Taking a knee used to be a way to refer to receiving a knighthood. You kneel before your monarch and if she has the strength at the time, she will place her sword on your shoulders and pronounce you a knight of the realm. If she’s feeling a bit weak and trembly you become the knight with one ear-lobe missing. Easy. Chivalrous.

But those damned Yanks have hi-jacked the whole ‘knee’ thing in protest against… basically against Donald Trump. Though ostensibly its about racism in the police forces of America who just keep on shooting innocent black guys in the back. And that is a massive problem. So in protest at the government’s apparent inability or unwillingness to prevent these terrible crimes from happening and being (no pun) whitewashed at their inquiries, black sportsmen and women have taken to not standing for the national anthem that precedes all games over there. And in fact over here too because there was an NFL game played at Wembley yesterday and all the black players ‘took the knee’ at the first mention of a star-spangled banner.

Last week a basketball team who won something or other was collectively invited to the White House and again several black players showed public lack of enthusiasm for this ‘honour’ so Trump took away the invite. Then, being Donald Trump, took to the Twitter-waves to slag off all exponents of this gentle, peaceful protest. Accusing them of ‘disrespecting the flag!!!’, that our forefathers fought so hard, blah, blah, blah, lost their legs in battle, blah, blah, blah… you know the speech. “These sports team owners” (that’d be the white guys at the top), Trump continued, “should just pull those kneelers out and say ‘YOU’RE FIRED!!'” To his credit the president did refrain from actually using the ‘n-word’ in any of this.

The excessive use of police force against black civilians is not new. Probably why OJ Simpson was driving so far and so fast that day. And although it was a big problem during the Obama years, it wasn’t an Obama problem. For Bush it was more difficult, simply because he’s white and southern. But no protests. Its because Trump has been repeatedly associated and in fact at times associating with right wing nut-jobs. The ‘alt-right’ which had a massive influence on his early time at the White House is a racist organisation. He acts in a manner which inspires the KKK to endorse his words and actions. And his extreme reluctance, after the car murder of an anti-racism protester, to critisize the neo-nazis was duly noted by all.

Ah, but even neo-nazis are allowed ‘free speech’ under the constitution, he implies. But oddly, the black sportsmen aren’t allowed that same freedom, apparently.

The Labour Party Conference is under way in Brighton. And they’ll sort out the entire future of this nation over 5 days. Oh, except Brexit. That won’t be discussed at all. Well, its not that big a thing really, not that important that Corbyn needs to worry himself about that. And by officially excluding it from the main conference agenda, Brexit has now become a fucking great herd of massive bull elephants in a very small room.

Happy Monday

A xxxx