billytheseal

As I've mentioned before, while working in a pub, you meet some interesting people. And last night one was no exception.

A pair of builders came in, they were down working in Cardiff from Northampton, a place I'll be moving too soon, so we got to talking over a pint (yes, I drink while working, it's that type of place). Over the course of the conversation, I noticed numerous swastikas and Celtic pride tattoos over their forearms. Now, this took me back a bit, as we were all having the crack (it's a working class thing, basically laughing and good naturedly taking the piss out of each other and everything) and they were friendly to my workmate, a black guy. What's going on, I thought.

So I asked them. They said they just wanted Britain for the British, and since Kurt (my workmate) was born here, they had no issue with them at all. They were embarrassed about the violence their movement gets involved in yeah...no need for that sort of thing in a civilised society... And they were committed family men, with one of them bordering on being a feminist. And at the end, I think both myself and Kurt would be happy to have a pint with them again.

So, I think it's fair to say my preconceptions were challenged a bit last night. Far from being ignorant thugs, they were hard working family men, fairly intelligent, and polite. And I can't work out if this made them less or more scary than typical racists.