Ian Tomlinson

I know this is not in the usual tone of this blog but there are times when things shock you so much you have to express your frustration and anger. This is the footage that disproves the police claims about what happened to Ian Tomlinson at the G20 demo last week.




Police routinely use video to film protestors and crowds at football matches. I hope that on this occasion the use of video will stop the closing of ranks and prevent a cover up that has typified examples of brutality in the past. In 1991 I was arrested at a demo in Parliament Square. I wasn't doing anything other than trying to get through a cordon to a coach that was waiting to take us back to Woolwich. Even so, I was arrested, thrown on to the floor of a riot van, kicked and punched and charged with assualting a police officer and inciting riot. The charge was made up in front of me by two officers from Stoke Newington police station. I was convicted and, because I work in education, I have to carry that conviction around with me. It's surprising how many people give you the 'yeah whatever, you must have been doing something wrong ' look when you tell them what happened. I was lucky in the greater scheme of things of course. What happened to me is nothing compared to what happened to people like Ian Tomlinson and Jean Charles de Menezes.

Jokes

Being a football supporter with your colours tied firmly to this mast or that always leaves you with strong likelihood that you'll be on the receiving end of some banter when your team is losing. Of course this doesn't apply to most Man Yoo fans a) because Man Yoo win all the time and b) The 'fans' don't suffer the banter because most of these hard core red devils live not in Manchester but in Brighton, Kent, Oulan Bator, Ouagadougou etc.

We all know of people that support Man Yoo, Les Arses or EhEhPool because they're nothing but glory hunters. Lately of course they have shifted their attention to Chelski. I think I have described before how my future brother in law used to be Blackburn (coincidentally when they won the league) and now (it be magic for sure) finds himself a season ticket holder at Stamford Bridge. Who knows who he'll support next year but Hull are looking like a good bet.

There's something noble about taking the jokes on the chin when your team's doing badly. The jokes this last few weeks have been coming thick and fast. Thank God we've got beyond two points so that I can stop hearing the 3 points for speeding and the triangle joke. Even my mum pulled a collection of Spurs jokes out of her bag when we visited at the weekend!

Anyway, to prove that we are nobler and stronger than these 'plastic' fans here is the Guardian's collection. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/oct/21/tottenham-hotspur-jokes Most of them are recycled but some are actually quite funny.

To balance things up a bit I offer two Arses jokes:

Why do people take an instant dislike to Arsenal ? It saves time.

You're trapped in a room with a tiger, a rattlesnake, and an Arsenal Fan. You have a gun with two bullets. What should you do?Shoot the Arsenal Fan. Twice.