They really do exist...

I went into Reading town centre yesterday. Having walked around for a bit, I sat down for a brief rest on a low brick wall just outside St Mary's Church. It wasn't very far from a bus stop and before long, prospective passengers started sitting down on the wall, not too far from where I was sat. One smartly dressed seventy-something guy sat down next to me and immediately initiated a conversation.

St Mary's Church and the wall where I sat

Normally, I will indulge anyone who wants to talk - within reasonable limits. But on this occasion, I was happy to encourage this guy to talk for as long as he wanted. He intrigued me. I didn't realise people like him really existed, but here he was in the flesh. He talked, without pausing for breath and covered a staggering range of views in a very short space of time. In short, he believed:

• All politicians are rabid liars (so far, so good), so he was therefore going to vote for the BNP at the next election. Obviously!
• The trouble with this country is the immigrants. They live in mansions, paid for by WW2 veterans' tax receipts, and they are all breeding like rabbits (the immigrants that is - not the veterans). They are planning to turn the UK into a Muslim state. The Tories and Labour are clearly colluding with the blacks and the Muslims in this plan.
• All young people are evil. None of them want to work and they desecrate churches just for fun.
• The local council are deliberately making hay fever sufferers ill by cutting grass verges without collecting the cuttings. Sadly, he didn't state why that was their intention.

Then his bus came - just as he was warming up. I didn't want him to stop. I wanted to know what else he thought and why he thought it. He reminded me of one old duffer called Ken Baily from a few years back who regularly turned up to major sporting events, and other big occasions, dressed in union jack clothing and top hat. He always got a mention from commentators and was always treated as a benign symbol of patriotic support. That all changed when he was interviewed by the BBC, only for him to reveal that he made Genghis Khan appear to be a whimpering wet liberal who wears girl's clothing whilst reading peace studies at Brighton Poly.

Stupid Old Duffer

Well, I enjoyed my encounter with the rabid looney. It was almost entertaining, in a strange sort of way. The only thing he seemed to be missing was a copy of the Daily Mail under his arm. Oh well! I hope I bump into him again some time. There are so many topics we have still to cover.