Protest

We went to the big anti-fees/cuts protest in central London yesterday. It was a really nice day, with the sun shining giving us a nice view of the buildings as we stood on Whitehall. The protest was very good-natured, with lots of students chanting the usual stuff and plenty of staff members around as well. The Student Union estimates 50,000, which looked about right. There clearly weren't enough police, and self-critical comments appeared in the newspapers today. However, we were speculating that they may have deliberately under-staffed the protest in an implicit protest of their own to the government, which is cutting back police numbers severely.

At the end of the march, a group of students occupied the forecourt of the Conservative Party building, eventually smashing some front windows and entering the building. The pictures look dramatic, and now we will have the usual 'ratbag' student complaints. But still, you have to wonder if it won't have a beneficial impact in the end, revealing an anger towards the government that hasn't been in evidence at all so far. I suspect that this protest will mark the beginning of public opposition to the coalition government, and come to define the tone of that opposition, especially felt by the middle class which has benefitted from state funding in many ways, including higher education. Students usually lead the way ideologically, even if they're politically weak, so I think we can expect more from this point forward. The best coverage is, of course, in Le Monde

Ernesto Neto

Went to see the Neto installation at the Hayward Gallery yesterday. Lots of fun, organic shapes and stretched tulle everywhere.

Memorabilia

The English produce hilarious memorabilia. I have already put in my order for the Coalition government commemorative tankard (pictured). Sadly, I cannot afford the 175 pounds necessary to purchase a Margaret Thatcher candle snuffer. Although, clearly, it's worth it.

Election highlights

Gordon Brown is no longer Prime Minister. So, sadly, we will no longer see him deftly charm the public like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fcQ5VPWt3I

Ham

The ultra-rich enclave of Ham, a few miles north of Surbiton, never fails to deliver surprises. Inside a small area of square mile or so, one finds a concentration of elaborate but tightly packed mansions, which suggests that they prefer to live as close together as possible, rather than opting for an even larger pile in the surrounding areas, where they would be forced to live amongst the awful middle classes. In the midst of the mansions is the Polo club, which holds matches every Sunday (it's on the 'to do' list...).

And if you sit on the top deck of the bus you can occasionally see over the large walls and hedges into the private world of the aristocracy. Yesterday, there was evidence of Edward Scissorhands having been let loose in Ham. One backyard boasted three large topiary elephants - a father, mother and, yes, a baby, perfectly formed in lush green. The tallest one must have been 2-3 metres high. What's more, they looked well-established, and not placed for a birthday party or other special occasion. I'm sure they make quite the talking point at apres-polo functions.

Iceland

As if the Icelanders haven't caused us enough trouble. First their economy collapsed through unbelievably dodgy bank borrowing. Then they promised to pay back the Icesave money to British and Dutch account holders, only to change their mind at a referendum. Now their revenge has extended to the outlandish measure of inflicting their volcanic ash upon us and wrecking our holidays. Not that we have seen any sign of the ash. In London, the skies are blue and the warm weather means sunscreen and barbeques.

And the Icelanders' volcano may yet have an impact on the election. The Londoners residing near Heathrow have been amongst the most angry voters of recent elections. They have switched support from Labour to the Tories in recent years, voting in Mayor Johnson on the back of resentment about crime, transport and the rest. But these voters are now basking in sunshine in their backyards, the skies free of deafening noise and avgas pollution. With their anger dissipating, who knows what might happen to the Conservative vote. Another few seats to the Liberal Democrats, perhaps?

Elections

The national election has been called for May 6 and the candidates are already underwhelming us with their pitches. Cameron says he's standing on behalf of 'the great ignored', although this would have been more accurate if he called them 'the great ignorant'. Brown is putting forward some entirely forgettable promises, which I've since forgotten. And all of us are wondering if we can survive what is likely to be the excessive use of the phrase 'game changer' by journalists.

The most likely outcome is, of course, a Conservative victory by 20-odd seats. But they do have to get a massive swing and overcome the distribution of voters in seats which is horribly biased against them. For anyone interested in the progress of the campaign, the Guardian has a 'poll of polls' interactive page, which is very helpful: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/interactive/2010/apr/06/general-election-2010-polling

New Orleans

After a delay for a period of heavy commuting, the blog is back. Attached are some photographs of New Orleans. Sadly, I don't have one of the freight trains which run regularly along the river, right through the centre of town, delivering goods to freighters running along the Mississippi River. The place was pretty quiet for a major city, so I figured it's either the after-effects of the hurricane exodus, or the recession, or both. But the French Quarter and the Garden District are both very stylish and there is a great feeling on the streets. A tour to the swamp took us past East New Orleans where the major flood damage is still visible.

The swamp is spectacular, although unfortunately the alligators were asleep. But there were lots of birds and cypress trees and we saw where the storm surge carried houses off their supports and washed them down the river.

Caffe Vergnano

The best coffee in the UK is Caffe Vergnano. It is an Italian coffee shop in Charing Cross and now they have opened up a restaurant and cafe at Southbank, which is very convenient for Waterloo. The coffee is fantastic, just like you get in Australia, so I intend to visit as many times as possible.

Yesterday I remembered that I had a loyalty card, so I dug it out to add a few stamps, assuming that I might get a free coffee once I reached ten. Wrong. You don't get a free coffee after ten, you don't get a free coffee at all. What you do get is a set of designer coffee cups and saucers. But I read the details and it tells me that I need six cards completed before I win the designer cups. That's a whopping sixty coffees, you think. No, you are wrong. Each card has 15 spaces for stamps on the front, and another 15 on the back. In total, I would need to drink 180 coffees or hot chocolates to win the cups.

So, not only do you get free designer cups, but you get a designer heart condition to go with them.

Snow 2009/10

According to the media, the country was paralysed by snow over Christmas and New Year. But to most people, it was beautiful and welcome. These pictures show West Didsbury, Surbiton, and central London from December to January.