AUTHORITARIAN STATE LOVES BIKES WE ARE IN CHINA 1980

I suppose gradually my worst nightmare scenario is unfolding, an extremist authoritarian state under a unpredictable leader who has a passion for promoting push bikes, it sounds like we are back in China under Mao only ours has more hair. Anyway I continue to avoid UK propaganda media and note that Mandy has reported that the wide spread anti lock down protests around Britain failed to be featured on state media ( no surprise) . It takes a lots of guts to come out and support the few that represent the many who think the British state has treated its old people like virus fodder and all of us as idiots and has used the British state police to do what police do that is protect the rich and powerful and keep all the others in their place.

We shall be resuming our UK bus coverage this week, I'll start nearby with Manchester, on our to do list is Bolton and Wigan. Both present distancing challenges as Wigan has a footpath passing my spot at the bus station and Bolton is on a usually busy pavement but hopefully much quieter now. The West Midlands feature Coventry, West Brom and Dudley, those should all be easy enough. Longer trips to get to Bedford and Northampton. Mandy will need to come as relief driver to cover south of England destinations. I'll skip Scotland until lock down there is over, they'll hate us for being British and even South Wales may present difficulties being under a separatist government. We will film as part of the PMP business so well within current government advise in Britain, Scotland as ever will be anti everything whatever. As soon as possible we'll visit Ireland.

I've spent a lot of time editing this weekend plus a huge bag of DVDs to go out after this seemingly very long weekend. The weather has dived down to cloud and cold and very strong winds. I've just burnt the master for the new film Remembering Preservation in the &0's. This covers a lot of ground from tram  museums to bus rallies plus steamers and even a fairground. Part of the Ticket Boo range from scanned cine film. Here are some screen stills. I just need to get the cover made. I've been getting ready for Bus Spot Ultra West Bromwich and eying up the material for Spain and Portugal with British buses. The other one I'm studying is from a new series on origins of bus companies. Some are more complicated than others, Arriva looks horrific to compile.