The Times, it is a‑changin’

What do I see in yesterday’s The Times? Why, it’s Hannah, Dagmar, and PeteW, defending our Harriet! My criticism of HH comes not because she wore a stab-proof vest, but because she’s a Nu-Labour yes-(wo)man, always voting just the way her party tells her. Come on, Harriet; be a rebel!

This is just an interim post; more tomorrow.

Update: The Goldfrapp video filmed in Addington Square is available to watch now. Quite funny to see that bus stop, telephone box, and fruit & veg stall there. Thanks to Matt for finding this.

Author: Peter

Long-time resident of Camberwell, author of this blog since July 2004.

132 thoughts on “The Times, it is a‑changin’”

  1. Filling up a third of an article with quotes from bloggers is lazy journalism and incredibly depressing.

  2. In a change of topic some of us on Camberwell New Road had a local council by-election recently (we fall just inside Vassal Ward). As part of the campaign Mr Lucas spoke to a representative of the Lib Dems. They asked what he’d like done in the area and among other things he mentioned the litter on our stretch of the road and the lack of a bin since someone drove into it nearly two years ago at the local bus stop. They said they’d see what they could do. The next day we had a copy of an email trhough our door which was a request on our behalf for a bin at the offending bus stop. Impressive. Then almost immediately a new bin appeared literally outside our front door, we now had our very own litter bin.

    The election has now been and gone and so has the bin. Vanished.

    The Lib Dems won I think.

  3. I wonder if someone is stealing bins ‑i’ve noticed the one on our road has gone walkabout recently!

  4. What that article illustrates to me is that we should never write anything negative about Camberwell as it will be reported and misconstrued.

    But then who’d be negative about the area where they live? They’d just move if they didn’t like it. Wouldn’t they?

  5. http://www.wheelie-bins-online.co.uk has answers. It’s all Spring fever, basically, nothing sinister — we have it here — internet fora, Nazi prostitutes (Norman Maine slipped that one in — you naughty boy!), JohnnyM carried shoulder-high through town and showered with rose petals by native girls, Peter re-classified from spod to celebrity — hey Times readers, come to Camberwell, it’s crazy! Due praise to Hannah — internet flora — she made us be nice in the nick of Time.

  6. Very lazy journalism. The comments under it are a wonderful blend of blowhard bile and mike gigglerisms.
    I’m usually against politicians representing vested interests (Gigglerism), but this was nothing more than a dozy PR cock-up. Does she live in her constituency? Poor show if not .

  7. entertaining though the comments from the blog were this is some of the lamest journalism I have ever seen.

    Hold the front page, we have some breaking news — some initials and a indecipherable symbol have been scratched into the window of a London Bus … see page 5 for expert opinions on what it could mean.

  8. Journalism — don’t get me started on that one! You start on the Winchester Times, progress (??) to The South London Press and “graduate” to The Sun. Or, if you’re not a pornographer (or prepared to rub shoulders with them), the Daily Mail or even The Even Stanit.
    If anyone out there remembers The Pop Group — “we are all prostitutes,.…. everyone has their price”. Not sure I agree with the statement, but it seems rather pertinent when talking about British journalism.

  9. I found the tone and premise of the article lame.

    But I’m not sure I agree that this is sloppy journalism. Why is it sloppy?

    Aren’t these comments genuine? And local?

    I like that kind of local input. And why not rip it from a blog?

    I work for an online news organization (trade publishing). There are core standards of accuracy and ethics to maintain, but the way information is collected and dispersed is changing.

  10. It’s not even sloppy journalism. It’s column inches based on nowt.

    There is a building. There is a pavement. Here is an MP walking through part of their constituency accompanied by police people. The MP is wearing clothes. So are the police people. They are all wearing shoes.

    Shit. Shock Horror.

  11. I can’t believe this is the first time in print for everyone concerned, but congratulations.

    As long as phrases like “sources close to Donald33 claimed…” don’t start to appear in mainstream media, I can appreciate D‑MAN’s point.

  12. To be fair it was probably some of the better stuff printed in the Times that day. Not that the other broadsheets are much better, but the Times is by far the worst.

    Don’t get me started on their property ramping, if you want to see something bad check out their ‘Bricks Chicks’.

