the statesman

interesting fact for the day?

there are at least sixteen amateur superheroes

fighting crime under the cover of darkness

across britain today.

introducing birmingham's masked crusader

(and my new favourite human) 

"the statesman"

the facts:

 scott cooke

twenty six years old

sixteen stone

drives a fiat punto

works for a bank doing things with savings and investments

tells his girlfriend keri that he is playing poker on the 

four nights a week that he gets busy doing his bit to 

fix the world

says the statesman:
"the statesman is an ambassador. 

he’s a diplomat. 

and he’s somebody who delivers a message. 

something that’s meaningful and something that's positive.

i've read comics all my life.

i'm a life long geek.

and i don't want to live in a world where there are 

muggers and rapists.

i want to live in a world where there are cool superheroes running around doing nice things for people."

the statesman's arsenal:

first aid kit

torch to startle burglars

notepad and sharpie to write down important information

mobile phone to call the police

black zorro mask and glue

"the whole point of going out there in the short term, it’s just to try and help anybody. 

i mean there isn’t a criteria. 

most of the time i seem to spend my time 

helping guys who live rough, people who live on the streets, giving them some aid, 

giving them some help and support 

that they either don’t want or don’t know how to find by themselves."

"i'm there to help anybody that i can help. 

if there's a broken down car, if there's a runaway dog, 

if there's people being hassled by drunks at kicking out time. anything that i can do that is useful, 

that will make somebody happier, 

that’s what i'm there to do."

what i don't understand, statesman,

is the reaction to you in the media.

people throwing around words like 'vigilante' 

and 'fruitcake' 

and 'naive loser' 

and 'tubby ginger bloke who dresses like he's in the BNP'.

general consensus seems to be

that it's only a matter of time before you get stabbed

by a drug dealer,

and that when you do,

and you're bleeding inconveniently all over the streets

(and wasting the time and resources of

police and paramedics -  

the professional superheroes with proper uniforms)

well,
 you'll only be getting what's coming to you.

idiots.

as far as i can tell

you spend most of your time giving out bread and blankets

and hugging homeless people.

so who are we to laugh
and call you names
and dismiss you as a lunatic

just because you choose to do these noble things in a funny outfit?

homeless receiver of a blanket and a hug says: 

"I like the idea of the statesman going out and helping 

and putting things about and stuff like that. 

yeah I think its cool."

yep.
way cool!

because i too want to live in a world where there are superheroes running around doing nice things for people
in the middle of the night.

so keep it up, statesman.

you're excellent.

and i'll leave the last word to you.

"the only way that we're ever gonna have 
the world we want

is just for everybody to take some 
responsibility for that."


(sources - the sun and the daily mail.
they printed it so it must be true.)