Sorry - you the viewer are only going to get half the story. 2024 was to have over 80 national elections. I chose to photograph just 2 – the UK then the US. Chapter 1 here covers the UK Election viewed from the (dis)-comfort of a neglected seaside town.

 

 

In June 2024, the long-expected UK election took a sharp turn. The far-right Reform Party announced a new leader – Nigel Farage, perhaps the most controversial figure in UK politics. Farage threatened to take over the incumbent Conservative Party and reduce immigration into the UK to ‘net zero.’  To many, this immigration card was seen as a vailed attack on the UK’s multi-racial society.

 

 

Farage needed a town in which to win his place in the UK Parliament. He chose Clacton. Clacton is amongst the most deprived communities in the UK. Clacton had strong support for Farage’s previous campaign – you may have heard of it – Brexit.

 

 

I have selected just 27 images in ebook format to cover Clacton. Two themes alternate through the sequence. Firstly, the Campaign – the political story as Reform stamped on to the national stage. Secondly, the Community – its hardship, its emotions, its diversity - captured during the election period.