Paul Foot and Pat Roach R.I.P.
Two men who may not have shared the same political viewpoints but certainly had similar qualities have died.
Paul Foot was a revolutionary socialist, a hero of the Socialist Workers Party who could be relied upon to appear at every demonstration to wave their black and white placards.
I never felt that they were genuine supporters of whatever cause we were marching for, be it nuclear disarmament, a woman's right to choose or the anti-nazi league. But Paul Foot, through his columns in the Daily Mirror and, more recently, the Guardian, was a voice for the victims of miscarriages of justice and political shenanigans. It was rare that I could find myself disagreeing with him or disapproving of the causes he espoused.
It seems that
many others agree including
John Pilger.
I was a fan of Saturday afternoon wrestling in the era of Mick McManus, who, offscreen, was an antiques dealer dahn the ol' Kent Road. (Sir) Jimmy Saville, Brian Glover and
Pat Roach also crossed the divide between 'sport' and art/entertainment. A 'gentle giant', who achieved fame in
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ~ a TV series I rarely saw, he would have been my shoo-in to play
Shrek if a non-animated version were to be produced. Which now won't be.
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