Rant of the Day - Racism 1

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 08 June 2006 11:35:28

Following the recent problems with the Wibsite I've had to vent my rants in other ways - at small children, badgers, suicidal pheasants and at bigotted radio phones.

Today I was reading the BBC news sites Welsh area. There was a story in which a policeman in North Wales tells English supporters not to display their St George's Cross Flags in the Principality during the run up to the world Cup. He fears that their insensitive lack of tact could lead to violence from angry Welsh people, not pleased with having English nationalist images thrust down their throats - so to speak.

On the plus side this actually comes from the English Deputy Chief Constable of North Wales. Personally I can understand what he is saying. It can be very annoying to have images of our Capitalist-Imperialist Repression forced onto us. To some it shows that we are, whatever politicians may say, still downtrodden by the Monarchistic Boot in London.

On the other hand I think that, in the words of my cockney friends, "Yer 'aving a laugh, mate." Does he really expect an uprising in North Wales where English cars are burnt and their occupants beaten to within an inch of their lives? Maybe a few holiday homes will get burnt, as is our usual method of retaliation.

Sometimes I think that the police really do have their priorities wrong. Warning us about insensitivity to minority populations is fine but what about all those unsolved crimes they have?

I wonder if things would be better if we went back to old style policing. You know the stuff:

Slap a few heads
Raid the homes of a few criminals
Arrest the usual suspects
'Nick a few slags
Pint of Scotch in the office after a good collar

I think that the modern police force is facing the same problem as "modern man". They don't know what they're supposed to do anymore. What is their role in society? Why can't I just hammer some petty crim over the head with my truncheon? Why can't I walk the beat and talk to the public?

Maybe nostalgia ain't what it was but I long for a police force that still has the image of The Sweeney and Dixon of Dock Green.