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    Rangers v Celtic

    Word.

    My cousin from Oz paid us a visit this week and trying to explain this stuff was something of a challenge. He enjoyed the game, mind.

    Comment


      Rangers v Celtic

      One of our (currently banned) oldfirm enthusiasts sent me this serious socio-historical analysis/ absurd self-pitying hysteria (take your pick...)

      Apologies for broken link to full story, so here it is:

      We are all Artur Boruc
      Apr 30, 2008 03:39 PDT

      From ETims.net (witten by 'Che Timvara')

      On April 20th 1968, a television crew travelled to the Midland Hotel
      in Birmingham and recorded a political speech which was unlike any
      that had been heard in Western Europe since the 1930's, when Adolf
      Hitler ruled Germany. The individual making the speech was a senior
      member of the Shadow Cabinet, not a politician of the far-right or
      from a marginal party. Within weeks, he had been sacked, leading to
      strikes, to riots, to civil unrest and to the uncovering of deep
      rooted racism in a country which had prided itself on having defeated
      the evils of Nazi Germany and saw no concurrence between the two.

      Enoch Powell did this country a big favour, but not in the way he
      intended. His Rivers of Blood speech was certainly inflammatory and
      deeply disgusting, but far worse was the public reaction to it, as
      the "great British people" rushed to embrace views that the Nazi
      dictator himself would certainly have taken to his heart. The
      ignorance, the racism, the sheer naked hatred at the heart of so much
      of the population was laid bare .... and so the Labour government of
      the day made sure the anti-discrimination legislation's which had
      prompted Powell's notorious rant were rushed through Parliament, as
      the public response made it undoubtedly clear how needed they were.

      And slowly, over time, things got better.

      But not much better.

      Anti-immigrant hatred is rampant in Britain. The right-wing press
      which hyped Powell's speech at the time and now still like to stir
      the pot of hatred, and the deep rooted ignorance which still exists
      out there is occasionally loathsome to behold. Certainly, every once
      in a while someone speaks out against it, usually to their detriment,
      but as the underlying problem has never been tackled, the Rule
      Britannia mentality which haunts this island, the problem has never
      really gone away. Here in Scotland we know it well, but here the
      problem has a different twist to it, a different slant, and one that
      is as grotesque as anything Powell, or even Hitler himself, could
      have contrived.

      The furore surrounding the game on Sunday has revealed the naked hate
      at the heart of life here, revealing the country, and particularly
      its leading lights, in a way which should shame them all and brings
      an entire nation, its history and its culture into the worst
      disrepute. I refer, of course, to the treatment being meted out to
      our goalkeeper Artur Boruc, and not for the first time, but also to
      something far more apparent and obvious: the continuing hatred which
      emanates from the Rangers support, and the upper elements of our
      society which even as they shriek their fury at our goalkeeper find
      it easier to view that hatred with a Hear-No-Evil, See-No-Evil, Speak-
      No-Evil policy which is utterly shameful and as repellent as the
      sectarian views of the Rangers fans themselves.

      I have friends who are Rangers fans, yet oddly none of them live here
      in the West of Scotland. One guy in particular, who is from Dundee
      now but moved here from England, views the sectarian issue up here as
      something wholly alien, and never having been brought up in it has
      never been tainted by it and so fails to understand my continual fury
      as to the things I have to see and hear. I think he believes me to be
      a little fanatical on the subject, a little insane perhaps, and it
      must get to him sometimes, as he knows me well enough to know I
      personally am not a bigot of any shade or form.

      There is a poisonous atmosphere in the West of Scotland, and I swear
      it gets worse by the day. I grew up here, I have spent my whole life
      here, but for a brief time in Stirling, and have frankly never known
      things to be this bad. I've written numerous articles for this site,
      and in the previous one I said just that, thinking it would be the
      final word on the issue I'd ever need to say .... and yet in the run-
      up to the recent game at Ibrox I was astounded to see what I believe
      to have been the most sustained attack on our club that I have seen
      in many, many years launched by the media, by the SPL and by Rangers
      linked organisations ... all of which must have been patting
      themselves on the back at the final whistle that day, for theirs
      truly was a job very well done indeed.