  13. @12, it’s lazy because the hack is relying on a small self-selected group of like minded individuals who populate a blog rather than leaving the office and interviewing a few locals. It’s sloppy because the blog covers camberwell, and you’ll notice the incident took place in peckham. So not locals. It is though a good story of its type. Does HH live in Camberwell or Peckham btw?

  14. There are lots of nice bits. Some significantly nicer than Herne Hill.

    I don’t think you can criticise her for loving the Lido though.

  15. I used to love the way classic TV programme “Spitting Image” used to portray the press — Sheep in porkpie hats…never failed to make me laugh

  16. Alan @ 20

    I think there were both sheep and pigs — depending on what newspaper…non?

  17. “The program will be called “Headcases” and will first air on ITV1 on 5th April 2008.”

    according to Wikipedia. Can’t find it on the schedules though. Seems I’ve been the victim of a wikiwindup.

  18. Alan

    Looks like it might be amusing — although times have changed it will probably be more celebrity based than Spitting Image which had much more of obvious a political slant

    Kenneth Baker slowly mutating into a slug? — LOL!

  19. …and the, “I’ve never met a nice South African” sketch pops up right next to it. Classic!

  20. What an eventful week in Camberwell. This evening, the temperature is well over 60 degrees Fahrenheit and the air pressure 1026 millibars, perfect drinking weather.

  21. Thanks Good Ness it’s perfect drinking weather — first time since early 2007 — because Aaron Barschack is on at The Sun and Doves again tonight. He’ll clear the bar within four minutes of starting his set. Unless people have been rehumoured by the clemency of the evening. They can all retire to the garden.

    Alastair Darling is still barred from the pub by the way. If any of you bump into him please remind him.

    Thanks.

  22. Wow! — Goldfrapp and their video director have almost made Camberwell look as chic(sic) as Notting Hill

    I must admit to finding Alison Goldfrapp a rather attractive lady, I wonder if she’s as attractive in person? Hmmmm…

  23. Mark did you book the ‘Shack or was it an accident? Im staying away tonight as I dont like seeing people fall flat on their faces.

    I saw him doodling about in public once, and he’s up to the ‘funny mate’ kind of standard but I can’t see it translating well to a enclosed venue.

    Hopefully he will confound me.

  24. eus. Alison Goldfrapp seems very attractive to me too. Like perfect. Which means I know she’s too good to be true. Which means I like her/their music and have to leave it at that. Up front she’ll be ordinary and possibly totally screwed up by being so good at what she does. The idea of a woman like that being together and solid and ‘normal’ is insane. Er stop now before going too far.

    Duff — the B Shack came with the whole month deal organised by Mark McGowan and Guy Hilton. I left the pub this evening at 8.30 and he hadn’t turned up; he was supposed to be on at 8pm. Secretly I hope he didn’t come late at all. Because I was concerned that he might clear the premises with his sincerity.

  25. Beer, Birds and Barschak. Nazi Tarts and Moseleys. Oh, Albion. Actually, Albion are fine, it’s Millwall we should be worried about today in their “battle with fellow relegation strugglers” Gillingham.

    The art show at the SLG ends on Sunday — the films are worth watching there.

    The American art show at the Dulwich Gallery is well worth the £20 you pay for two to be friends till September. It is stunning. For £20 for 6 months you can mosey around the gallery — moseley round the gallery — pretending you don’t live in… you can… there are no charity shops in Dulwich Village, has anyone else noticed that? A pity there aren’t. “Hello, I want to donate my husband. He is worth £250,000 a year cash.”

  26. Charlton Heston was named after Charlton and Heston. Camberwell is exactly midway, which is spooky. Heston Services on the M4 is the site of the aerodrome where Neville Chamberlain waved his piece of paper promising peace in our time.

    Talking of Hitler, I apologise to East Molesey in Surrey, a charming town, and Moseley in Birmingham. Oswald and his son Max are spelled Mosely. They got a pasting when they tried to address a crowd in the East End in 1962. What an example of what not to do, when, they both are! There are quite a few Mitford sisters round Camberwell, aren’t there? You occasionally hear a hoot.

