This is probably a bit mean but, unlike an account from last week, it’s entirely rather than partially true.
After two very poor pints in the upscale pub twenty minutes’ walk from here I had to wash away the taste in my usual place. It once used to be a haunt of east London’s left but no longer is. You never get a bad pint there.
Having plonked myself on the habitual bench and without the MP3 there was no way of avoiding the neighbours’ conversation. “We are the lowest paid journalists in England” said the young man. Was it someone from the East London Advertiser?
“The management’s offering us a below inflation pay rise.” That could be anybody. Clear evidence of New Labour’s attacks on wages having a radicalising effect I thought and decided to wait for the opportune moment to butt in.
“All these journos think they’re really working class but they hate football because it distracts from the working class cause”. In my book hating football is proof of evolutionary theory and was suddenly less favourably disposed towards the young man.
“I’m a socialist but not far left. We live in a capitalist world and that’s the way it is”. Eh?
“When I was in Cuba this cop stopped me and my Cuban friend and told him that he’s not allowed to hang around with foreigners.” This was followed by a paean to the Cuban revolution of a type that I’ve often delivered myself.
Suddenly British communism didn’t seem monolithic. If only he’d mentioned which paper he works for!
Liam redux 
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