image is that the policeman is being heavy handed and violent as he grabs this protester and pushes her back.

Occupy Nottingham

If you're not fully aware of the Occupy Wall Street movement that has been going on in New York for the past few weeks, I wouldn't be surprised. For some reason the media has decided not to really focus on this except for he odd report of someone being arrested. Anyway, people are protesting about the fact that all over the world the common citizen is having to tighten their belt and pay up for mistakes that bankers made, whilst they barely notice any change to their own lives. On the October 15th, the movement went global with protesters and camps popping up in cities all over the world. Nottingham is one of those cities, and whilst the protest here may not be as large and impressive as say New York or Rome, the people here are just as determined. They are still there and plan to be for some time, so if you want to show your support head down and say hi. Alternatively you can follow them on twitter at @OccupyNotts.

'Occupy' Goes Global

As some of you might of heard, the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement has gone global, with protesters from cities all over the world turning up to show their support. According to reports Nottingham is one of the cities taking part, with protesters camping out in The Old Market Square last night. Just as with the riots a couple of months ago, I'm off to document this event, and I'll bring you the photographs later tonight.

Trouble On The Streets

Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware of the riots spreading across England. (And if you have been living under a rock, I'm surprised. I thought all the rocks in this country are currently sitting in shops and cars having just been thrown through the window!) Yesterday afternoon I watched as Nottingham city centre shut its doors early and sent workers home in preparation for the possible violence on its way. As the afternoon became the evening, it was quite easy to see the increased police presence patrolling the city streets, and it wasn't too long before those extra numbers were called into use. 

A police dog and its handler confront a youth near a bus stop.