Welcome to my wee photoblog on Glasgow, where we feature the joys and unjoys of walking and cycling through a fascinating, beautiful and often badly run city. For the blog's origin see the 'Introduction' post -http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/02/introduction.html
It is 26 January and Tommy Sheridan is to be sentenced. The seven earlier blogs on the Sheridan trial are
Swingergate Day 2: Tommy and Gail Sheridan on Trial
Swingergate Day 11: 'How's He No' Gettin' Drapped Aff?'
Swingergate Day 28: A Large Pinch of Salt
Swingergate Day 37: Andy Coulson Doesn't Slip Up
Swingergate Day 44: Sherry Pleads His Case
Swingergate Day 45: Waiting for the Verdict
Swingergate Day 46: the Last Day
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| Damn it: missed the procession. |
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| More media about than on previous days |
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| Setting up |
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| It's about quarter to ten and we have a while to go before sentence is passed, so we'll go for a wee wander round the Saltmarket. We looked at the Saltmarket before: see http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/10/saltmarket.html but we have plenty of time to take a closer look at the shops round about |
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| Looking up to Glasgow Cross |
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| Advice for tenants |
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| Looking down to old High Court |
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| Many of the shops are occupied only by abandoned furnishings |
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| Wisdom Worldwide: a philosophical name for a money transfer shop |
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| A World of Wisdom to let |
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| Lawyers abound around here; none boarded up |
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| Glasgow's Sign Shop: to let |
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| The Tron Pawn |
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| Looking into the Bridgegate |
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| Ugly Houses wanted |
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| Market on the Green: a charity shop |
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| Billy Bilsland: long-established cycle shop. Some things last |
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| Rangers and Celtic gifts |
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| Wandering back to the High Court, we find that a few campaigners are gathering to piggyback on the Sheridan publicity, including the Hollie Greig campaigners. The Hollie Greig affair is either the biggest modern-day scandal in Scotland or a muddle of tragic incidents - do as the banner says: google, and make your own mind up |
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| The Sheridan banner from the back (we'll see plenty of the front shortly). That's Tommy's mother Alice in the white coat in the middle |
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| The TV cameras wait - like marabou storks I think, patient and silent |
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| The press photographer gunslinger look |
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| That's one huge cop: I swear I haven't been fiddling with Photoshop |
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| Nothing still happening. Have wandered back into Saltmarket (giant cop has vanished) |
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| Victim Support |
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| This is 'giant': activities for children, See http://www.giantproductions.org |
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| Glasgow's Big Issue office |
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| There are a few art galleries about: as with the Bridgegate development a few hundred yards away, one assumes much is made of the 'edgy' environment |
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| Old stone work |
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| Heading back to the High Court; wee dog here was making a determined stand about something |
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| More Victim Support |
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| Photographer with ladder |
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| Meant to have closer look at the Thistle Centre last few times I was here |
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| Hmm - services offered include 'Past Life Regression' and 'Virtual Gastric Band Surgery'. I am not part of the target market I think |
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| OK - enough wandering |
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| Another piggyback campaign |
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| Snappers conferring |
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| 'Liar Co' said a jesting passer by |
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| Never noticed this before: a lawyer's idea of a water feature perhaps? I find it appealing, almost like something you might stumble across at Delphi |
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| The sentence has just been announced: three years. That's Glenn Campbell of BBC Scotland beside the lady in the purple |
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| Sheridan's supporters raise a banner |
