I mentioned in an earlier post that Sunderland Football Club have appointed some Italian lout as their new manager. So far so normal but this particular lout is, apparently, a fascist lout as this photo courtesy of The Telegraph indicates:
Anyway, this item of less than earth-shaking importance has produced one result. The old guard of the Durham Miners Association has lumbered forth and demanded the return of a banner they gave to the Club when the new stadium was built on the site of one of the oldest coal mines in England. I heard one of these 'worthies' on the radio last night thundering on about 'ow it were an insult to the lads who fought 'n' died fighting fascism'. True up to a point but it is worth remembering that coal mining was a reserved occupation during WWII so very few miners went to the front. And needless to say, those who stayed behind had very little compunction in going on strike whenever they felt like it - 'and boogger the lads oop the front!' As the LabourNet site reports:
[T]he miners won the highest minimum wage in Britain. Their average earnings ranked 81st in 1938, but rose to 14th after the strikes. [My emphasis]
Needless to say, if Paolo di Canio, the lout concerned, had boasted of his communist affiliations, the dinasours from the NUM would probably have sent him a case of champagne, that being the drink of choice for your average Left-wing union leader!
The Telegraph article by Dan Hodges, linked above, is worth a read. He reminds us of that embarrassing moment 75 years ago next month when the England football team under the urgings of the British ambassador, Sir Neville Henderson, gave Hitler a fascist salute in Berlin prior to a match against Germany. There was a near riot in the dressing-room when the order came down but they did it. Thankfully they went on to beat Germany 6-3 which salvaged a little honor.