Crossed Out

A painting has been banned by Transport for London, supposedly because it fails to comply with their advertising policy. In a bizarre sort of way this makes sense, as the painting is not an advertisement and thereby automatically disqualifies itself from exhibition by a firm which increasingly wishes to get out of the public transport business in favour of selling commuter eyeballs to corporate propagandists. (At this moment, appropriately enough considering the picture's subject matter, Angel tube station has been turned into a giant walk-in Bacardi advert.) The painting depicts a modern judgement of Christ carried out by a TV-style panel, and was intended as part of a charity exhibition. Transport for London's advertising policy contains a clause which forbids causing "widespread or serious offence to members of the public", and another which forbids inciting people to break the law. Among the images which comply with Transport for London's advertising policy is a poster for the film Calvary, which incorporates the line, "Killing a priest on a Sunday. That'll be a good one."