Brian Haw and the Great Dictator


I have traveled to London many times in my life and I've never seen Parliament Square without Brian Haw's banners, placards, and rainbow peace flags. I've often wanted to meet him, though I didn't know his name until a year or so ago, just to talk to him about his life and his cause. I'm embarrassed to say that I have never been brave enough to cross the square and (still) am more than horrified, grossly intimidated, and frightened by the photos on some of the placards (This is, I think, part 1 of the intended reaction to this display. Part 2 would be to think about what it means). Also, I'm an American (a Texan, even!) so I wasn't sure about what kind of reception I would receive. It turns out that Brian Haw is a humanitarian above all. If the British government allows Brian Haw to keep his allotted protest space, I think I'll pay him a visit next time I'm in London.

It's kind of cool that through the PiCs I've learned about him and get to hear his voice. Thank you PiCs and thank you to Dan for this particular clip! It really is a small world.

Oh, and Big Ben chimes in the middle of this recording. Regardless of your thoughts on the state of democracy today, the chiming of Big Ben is still one of the coolest sounds in the world!