The Manchester Mafia presents.......

The Manchester Mafia are once again bringing us The Manchester International Festival! Reuniting chums Hans Ulrich Obrist, Maxine Peake, Bjork, legendary Mancunian Damon Albarn, Peter Saville (no relation to Jimmy) and the oldest swinger in town Dave Haslem. All together again for another money spinning year.

What, page three yer dirty bastard?

What people think you do when you say your a photographer. 

The Same But Different.

This is 'SPRINKLE BRIGADE' who make what I guess you would call 'Street Art' out of dog shit. And it is dog shit. But so much shit is talked that perhaps this dog shit is less bullshit than other shit that is talked. I mean if you want some shit then listen to some of the crap that is spoken HERE.... It's not that the work is bad, It's not, loads of it is really good. But then as the old song goes "And then you go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like....."

Bloody Sunday...Monday... Tuesday.....Wed....

image copyright Clive Limpkin

Today after too many years the families of the victims got their apology, and so they should. But when do the victims of THIS or THIS or THIS, or the one closest to my heart THIS get their apologies?

Who's Guarding The Guardian?

Now don't get me wrong I've not always been a fan of The Guardian, I think they have a lot to answer for, for glamorising the behaviour of tow rags in certain parts of this town and by coining the phrase "Gunchester" how many little dicks wore that T Shirt? Guardian readers wind me up as well, sanctimonious Chorlton types, yeah I know I'm generalising but tough shit it's my blog, no doubt they to have at times taken that editorial line......

But wait I digress the point of this post is to big them up in their hour of need. They've hit hard times like so many of us. As Guardian media they've already binned some of the smaller concerns but now it looks like even the Actual Guardian and Observer brand are really feeling the pinch.

I'm not concerned because of their so called PC, left of centre leaning. In these crazy days it's The Right wing Telegraph that's been taking the politicians to task right across the parties anyway.
No the reason I'm concerned is far more shallow than that, I'm going to call it The Woolworths feeling. Pure unadulterated sentimentality. First off because it started here, as The Manchester Guardian in 1821 until it "got all above it's self" in 1959 and moved to London.
Reason number two is photography and it's use as a journalistic tool. It appointed it's first staff photographer as far back as 1908. It was one of the first papers anywhere to do so.
It kept a noble tradition using the talents of Don McPhee and Dennis Thorpe, and helped to invent and define the role of the photojournalist, for that alone it should be thought of as a national treasure and I hope it's future is brighter than Woolies was........