A former republican prisoner rang me this morning. He sounded angry and gave out about ‘those bastards’ having followed him into the school grounds where he was leaving his daughter off for her day’s lessons. Which set of bastards I asked him given that quite a few sets had hassled him over the years for his views. ‘The cops’, he said in exasperation. He has been the subject of cop attention for decades. When he is not in prison the cops seem to spend their time trying to give him extended B & B courtesy of Her Majesty.