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| Am not sure why this policeman has to stand in front of the banner; maybe the police are scared Sherry will be rolled up in it and carried away like Cleopatra in a rug |
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| Three of what the Scotsman the next day calls 'local worthies' approach the court in an unquiet manner - the dreaded Glasgow Neds - the Wee Malkies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFJFsPJn7q0 The discomfort in the crowd is palpable |
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| 'Ello, 'ello |
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| The Yellow Hoodie infiltrates the crowd |
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| I can't hear what he's saying but seems to making the point that three years is OK, apparently |
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| The long arm of the law reaches in to lead him away and put an end to this disruption of the dignity of the Scottish justice system |
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| Glenn Campbell there is not actually talking to a bush but to a BBC camera, making a recording for later broadcast about the sentence |
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| Anwar's assistant appears to tell the media that they will be out soon |
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| Glenn is having to do a few retakes |
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| Hailstones start to fall amid much jocularity: does God think it should have been more than three years or is he disapproving of Tommy being brought to trial? |
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| Some business with the banner |
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| Bernard Ponsonby - STV's Big Gun - in the middle with the pink tie |
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| Real Radio interviewers - they ask people what they think of the sentence: people either condemn it or (wisely) say 'No Comment'. |
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| Bernard wanders over for a recce. For his interviewing technique, see his renowned grilling of John Smeaton -To be fair to Smeato, many Scottish MPs struggle to answer Ponsonby's questions. |
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| The chap approaching Bernard had a t-shirt featuring the front page of the Daily Telegraph: some story about a Tory MP and £100,000. I have not a scooby what that was about and sadly Bernard moved on |
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| Anwar and Gail Sheridan have now emerged |
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| Notice the 'War Baby' campaigner emerging above the banner |
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| Gail thanks Anwar for all he has done. . . |
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| . . .and gives him a kiss. Much of what has been happening at this trial is perhaps not always quite what it seems, but there seems to be genuine affection between Gail and Anwar. The photographers also like the young but very experienced media trouper Anwar (if perhaps not to the point of kissing him) |
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| Team Sheridan head back inside |
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| Bloody fag ends. Give the place a bad name |
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| I like this pic |
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| For the business with the minutes see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-11476368 |
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| Lynn Sheridan, Tommy's sister, being interviewed by Bernard. For her view on the video evidence against her brother see http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/216103-tommy-sheridans-sister-claims-video-is-cheap-imitation/ |
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| Alice Sheridan in the white coat. For her view of her son see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5buYLOanF8 |
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| This guy said he had come up from Manchester to record his displeasure at the verdict and sentence |
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| Alice Sheridan being interviewed by Bernard |
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| Everybody is leaving except the ghouls who want to grab a pic of the prison van bound for Barlinnie. Bernard has just bestowed one of his deceptively avuncular smiles on this nice dog |
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| Can we go now? |
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| Been a long morning |
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| Back round in the Bridgegate we meet again the older (and perhaps wiser) Glasgow which lives on despite the rebrandings. |
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Both Tommy Sheridan and Rosie Kane have been to Cuba to meet Castro and to pledge the support of the Scottish people for the Cuban revolution. Castro's opinion on Scottish leftwing factionalism is unknown. Back in May 2003, after the SSP had five MSPs elected to Holyrood - making it one of the most successful socialist parties in western Europe - Rosie said "I hope that the parliament is going to become a bit like the Big Brother house, and people are going to want to watch it to see what's happening. They're going to be amazed at all the madness and craziness that's going to happen in there'. And Tommy Sheridan said: 'We are going to mount a major campaign over the next four years that will engulf Scotland'. None of the MSPs survived future elections and Tommy Sheridan ended up in the Celebrity Big Brother House |
