I photographed Bob Crow, the RMT leader who died last Tuesday, on several occasions, and like others around me who heard it at a trade union protest outside Parliament was shocked by the news. He was a great inspiration to many in the trade union movement and dedicated his life to his union members. Others too owe him, because the union has fought not just for better working conditions and pay, but also for public safety, particularly on the London Underground.
Of course both during his life and after his death the media was full of lies about him; while he was alive they demonised him, and afterwards there was a sickening rush to publish the fulsome comments from many who never had a good word about him when he was living.
Although I have quite a few pictures of him at various events, I never felt I had taken a really good picture of the man. Perhaps some of the better ones are still buried in my black and white files from pre-digital days.
When on Friday morning I woke to the news that Tony Benn had died, there was little surprise, but a great sense that we had lost a major figure, and one loved by many. He was as many have said a charming man and a great speaker, combining wit and timing with a persuasive and eloquent logic. He was a man who always sounded reasonable – even to those who opposed his views. At times I was so carried away by his speaking that I forgot I was there to take photographs.
I don’t know how many times I photographed Benn over the years; probably hundreds, and certainly not all of the thousands of images I took were good pictures. Again many of the better images may be in my uncatalogued files.
And of course, so often he was right, something perhaps the media tributes have failed to make clear. Most notably in recent years about Iraq, and also about what we should have done about it. It was a great shame that the Stop the War movement failed to follow his lead and take effective action, too set as they were in the dinosaur left mind-block. His was a mind that was always open to new ideas.
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My London Diary : Buildings of London : River Lea/Lee Valley : London’s Industrial Heritage
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