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Life Imitating Art? |
Whenever someone writes a story, it is necessary to create a universe for it which in many cases will be fairly closely based on reality, be it in the present, past or future. However at the same time it also becomes necessary to create certain things, places and people in order to provide some separate identification between the world of the story and the world we live and breathe in.
Just occasionally, long after a story has been written, something which was once fiction suddenly seems to come to life in the real world, in short life beings to imitate art (Someone famous said that once, can't remember who though although I expect they may have been a bit drunk at the time!)
On this page, I present examples as I find them of objects and events which seem to nicely (and unintentionally) mirror things that appear and occur in the novel series.
| Life imitating Art 1 - Motors...... | |
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Mention is made in the novels of the fact that the
National Security Service - the equivalent of the Police Force, use prominently red
painted patrol cars and associated marked vehicles. This was primarily so that the fictional and real world would be differentiated. However on the streets of London today you will regularly see sights like this. |
| The powerful Vauxhall Vectra patrol car of the Metropolitan Police seen here that I happened across on Victoria Embankment is in standard livery on a red base, indicating that it is allocated to the heavily armed guys from the Diplomatic Protection Group. You really don't want to accidentally run into the back of these guys at the traffic lights. Ironically this vehicle was empty, it was lunch time though..... | |
| Life imitating Art 2 - Serious Crime Agencies...... | |
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One scenario behind the creation of the Security Department (and
various name alterations over the history of the series) as the first fully armed UK based
Police Service in the series was the rise in violent and organised crime since the late
1970's. Now the UK has its own specialists, in April of 2006, the Government launched the seemingly unlimited powers of the all new Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) |
SOCA is the Government's answer to the growing problem of
organised crime that operates across international borders. You can find more about them by visiting their website..... Nice logo by the way! |
| Life imitating Art 3 - Home Secretary in a spot of bother...... | |
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The series has managed to get through quite a lot of politicians
over the years, none more so than the numerous Home Secretary's that have been dispensed
with. A catalogue of unbelievable cock ups by the Home Office lately (which continue to turn up by the truck load week on week of late) recently led to the spectacular firing of the then Home Secretary (actually a nice bloke as it happens, just in the wrong place at the wrong time). Click the image to view the original BBC News story. |
| Life imitating Art 4 - Met Police Chief gets wrapped knuckles...... | |
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I have always felt sorry for Sir Ian Blair (no relation to the
Prime Minister by the way) the Chief of the Metropolitan Police. He is trying to run
the largest single police force in the country under the most difficult security scenario
the UK has faced in twenty or more years, and yet he is being consistently got at by
loonies with their own political agendas. One of the recent stories that was being trumped up by anti police idiots was this article about Sir Ian Blair recording his telephone conversations with certain politicians and Civil Servants. Given the back stabbing nature of some of these devious sods, I and many others would do exactly the same in the same position. Click the image to view the original BBC News story. |
| Life imitating Art 5 - A Department of National Security!!! | |
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Unbelievable!! For those who have been on Mars for a while,
the UK Government's Home Office has been having a bit of a torrid time with lorry loads of
gaffes turning up unannounced almost on a weekly basis. It is thought that the poor
old Home Secretary John Reid has a large dent in his desk from banging his head on it in
disbelief every ten minutes... Anyway, on the 21st of January 2007, he announced that he would like to split the Home Office into two sections in theory to help stop the cavalcade of gaffes. One part would deal with Justice, Police and Anti-Tourism and the proposed name? Department of National Security. Someone at the Home Office has been reading my novels by the looks of things! If Mr Reid would like to submit a cheque in payment to thank me for the idea (I came up with it fifteen years ago) just let me know and I'll pop around!! Click the image to view the original BBC News story. |
More to come.....