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| These Bridgegate arches continue the traditions of Paddy's Market, http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/10/paddys-market-last-day.html of traders serving the poor of the city; a service and a social class that do not chime with the approved marketing image |
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| Back to St Enoch's and the shopping world. I've pretty much said all I have to say on the trial by now. Must say again that this trial blog http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/ was a wonder of objectivity and an important source for all with an interest in this strange trial Here is an alphabetical list of entries so far: click on the links to be taken to the entry Introduction Anderston Anniesland Bad Posters Balloch Bellahouston Park Bellahouston Park 2 : After the Pope is Over Botanic Gardens Bridgeton Cross Buchanan St Burrell Collection Calton Cessnock / Kinning Park Chatelherault Churches (Working/ Non-Working), Temples Mosques etc Citizens Theatre City Centre Climate Change Demo Clydebank 1 Clyde River Festival Clydeside Cowcaddens Cricket December 2010: Dusk, Dark and Dawn Dennistoun Edwin Morgan Evolving Odeon Festivals and Fetes Finnieston Forth and Clyde Canal 1 Forth and Clyde Canal 2 Garnethill George Square Glasgow Cross / Trongate /Argyle St Glasgow Green: the 2010 Scottish Junior Run Glasgow North-West By-election 2009 Glasgow Piping Festival Glasgow's Sikhs GoMa Gorbals Gorbals 2 Gorbals 3: Saltmarket to Tradeston Govan Govanhill Govan Underground to Ibrox Underground: 40th anniversary of the Ibrox Stadium Disaster Grow Glasgow Hampden Park: Dundee United v Ross County Cup Final 15 May 2010 Hidden Gardens: Glasgow Harvest at Tramway http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/10/tramway-glasgow-harvest-at-hidden.html Hillhead / West End Hospitals Hunterian Museum Hyndland Ibrox Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Kelvingrove Park Kelvingrove Park: Sledging Kelvingrove Park: the Fountain Vandalised King's Theatre to Glasgow Cathedral: a November Walk Lobey Dosser day Charles Rennie Mackintosh Maryhill Mela 2008 Mela 2010 Necropolis Paddy's Market: the Last Day Queen's Cross and Firhill Red Road Flats Red Road Flats 2 Red Road Flats 3 Ruchill Park Saltmarket Save Otago Lane 16 October 2010 St Enoch Centre Sighthill Stone Circle Sighthill Summer Solstice 2010 Sighthill Towers Before the Fall Sighthill Towers After the Fall Single Parent: Trials of an Extra part 2 Springburn Swingergate Day 2: Tommy and Gail Sheridan on Trial Swingergate Day 11: 'How's He No' Gettin' Drapped Aff?' Swingergate Day 28: A Large Pinch of Salt Swingergate Day 37: Andy Coulson doesn't slip up Swingergate Day 45: Waiting for the Verdict Swingergate Day 46: the Last Day Taggart: Trials of an Extra part 1 Tommy Burns Tribute Alexander Greek Thomson Welcome to Glasgow: the Dalmarnock Rd Welcome to Glasgow 2: the Yoker Rd We're Not being paid Enough For This West End Festival 2010 Woodlands Woodside |
Hello Edwin, excellent set of pictures.
ReplyDeleteall the best
James
Many thanks James. Just found Kenneth Roy's piece in Scottish Review also lauding your trial blog - I do hope it gets the recognition it deserves. We all have opinions and can all spout off, but to create something so balanced and accurate is a very rare phenomenon indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe 'Hollie" Greig or "Holly" Greig saga seems to be a classic example of the use or misuse of the blogsphere, and somewhat in disarray from what I can determine from 'Google'.
ReplyDeleteI think your photos of the Tommygate aftermath as seen ouside the court, tell a story that could not have been captured, and has not been, as far as I can see, by 'normal'photojournalism. Absolutely first class stuff, Edwin.[this applies to all the photos on your blog.]
As a by the by, have you any idea who the blonde lady and the man next to her on her left are in the photos where they appear behind Gail and the solicitor [as in in the photo with the caption "Notice the 'War Baby' campaigner emerging above the banner"] ? Innocent bystanders, caught in the glare of the headlights, perhaps?
Keep on blogging, and taking photos!
Cheers.
Many thanks Anon - what I am trying to do is document contemporary Glasgow through pics and wee narratives. The Sheridan trial has been of particular interest to me as it ties into (a) the Paddy's Market closure in the lane next to the High Court, (b) why some affairs, in a very Scottish manner, become pursued to their logical end and others (eg Glasgow's former Labour leader and his cocaine habit) do not. And that wee stroll from St Enochs Square to the Saltmarket takes in so much of the city's history and also so much of what the city has become in modern times behind the facade.
ReplyDeleteHave no idea who the couple are - part of the Sheridan family I supposed. I hold no brief whatsoever for Sheridan himself who has become the centre of a messianic cult - but it's worth remembering that the SSP did some good things in Parliament that would not have been achieved without his force of personality - the ending of warrant sales for example.
And I must add that the BBC Scotland piece on Sherry's fall was shaming to watch. Private Eye tells us more of what is going on in Scotland than BBC (stands for bloody bloody cowardly) Scotland, but you can practically taste their glee when they get to pick the bones of the fallen.
The Sheridan-led SSP were never going to overthrow capitalism (and a Scotland ruled by the SSP would have become Hoxha's Albania in weeks) but the party served a useful function at Holyrood.
Now at the May election we might see the SSP, Solidarity and George Galloway come behind the BNP in votes cast in Glasgow. An extraordinary turn of events.