      From Scottish sports journalists trying to force a UEFA investigation
      into the fans of one of the teams they pretend to support in European
      competition to the SFA sending home a Celtic player from the National
      Squad to spare Rangers embarrassment, it was a truly extraordinary
      two weeks to behold, and yet nothing compares to what we've seen in
      the follow-up to our bursting of the Walter Smith bubble with our
      back-to-back wins against his "unique quadruple" chasing team. (Do
      you know, I actually plucked that comment from a news article ... do
      these people not KNOW a Scottish club HAS won a quadruple, including
      a European trophy?)

      Let me get something out of the way, just for the record. I'm
      Catholic, but very much of the non-practising variety. If I have
      politics within the church at all, I'd have to say I'm a Vatican II
      supporter, and my idol within the Catholic Church wasn't John Paul II
      but John Paul I who wanted a church of the poor and one much more
      attuned to the problems of the modern world.

      My own views on religion tend to echo those of Jonathon Swift, who
      said "We have enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make
      us love one another", and I tend to distrust zealots of any sort, no
      matter which denomination they claim to represent. The difference
      between the hate-mongers of the neo-conservative Christian right and
      the Islamic fundamentalists they oppose so venomously are nothing but
      a matter of degrees .... what joins them together is a deep-seated
      intolerance of other people.

      This intolerance is why I hate them both with equal fervour, and it's
      why I hate a large, vocal section of the Rangers support ...and why I
      have come to hate the club which houses them, the society which
      tolerates them, the media which defends them and the culture which
      despite cosmetics and the half-hearted attempts of politicians still
      breeds them. One Scotland, Many Cultures. That's what they say. For
      all their slogans and their summits, for all their eye-catching and
      vote-grabbing initiatives, they remain deaf, blind and ignorant when
      it comes to actually tackling the real problem.

      The real problem, as everyone knows, is not simply sectarianism
      itself, which is a catch-all predicated on the belief that the two
      communities in Scotland are as guilty as each other, but, more
      specifically, it is a fervent, virulent, form of anti-Irish racism
      and its brother in hate, anti-Catholic bigotry. It really is as
      simple and as stark as that, and until this cancer is tackled at the
      source it will spread, it will grow, it will continue to feed off
      itself and it will continue to overshadow all of the steps taken to
      move us forward.

      So, today, once again, Scotland's Shame is visible for the world to
      see. The banner that pointed at the Rangers support at the first of
      our two victorious derbies could have easily been pointed at the
      press box or even certain sections of the director's box, most
      notably that section which houses Westminster and Holyrood's hangers-
      on and the so-called opinion makers. Scotland's Shame is not just to
      be found in the chants of the Rangers fans but in the way their
      bigotry is pandered to, even defended, when it is not being
      completely ignored, by the media and the political class. I would add
      to that the organisation Nil By Mouth, which is aptly named when it
      comes to criticisms of the filth of Ibrox but is strangely vocal when
      it comes to levelling volleys of abuse at Celtic, our fans and our
      players.

      And today, shockingly, step forward one of the greatest Celts ever,
      Billy McNeil, and hang your head in shame.

      Writing for the tabloid arse-wipe The Sun, whilst something I would
      not myself chose to do, is not an unpardonable offence. John Hartson
      has been doing it effectively for the past few weeks, putting the
      Celtic case forward with great verve. He is the proof that it's the
      man who makes the forum, not necessarily the other way about.

      Billy McNeil has been doing it for longer, for years in fact, and was
      one of the reasons any Celtic fan would even deign to pick that paper
      up. He lent it certain credibility with some supporters, but in
      attacking Boruc he appears to have left the path of sanity.

      We all know by now that a Celtic fan was attacked and killed in Govan
      on Sunday night. We now know Aiden McGeady himself was a victim of a
      sectarian attack, and we know that Artur Boruc will be the subject of
      an SFA probe. At a time like this, when the sectarian scum of our
      society are crawling out of the woodwork, McNeil has launched a
      cowardly attack on our goalkeeper for a sign of religious faith which
      would not have raised hackles anywhere else in the civilised world. A
      man who I idolise and worship has gone down in my estimation and this
      saddens me, but not as much as the connotations of his remarks, which
      are that those who follow the Catholic faith should keep their heads
      down as the nature of the country we live in is to treat them as
      second class citizens at best or as targets of abuse and violence at
      worst. Those comments are disgraceful and diabolical and suggest the
      best we can hope for is not to provoke the bigotry and hatred of some
      of the folk we have to share living space with.

