London End

Part of London's contribution to the New Year's Day Parade. Most of the offerings from London were unbelievably dire. This example was among the best. And - while I recognise the effort that went into creating it - our locally provided entertainment was shambolically amateur, especially when compared to the slick US bands.

Let's take a moment to consider the phenomenon. The US seem to be able to interest hundreds of teenagers in the activity sufficiently for them to put the effort into learning and practising their instruments and roles. That doesn't come easy - in the UK it is only the military cadets that seem to show that kind of dedication. I wonder why that is, and if we could possibly learn a lesson from it?

The title of this post echoes the title of 2nd volume of The Image Men, by JB Priestly - a work that presages the arrival of Peter Mandelson 30 years before the term "Spin Doctor" was coined, I recommend it to the house.

Final post looking at the photographic possibilities of the parade tomorrow, in the meantime, there are nearly 40 short video clips of the parade here.