    The snow may reduce the numbers in our Tibet demo today. Where are we meeting? Tower Bridge?

  27. I was walking down camberwell Grove the other day and it looks like they’re shutting it to all but bicycles for good. I thought they were going to put traffic lights in. Has anyone got the latest on it?

  28. The gap does look rather small, but the intention is i think to limit the road width so only one car at a time can cross (because of the weak bridge). The lights are there to regulate the flow. The long term aim is to replace the bridge to return the road to its natural state (so no lights), but that could take a long time. There is a strong local lobby to expedite the bridge’s replacement because no-one is particularly happy with the lights.

  29. Having just spotted that I’m now an inadvertent contributor to the Times, I will spring (in part) to the defence of poor Jenny Booth, who has copped a bit of criticism for lifting the quotes in her article.

    Yes, there is something a bit lazy about the whole process (and quoting, separately, from a ‘conspiracy theory’ site was just dumb), but I can imagine how it happened. Jenny is clearly a website-only reporter for the Times, probably a freelancer paid a day rate, and was doubtless told to get a bit of ‘local reaction’ in her piece. With — at a guess — less than an hour to write it and no prospect of leaving the office to actually speak to people in Camberwell and Peckham she’s clearly just done a Google search and filleted what she could.

    No, it’s not Pulitzer-winning material but it’s what many other pressured reporters would do in the situation. National papers, which are desperately trying to get their ageing, inky fingers round the concept of this new-fangled interweb thing, love quoting blogs as they believe this is the ‘real’ voice of people in a locality. The fact it’s less time consuming than actually going out and talking to people, and thus cheaper, is not entirely coincidental.

    I’d also take issue with calling journalists ‘prostitutes’, not surprisingly given that I am one (a journalist, that is; maybe prostitutes feel insulted by the comparison too). There are bad sorts in more or less every profession, and equally, plenty of excellent, low-profile types whose work is never really noticed by the wider public. Judging every journalist by the grubby standards of some Sun/Mail/Express articles is like greeting every accountant you ever meet with a jibe about Enron or WorldCom.

  30. http://www.flickr.com/photos/20672545@N07/2360931637/in/pool-camberwell_se5/

    This is a photo of the Cruson shop van.

    I really like it. Symbolises his determination to struggle on in Camberwell against the odds.

    Great shop. I bought a Turkish coffee pot from there. YOu put the coffee and water in and then boil on the stove. You’re also supposed to add loads of sugar. It’s a lot of faff but I like it.

    What’s the deal with flickr? Can I just buy a print of this and never tell the guy who took it?

  31. Gave up on Headcases (Spitting image) after 10 mins. Combination of very poor start and competition from MOTD2.

    Gordon Brown Scrooge was funny. For a bit.

  32. Saw the bit about the Tories- not too bad.

    I’m sure in the old days they’d have addressed Tibet. Got to be slower to make with Disney Pixar style animation. Less likely to be topical. Eusebiovic nailed it about the prominence of celebrity. Beckham sketch was awful. Madonna less bad but weak.

    Won’t be tuning in next week. ITV are screwed.

  33. @ Alan (42): Each photo has a license; this one says ‘All Rights Reserved’, so while you could download it and print it, it wouldn’t really be cricket. Best to get in touch with the owner.

  34. Great van shot, Alan. “Ceres”, excellent classical tag on the van. Anyone who says Camberwell is third world cannot read graffiti.

    The last showing of the film about Angola at the SLG today was packed out. Very good short film about folks, oil, politics, life, death. Fab music. Viva the Portuguese.

    It was like Sound of Music early this morning with the snow. Everything passes.

  35. Thanks Peter.

    If I use one of your would you mind?

    Mark? Would you be happy for me to steal your pictures off flickr?

  36. If it’s for your own personal use, I have no problem with that at all. If you were planning to reprint it somewhere, that would be OK as long as nobody was making money off it and I was given credit.

  37. WHAT WAS THAT POLICE OPERATION this afternoon in Camberwell? I have never seen so many huge coppers running around carrying machine guns before, huffing and puffing. What the heck was that? Why is it so low tech that they had to run and run, all panicky and pathetic? The chopper was overhead. If you were mugged round here, there would be no big show at all.

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