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Some 23 years ago I was vetted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for a job in one of our last remaining colonies. My Irish antecedents caused a little concern, but of more concern was my previous presidency of a college student union. At my final meeting with my vetting officer, he asked me if I knew of any subversives - for form's sake he included fascists in his list. Of course, half my friends veered between Trots (on the right) and Maoists (left to centrist) but I didn't want to shop them so I cast about for a safe left-wing demon. "Well, I've met Jack Straw", I said. "But he seemed all right."
"They always do," was the response, and I was warned about Mr Straw in no uncertain terms.
SEAN MARRIOTT
Aldborough, Norfolk
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A worrying new face of the terror threat to the UK
Kim Sengupta -
Grace Dent: I’m not sure how these people can avoid being called ‘bigots’. And the more ‘civilised’, the worse they are
Grace Dent -
After woman sells virginity for $780,000, here are the results of our prostitution survey
Laura Davis -
The Daily Cartoon
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Woolwich attack: The EDL might have a sinister plan as a soldier is murdered in suspected Islamic terrorist attack
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