      Well, McNeil, that is simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

      When do we stop apologising for who and what we are? When does the
      hatred end, when does the system of government, of laws, when does
      this society of tolerance we keep hearing about kick in? Certainly it
      will not happen as long as we hide under the bed, as long as we act
      as if we are ashamed of our upbringing and our culture.

      Believe me, my anger today does not come from being a member of the
      social group being rounded on here, because I am an observer of the
      traditional Catholic customs at best. It comes from the wellspring of
      fury I feel when I see Islam being attacked, when I see the people of
      Palestine being subjected to the state brutality of Israel, from the
      same internal force which makes me a socialist and internationalist.
      The fact I am a Catholic myself does not come into it at all. This is
      not a matter of religion, for me, but a matter of right and wrong and
      there is no defence whatsoever for McNeil's claim that Boruc's
      actions have led to the promotion of bigotry ... except in a way
      McNeil did not intend.
      For he himself is the one who has promoted bigotry, for he has become
      the mouthpiece for our enemies and has pandered to the worst of them
      and given them a poster boy in our own camp, which I assure you they
      will use to get at us.

      McNeil is not alone of course. Nowhere in his article, indeed,
      nowhere in the whole maelstrom of hatred being whipped up, is there
      mention of the Rangers' fans new anthem to hatred, the one about the
      famine which ends in the line "why don't you go home?"

      If our society needed another example of The People, what that phrase
      means, and the twisted, fascist, racist beliefs which underpin it,
      then surely it is here, in a song as reprehensible as the one UEFA
      banned them from singing and which the head of the game in this
      country was quick to defend whilst a mere radio broadcaster.

      Upwards of a million people died as a result of the Irish Famine, and
      another million plus had to leave their native land as a result. This
      song is a monument to the ignorance and bigotry of a vast tract of
      the Rangers support, who evidently take great delight in singing
      filth.

      One can only wonder if he will defend this latest chant from the fans
      who once worshiped him and who clearly he worships in return, but his
      desire to do nothing should not dissuade us from trying to force the
      issue. This tune violates not only Scottish Footballing guidelines
      but those of UEFA and if we do nothing else here we should be working
      to lobby both organisations in an effort to get some action taken on
      it.

      The echoes of Enoch Powell are everywhere in this, especially in the
      attitudes of the media towards both the song and Boruc. Whereas one
      is judged worthy of comment and condemnation the other hardly merits
      a whisper of either. For all Scotland claims to have moved on the
      headlines say otherwise. The silence speaks volumes. The attitude has
      changed not one bit from the days when job interviewees were asked
      about which schools they attended ... the only change is in the more
      sophisticated ways they have of doing it.

      Our club is not, of course, the Catholics Only organisation they try
      to paint it as. Our whole history has been built on the opposite.
      Boruc's demonstration of his religious faith happened in front of
      supporters who's club's whole ethos is tolerance and respect for
      other religions and religious views, and I like to think had the same
      gesture been made by a player of the Jewish faith or the Islamic
      faith ... and yes, even one of the branches of the Protestant faith
      (a good example would be a t-shirt in support of Dr Rowan Williams,
      who at least made an effort to debate anti-Islamic intolerance, and
      faced the wrath of the right-wing media for doing so) we'd have been
      behind him if the media launched this kind of ferocious assault.

      But of course the issue does not arise. Had the media attacked an
      Islamic player for this, or a Jewish player, the outcry would truly
      have been national and the politicians would be weighing in from all
      sides to condemn a press culture which itself promotes bigotry when
      it tells the Catholic community its right to express its faith
      depends on them doing it behind closed doors.

      It raises the question as to why the same vitriol was not poured on
      the religious beliefs of Marvin Andrews, who routinely wore t-shirts
      under his Rangers top promoting his faith and was feted by the self
      same media which seeks to demonise our keeper. He too publicly
      paraded his religious beliefs, was vocal in supporting them and even
      went as far as to deny medical science when he very publicly put his
      faith in God that he wouldn't exacerbate a horrendous injury.

      Not ONCE did the media criticise him in this way.

