As predicted in the previous blog entry The Great Patriotic War – Wokeism v Jingoism extreme right wing cultural warriors wanting to pile on the overtly multi-cultural, working class lads that make up the England football team, really did not understand that these lads are probably the most focused and fearless lads England football has produced since the 1960’s.
Not only that, they are also very talented and are led by an impressive management team who understand what is needed to progressive and win a tournament. Plus playing in the richest league in the world, they have an income in which it is difficult to tell them to ‘shut up and dribble’.
What the Conservative politicians such as Priti Patel, Lee Anderson, Boris Johnson and the rest did not understand is that they have seen the ugly face of racism, discrimination and social injustice from personal experience as well as seeing it happening to their friends and family.
So when a young Raheem Sterling told The Sun newspaper he was not going to put up with their vicious and petty racist behaviour 5 years ago he meant it. His fellow team mates have witness how the keyboard cultural warriors can disheartened a fellow professional by constantly make derogatory remarks about skin colour, background, sexual orientation etc because of a football game.
Putting this steely view and seeing how divisive politicians can be, using virtual signalling dog whistle to decry the players attempt to stop discrimination and bullying harassment by ‘taking the knee’ à la Colin Rand Kaepernick, they would ultimately put the rent-a-gob politicians in a bind.
Guess what the politicians went there!
Calling the players proto-Marxist and other pathetic names because the players supported the Black Lives Matter movement and other pro-equal justice initiatives, ultimately showed how pathetic and shallow our leaders are.
They actually thought that the usual failure of England’s football teams in tournaments would illustrate that young, rich, lower class sports people should not bother their empty heads with issues, unless they are sanctioned by those better class of individuals and the elites such as themselves and their donors/masters.
The only problem with this strategy is that the team are one game away from winning the tournament which will be the best result England will have achieved in 55 years! The country that created the rules and format to the most popular game in the world has a very good chance of winning Euro 2020!
Guess what, I have a bet on England (I also have a saver on Italy) so I knew what could happen and what the ramifications this could do in certain section of society. Youngsters have endured a pandemic, the video of George Floyd’s murder, the complete incompetence of the examination fiasco 2020, the pettiness of school dinners for poor children during the pandemic which needed a footballer to change the mind of the government and finally the corruption by those in charge giving favourable contracts to their best mates.
Now the politicians are seriously rowing back on their pronouncements hoping the general feeling of unity in the country over the lads performance will rub off on them, if the holy grail is reached.
Boris Johnson and Priti Patel parading with an England shirt in tweets and manufactured photo-shoots! Jacob Rees Mogg rapping football song lyrics in parliament etc etc. Completely pretentious and excruciatingly cheesy.
So Sunday 11th July, 2021 hopefully the lads shove the words of these dunderheads where the sun don’t shine, including the moronic boo boys and girls for allowing the elites to use and abuse them. Feeding them patently insincere information about the nature of the lads protest and treating them like mushrooms – keep them in the dark and shovel bull manure on them.
Even if they do not win they will have done a good job of getting the general public something positive to take away from the relentless grind of lockdown and a post-Brexit economy.
Obviously some fans will have gone over the top such as shining a laser pen at the Danish goal keeper and booing the oppositions national anthem, but on the whole, the tournament has been a positive distraction.