The pub was quieter than usual that night, without Nick there to drag people along in his slipstream, Chris and Mariam came along too but it was obvious they would rather have been off somewhere talking to each other. Conversation was a little faltering between a group of people all used to taking a backseat.
Whose Denham I asked? He got mentioned at the meeting, the name sounds familiar.
Andy took a generous swallow of his second pint, wiped his lips on the back of his hand. Councillor, Silverdale ward, Local boy made good. Total Tory he said. Actually, not even a Tory, one of the Brexiteer types.
Made good doing what? Has he got, is he blonde, big glasses? Looks a bit nineteen eighties?
Yeah that’s right.
I have seen him. He’s on the stand on a Saturday, on the England Expects stand.
Well, he’s part of that group, they are the ones that do the legwork, he’s the money man. Comes down occasionally to keep tabs on them. His lad’s always down there. Proper little mini-me. They used to drink in here till they got barred.
Yes I said I think I know the one you mean .Always wearing a suit, bit too big for him, seventeen eighteen. Sorry, you were going to tell me how he made his money
Oh, Denham, he's got his fingers in everything. Main business is he runs a company out at Lune park, pre-packaged plantrooms. Know what they are?
I indicated I didn’t.
Doesn’t matter. Mostly he seemed to spend his time writing letters of complaint to the Lancaster Guadian slagging off the council, then he got told to put his money where his mouth is and become a councillor, which unfortunately he has done. Local Tory party’s fragmenting he said. Entryism, then laughed. All the right-wing nut jobs are coming in.
Those England Expects people are across in Morecombe too, handing out leaflets, Mariam said. There used to be one of them, now there’s four or five.
They ever given you any trouble? Andy asked.
Mariam laughed. Every single time I go past, she said.
Fringe nutters, I said then, remembering she worked in mental health I wondered whether I should apologize for the term. Once we are out of the EU they’ll disappear back online. Eighteen months and we’re out, right? So...
So, Andy said. Whose round is it?
Yours, Chris told him.
Right! He laughed. What you having?
The conversation moved on to drinks and what the best real ale was on the taps. I knew Andy and some of the others had voted Leave and I generally kept it quiet that I had been what was known with a degree of derision at the time as “reluctant remain”. That was viewed as a very London position to have taken, a Liberal position, salve your conscience but still enjoy the benefits by ticking remain with a heavy heart. There’s no tortured-conscience dividend to be had as far as I can see, Nick said once, in/out that’s it. In/out, shake it all about. That’s the deal.
He was right I supposed though it was never exactly clear to me how he had voted or if he had voted at all. I hadn't wanted to vote with the hard right, that was all, but after the success we had that year in the election a lot of those misgivings had fallen by the wayside, we were on a roll, there would be another General election soon, we would win, put the Little Englanders and the racists and the xenophobes back in their boxes and nail them shut.
Beck’s Blue for you is it Carl? Andy asked.
Actually I said, suddenly buoyed up by expectations of well yes, conflicts, but more importantly, victories to come, I'll have a pint of the Lancaster Blonde. Why not?
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