Waterloo Sunset

I was a little surprised nobody commented on my fabulous pictures of my favourite London train station in the previous post. I was wondering if anybody could identify it. Today I tried to capture the essence of Waterloo Station - which is not the station in 'Train In Vain'. I can never really capture this one. I've always wanted to post personal impressions of what Ray Davies wrote about in Waterloo Sunset. Things I too have seen and felt a hundred thousand times, but I can never get it on film. Like most things inspirational, perhaps it is best to keep them in the recesses of the mind.

Terry and Julie need each other - but all I need is a Waterloo Sunset.

Train In Vain

It has been fascinating watching the leadership of Tony Blair falter, stumble and crumble. It is also amazing to me how stubbornly insistent he is on hanging on to it. I really wonder what motivates people at times.

Although he has a boyish sort of charm and a likeable disposition I have huge problems with a number of policies he has pushed through the Commons and turned into law. Some of them get me so angry I feel physically ill when I think about them. Furious. That boyish charm has garnered him a lot of support in the past. I have always looked through and beyond that sort of thing, but in politics it is frequently all you need. Shockingly I know people who - when pressed - disagree with almost every one of his policies but still support him because he is 'likeable'. Unbelievable. This is exactly why we need to have personal liberty guaranteed to protect us from democracy. That is what constitutions are for. Anyway, not the point of this post. So how come things have turned so ugly for Tony? Professional politics all started with Ugly Rumours for Tony, and it is all going to end in ugly tatters. Certainly I would have pushed him out years ago if it were up to me. Recently though he has suffered most at the hands of his 'friends'. The how and why is important but secondary. This is something far more fundamental and I think we can all relate to it. Another sad 'Train In Vain', as brilliantly characterized by the Clash. Did you stand by me? No not at all - Did you stand by me? - No way.

Tony seems like a really nice fella and would probably be a great neighbour. I'm not a fan of his legacy as PM, but I think I know how he may feel now. Sorry mate. It must be much harder for him when friends let him down. Without the support of friends, there really isn't much of a Tony Blair there. Once all the peripheral support is stripped away, we are left with nothing. Kind of pathetic, especially for a leader. More characteristic of a vacuum. It can only be vain to continue to stay around - thankfully his train is about to leave.