Assignment One

For this assignment, I had a few ideas of how to show two sides of the same story. Could I show two sides of a personality or show a court case scenario? I originally thought of photographing a protest, trying to show the protestors and the police, two sides to the same event or even two rival protests. The more I thought about it the more I concentrated on what the protests would be focusing on and how I could represent both sides convincingly. In the end I decided to concentrate on Brexit, a divisive and current issue that I could see both sides of.

On 23^rd June 2016, the Nation finally settled the question that had been rumbling under the surface of British politics for generations. Should we remain in the European Union or leave and end the 40 year relationship to go it alone?

Of the 52% of the public who voted to leave the EU many thought it would be concluded by now. Unfortunately this was not the case, Three years and Three Prime Ministers later, deep into the departure process, we’re still here, stuck in the quagmire of bureaucracy, still weighing up the pros and cons of Brexit and what that means for Britain.

There are a many pros and cons to both sides, Too many to comprehensively cover here. From Sovereignty to trade deals, immigration to investment, the debate rages on.

In this set of images I wanted to portray the embodiment of each side of the debate. On one side we have Boris Johnson, at the forefront of the Brexit campaign, then Home Secretary and now Prime Minister. His name is synonymous with Brexit and now he leads the country towards the latest deadline of the 31^st of October. Here is a man who feels he was born to be the Prime minister, a man that now leads the UK from the EU. He is an unmistakeable character that fills a room with his presence and charms them with his razor wit and undoubtable sense of humour.

On the other side you have Steve Bray, better known as Stop Brexit Man. Since September 2017 Steve Bray has braved all weather to mount his ‘Stand of Defiance European Movement’ (SODEM)

Protest outside parliament and the cabinet office, to keep the remain option top of everyone’s mind. Many MP’s, peers, activists and members of the public have said how vital the SODEM protest is to the Remain cause. Steve has been a constant thorn in the side of any of the establishment trying to cut remain out of the public arena. He is loud, colourful, with a wry sense of humour.

Each man, polar opposites in background and philosophies one an Eton educated career politician, the other a small business man from Wales. Both men striving for something they passionately believe in. Maybe In differing circumstances they could even be friends but for now they will stay two sides of the same coin.