      Pope John Paul II, although not my own favourite pope, is a national
      hero in Poland because he used the worldwide pulpit afforded him by
      his position to push for justice and democratic rights in his
      homeland. He was also a keen amateur footballer, himself a
      goalkeeper, and has a special place in Boruc's heart for these
      reasons. The very system the late John Paul II was so outspoken
      against, and he had the support of the whole Western world when he
      did, had the self same attitude to the Catholic faith that is being
      taken here. If the religion was to be practiced at all it was to be
      done behind closed doors, and woe betide anyone caught in public
      expressions of faith ...

      Boruc's actions, far from being worthy of condemnation, should be
      applauded by all right-thinking people. They are a refusal to give in
      to bigotry and hate. They are his public acknowledgement of beliefs
      he holds close to his heart and his way of saying he views those
      beliefs with pride and will not pander to anyone on that issue.

      I waited a long time to find a player who would replace Larsson in my
      affections. Boruc is it, without a doubt. Should he leave us, and it
      is almost inevitable he will, I will probably not find a player I so
      admire and respect for a long, long time. He understands the passion
      which moves the Celtic support, he knows what we are routinely up
      against and instead of bowing and scraping, as so many in the game
      do, he has taken a stand and dared them to do their worst.

      I ended one of my articles, on Neil Lennon, by saying we should all
      remember the words at the end of Spartacus, when the slaves were
      asked to identify their leader, who was facing crucifixion. Before
      long, every single one of those slaves rose and said the immortal
      words "I am Spartacus." Today, we are all Artur Boruc, regardless of
      religious faith, skin colour, sexual orientation or political hue.
      Today he is the voice of every single person in this country who
      strives to turn the awful, bigoted sectarian sea in which we live.

      The Rangers fans have made their views clear. They are so consumed
      with hate they can't see past it. Their reaction to Boruc is mirrored
      in their intolerant chant in the way the fury of the press is
      mirrored in their silence regarding that song.

      We have a duty to see justice is done on that and we should be
      writing to as many people as we can to see this latest shameful act
      by the Rangers support is highlighted and then halted.

      Here is the song, for reference.



      (And we're not talking about "a minority" there, are we? That's all
      of
      them unless I'm mistaken.)

      Comment


        Rangers v Celtic

        I was wondering what the CIPD was.

        Today he is the voice of every single person in this country who strives to turn the awful, bigoted sectarian sea in which we live.
        No, that would be the person who says, 'I wish the Old Firm and the big bag of shite they drag behind them would fuck right off'.

        Comment


          Rangers v Celtic

          serious socio-historical analysis/ absurd self-pitying hysteria (take your pick...)

          The latter trying to disguise itself as the former, by the look of it.

          Typical lunatic-fringe-of-OF-support tactic of trying to project their squabbles/paranoia on Scotland as a whole. Fuck 'em.

          Comment


            Rangers v Celtic

            I couldn't face that whole article but ;

            Pope John Paul II, although not my own favourite pope,
            made me laugh quite a lot. I hope there was a sidebar listing his Top 5 Favourite Popes on the original piece.

            Comment


              Rangers v Celtic

              Well there was formosus X who was rather unfortunate to be dug up twice by his enemies....

              Comment


                Rangers v Celtic

                Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:
                I was wondering what the CIPD was
                Sorry, rogue cut and paste there. As I'm in firm-baiting mode, they're a sinister freemasonic personnel bosses' front organisation

                Good luck with the new job btw.

                Comment


                  Rangers v Celtic

                  Why, thank you DG.

                  (It is DG, right?)

                  Comment


                    Rangers v Celtic

                    What is all this Scotland's Shame stuff anyway??

                    Comment


                      Rangers v Celtic

                      Sectarianism.

                      Only a fool would try to deny that it exists elsewhere in Scotland, but it's with the OF that it's at it's most virulent, open and long-established.

                      Comment


                        Rangers v Celtic

                        Comment


                          Rangers v Celtic

                          What a sight - Nazi salutes from people proudly displaying the Israeli flag.

                          Comment


                            Rangers v Celtic

                            "It'z no a Nazi salute, it'z a reid haun o Ulstur, n'at"

                            Comment


                              Rangers v Celtic

                              Correct me if wrong, but aren't Messrs Darcheville, Cousin, Novo, Cuellar etc. variously black and Catholic (contradicting Vordi's banner)?

                              Comment

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