Mr Drone is song 19 in our Friday Song series, where we write and release a brand new song each and every week throughout 2012 based on ideas sent in by you!

This week's song was inspired by an idea sent in by John Fowles - thanks John - who lives in South East London and wanted us to write something about surveillance culture and petty policing in London.

As it happens, Lorraine and I did have personal experience in this area, two days after moving to London. We'd decided to tackle London on bikes, which is one of the reelected mayor's areas of pride! He has invested a great deal in the free bikes you now see around the capital, but has forgotten that there is an almost total lack of infrastructure to make this activity realistic or safe.

On the day in question, we came up against a true android of a community support officer. We had undertaken our first, and as it turned out, last, cross-capital cycling expedition. After discovering that cycle paths barely exist, and where they do, they are blocked by parked cars, invaded by buses and trucks, and frankly lethal. But none of this mattered an ounce to the ironically monikered "Community Support Officer" who approached us after we escaped on our bikes onto a nearby pavement when we were seconds from being flattened once and for all by traffic. No amount of explanation appealed to this gentleman's better nature, and now, this song is something of a tribute to jobsworths, particularly those in the role of supposedly supporting the community and keeping us all safe. Actually, that day, we felt like easy targets for a quick refill of the exchequer's coffers.

We hope you enjoy the song, and we look forward to receiving your input towards the next songs in the series. The songs are inspired by ideas, pictures, suggestions sent to us by you. They can be originals for which you send us stories, bits of poetry -- anything from your own lives, or covers you would like to hear us do in Portraits-style. We will tag you in the videos and publicity if you've been the inspiration for the current week's song!

All the songs in the series can be downloaded right now from our main site http://www.theportraitsmusic.com/ - click on Friday Song towards the top of the page. The songs can be downloaded for free, or you have the option of choosing a price -- and all proceeds from sales of the Friday Songs will go to The Burma Campaign (http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/) who campaign for human rights and democracy in Burma, a cause close to our hearts.

JEREMY MILLINGTON
May 11th 2012