Blog Posts in "austin mitchell mp"

More photography gubbins

Posted at 22:51:36 on Thu, April 17th 2008 by graham
in: austin mitchell mp bbc government in the news petitions photography

Oh, and whilst we're on the subject the photography stuff I posted about earlier, there's a petition on the Downing Street website that UK citizens and ex pats can sign:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to clarify the laws surrounding photography in public places.

Through history, we have documented the world around us, whether through written word, art or photography.

Photography in particular has provided fantastic insights into the past and present, and is a hobby enjoyed by millions of people worldwide.

But today, it's becoming increasingly difficult to take photos of our surroundings, particularly in cities like London.

In recent years, the price divide between professional and consumer equipment has blurred, and it's quite common these days to see amateurs and hobbyists carrying around tripods, SLR cameras and a backpack full of equipment.

Yet, we are constantly harrassed by security guards and police officers in the name of preventing terrorism. They seem to be operating under a different interpretation of the law to the rest of us, believing that somehow the length of your lens, or size of your camera is relevant.

We would like clarification by the goverment on the law regarding photography of buildings and landmarks from public locations.

Seems like a worth sentiment. If you feel you've got an interest, please sign it.

And you tell me it's the law

Posted at 13:44:52 on Thu, April 17th 2008 by graham
in: austin mitchell mp government housesofparliament in the news law photography

... when it really isn't.

So, finally, someone in a position of influence is doing a bit of stomping about over the recent trend towards the Police (or, worse, people who think they have the same authority as the Police) stopping people from taking photographs, having them deleted or even seizing equipment from photographers whom they deem to be breaking some non-existant law.

Austin Mitchell, MP for Grimsby, has tabled a motion in Parliament to have the law clarified, if not strengthened in favour of the innocent photographer. The BBC has a story about it here.

Please, please, please write to your MP about this and ask them to support the motion. It's ridiculous that we, in a country that's so full of things that are fantastic to photograph, are letting hysteria over terrorism and paedophilila, mostly whipped up by the media, to turn us into the kind of suspicious society that finds even an innocent artistic pastime to be sinister.

I've already written to my MP about this, though I've yet to have a response. If you're wondering where to find your MP's details you can write to them using writetothem.com.

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Graham Binns is a writer, photographer, musician and software developer from Lancaster, England, with far too much hair, a penchant for odd t-shirts and a magnificent hat. He has been making things up for as long as he can remember and has been making code work for long enough to make a living from it.

He has written one novel, which is in the process of composting, and is working remembering how to write before embarking on a second. In the meantime, he photographs things, since it's easier not to have to make the world up in his head all of the time.

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