Smoke of the city rising up into the sky

In Janaury when it was cold and clear in London I went round to Tony Benn's place just behind Notting Hill, to interview him with Isabella for the paper. He talked about his childhood, and his hopeful ideas for politics still today - all while clicking insistently on his lighter to try to get his pipe going. It wasn't until he got a moment before I took the picture that he finally lit it - I snapped him just as he lifted it up and breathed in deeply. The interview can be found here.  

And the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed

The Millbank protest had a completely different feel to the one a month later, where my best friend Alfie was hit and underwent emergency brain surgery to survive. At this one, there was more excitement than anger, and the police were calm. I was pushed right to the front when people started breaking the windows at Millbank, and there was an immense sense of the entirety of the crowd pressing behind us willing something to happen, and the sheer force of them enabling the building to be taken. A huge cheer went up when the first people appeared on the roof, their flags silhouetted against the bright sky. From below with the sun reflecting off the river behind us, before the destruction started to take hold more strongly, it felt incredible.