Tory Case of Foot in Mouth

It's not been a good weekend for Tory leaders' vocal utterenaces. Adding to their woes is Brain Coleman chairman of the GLA and self-confessed football-phobe. He actually in a statement compared the St George waving and flying English supporters to Nazi Germany and the military junta in Argentina in 1978. He said:

"A Jewish friend of mine remarked how the sight of endless Cross of St George flags reminded her of the Nazis' taste for flying flags at every possible opportunity and the nationalistic feelings whipped up by totalitarian regimes.

"The Argentinian generals used their World Cup victory in 1978 to lay the groundwork for the invasion of the Falklands four years later.

"One of the great things about being English is that our patriotism is restrained, rather like all our emotions. If England win the World Cup, let's have some polite applause."

So I hope every football fan has got that. Polite applause only no chanting from the stands, no screaming at the referee and no singing of Championes when your team wins something. Maybe Mr Coleman would care to enlighten us how this anti-flag waving affects the last night of the Proms, the Mall during State Visits or the Union Flag festooning the header of his own party's literature?

Also is Mr Coleman going to stop his party leader flying the flag of St George from his bike as we suppose the chauffer's follow up vehicle?