Fergus Finlay: Nip anti-democratic thugs in the bud; they cannot be ‘controlled’

We could wake up some morning and find the far right has planted a foothold in our democracy while we were all looking the other way

Anti-refugee protesters on Cork’s Grand Parade in September. Behind such protests are sinister figures that would undermine most of what we take for granted. Picture: Larry Cummins

Do you remember Brian and the aristocratic Maximilian, and their drive in the country in Maximilian’s very posh car? Brian is uncertain about his sexuality while Maximilian is definitely bisexual, and infatuated with Brian. They stop at a beer garden, remember, and raise a glass to a forthcoming trip to Africa. As they toast each other, a young boy starts to sing.

The melody is gentle at first, then begins to soar a bit. The words are warm, welcoming, but change little by little. “The sun on the meadow is summery warm, the stag in the forest runs free”. As he sings the words we can see that it’s a boy of maybe 16, blonde, handsome, clear blue eyes. Everyone in the beer garden is paying rapt attention.