Re: Some things to consider:
"There was initially huge public resistance to the formation of "special branch", but the public got used to it, and even started to admire it, very quickly. [ibid.]"
Remember getting filmed by SB at an anti South Africa protest (back when SA was apartheid state & Thatcher was calling ANC a terrorist organisation).
Even though there followed lots of back tracking and a lot of friends of the old white SA pretend they loved the fall of apartheid and never thought being anti apartheid was being pro terrorist you can guarantee there's still dusty files on me (& plenty of other peaceful protestors) with "not a nice tory boy" style labelling (whatever it is,worded as it means I don't get security clearance, though TBF was not just SA protests, could be on the "not one of us" list for protests about US missiles / eavesdropping stations on UK soil, tough was not filmed by SB on those (AFAIK))
Nobody politically active and with a few views deemed to be anti establishment to some degree admired SB as they will have seen actions by SB (or moving on a bit
FIT operatives etc.)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
