“We Don’t Need No Thought Control” is a line from the 1979 Pink Floyd song “Another Brick in the Wall”.

The meaning of the song is that ‘the teacher actually represents the government and the students are the people. The government doesn't let people do what they want and the government wants to control everyone.’ (Marcello, 2014).

The phrase ‘another brick in the wall’ refers to an insignificant individual within a large population or community (Wordhistories, n.d.). The message in the song, and my exhibition, is to not become another brick in the wall, thinking and doing what the government (and client journalists) tell you.

Link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrxX9TBj2zY

“Reject the evidence of your eyes and ears”  (Orwell, 1949) is a line from George Orwell’s novel 1984.

Orwell wrote 1984 as a Dire Warning to Citizens, not an Instruction Manual for Government. Yet increasingly we are seeing Government seeking to control what we do and think, either through control of Client Journalists who account for over 80% of the UK media, or through legislation not unreminiscent of Germany in the 1930’s.

This includes:

• Criminalising peaceful protest (Policing Bill)

• Criminalising Gypsy and Roma way of life (Policing Bill)

• Government taking control of the Electoral Commission, as opposed to it operating independently of Government (Elections Bill)

• Mandatory voter ID, including accepting Senior Citizen’s Bus Passes but not Aged 16-25 ones, reflecting Conservative Party demographic (Elections Bill)

• Government unilaterally decides what consistures Fair Political Campaigning (Elections Bill)

• Easier for Government to strip citizens of British Nationality (Nationality and Borders Bill)

• Government is now unaccountable in law for its actions (Judicial Review Bill)

• Human Rights Act to be removed (Brexit Freedoms Bill)

All of this is in a prevailing climate of “othering” - blaming people who are “not like me” for all our collective problems; much the same as Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

“Boris Johnson and his ministers have made at least 27 false statements to parliament and failed to correct them.”     Full Fact (2022)

Full Fact is a non-aligned British charity which checks information in the news, social media or elsewhere for accuracy.

The ministerial code – which applies to all ministers – states that “It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity.”

In the two and a half years following the 2019 election, 27 incorrect statements were made my ministers, including 17 from Boris Johnson himself - and most importantly were not corrected.

Under this Conservative Government, for the first time in history it is no longer expected that Ministers will resign for misleading Parliament and failing to correct the record.

Ministerial Code - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

“British Parliament introduces first ‘thought-crime’ into UK law” (Anglican Ink, 2023).

Anglian Ink is a Christian organisation promoting high values and standards in life consistent with the Christian ideal.

In March 2023, Members of Parliament approved the introduction of censorship zones (also known as “buffer zones”) outside of abortion facilities across England and Wales.  Clause 10 (formerly Clause 9) of the Public Order Bill will criminalise any form of “influence” outside of abortion facilities – including in the form of silent prayer.  

“Today’s vote marks a watershed moment for fundamental rights and freedoms in our country. Parliament had an opportunity to reject the criminalisation of free thought, which is an absolute right, and embrace individual liberty for all. Instead, Parliament chose to endorse censorship and criminalise peaceful activities such as silent prayer and consensual conversation,” said Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, the legal organisation working to promote fundamental freedoms. 

“Today it’s abortion. Tomorrow it could be another contested matter of political debate. The principle remains that the government should never be able to punish anyone for prayer, let alone silent prayer, and peaceful and consensual conversation. Thankfully, where the clause initially called for a prison sentence for those convicted of engaging in these peaceful activities near abortion facilities, the penalty now has been reduced to a fine. Nevertheless, it is extremely regrettable that Parliament, which exists to protect and champion the rights of the electorate, has taken a clear stance against fundamental freedoms, opening the door for nationwide thought-crime prosecution,” he continued. 

https://anglican.ink/2023/03/07/british-parliament-introduces-first-thought-crime-into-uk-law/

“Send in Army to halt migrant invasion” (Daily Express).

The UK Government’s Client Journalists write inflammatory and misleading headlines to mislead and scare the public, encouraging people to “reject the evidence of your eyes and ears” (Orwell, 1949).

Cardiff University’s Journalism School conducted a study to examine how the refugee and migrant crisis was being reported in the press in different European countries.

The most striking finding in our research is how polarised and aggressive British press reporting was compared to that of other countries.

In most countries, newspapers, whether left or right wing, tended to report using the same sources. They also featured the same kinds of themes and provided similar explanations and solutions to the crisis.

But the British press was different. While The Guardian and – to a lesser extent, the Daily Mirror – featured a range of humanitarian themes and sources sympathetic to the plight of refugees, the right-wing press consistently endorsed a hardline anti-refugee and migrant, Fortress Europe approach.

UK press is the most aggressive in reporting on Europe's 'migrant' crisis (theconversation.com)

Michael Rosen is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster and activist who has written 140 books. He served as Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009. He was born into a Jewish family in the UK; his ancestors were Jews from an area that is now Poland, Romania, and Russia. Amongst his works is a short piece on the concerns about fascism, available also on YouTube.

Michael Rosen – Fascism:

‘I sometimes fear that

people think that fascism arrives in fancy dress

worn by grotesques and monsters

as played out in endless re-runs of the Nazis.

Fascism arrives as your friend.

It will restore your honour,

make you feel proud,

protect your house,

give you a job,

clean up the neighbourhood,

remind you of how great you once were,

clear out the venal and the corrupt,

remove anything you feel is unlike you…

It doesn’t walk in saying,

“Our programme means militias, mass imprisonments, transportations, war and persecution.”’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_J1Htszvac

For more information on the points made, please contact me directly via email at ianphotography.uk@gmail.com