Last night on Channel 4 News there was a piece of television reporting that should be a wakeup call for everyone in Scotland.
For it was either seven minutes and fifty one seconds of an intricately choreographed libel against the reputation of a fine bunch of Corinthian chaps in Govan or it was the shameful truth.
If it was the former then the conspiracy involved an award winning TV news channel based in London, their highly decorated war correspondent, a QC, the NUJ’s fulltime organiser in Scotland, Raith Rovers’ big cheese Turnbull Hutton, respected social commentator Gerry Hassan and my book editor Angela Haggerty.
As conspiracies go you have to admit that’s fairly impressive!
For the conspiracy theory to hold water then all of these people would be motivated to besmirch the reputation of such a dignified bunch of supporters.
Presumably there was even some skulduggery in the supporter’s audio that was broadcast.
Of course there is one other explanation for the Channel 4 piece last night and that it was entirely factual.
The reality is that there is simply no need for any black propaganda to be used against the crazy end of the Ibrox support.
They do all of that themselves.
Actually they are very good at it.
They lash out in anger at a new social order where they are not “The People” instead they see an appalling vista where they are consigned to the hellish ignominy of equality.
As the zeitgeist in Scotland changes they see their world slipping away.
The structures and societal arrangements that affirmed and reinforced their sense of cultural superiority are decomposing in front of their eyes.
A new Scotland based on decency and fairness where the world view of good folk like Turnbull Hutton is the moral compass rather than those who would seek to have a book suppressed.
Of course those, who in recent weeks, abused bookshop staff in Glasgow for working in a place that stocked Downfall will now, be proudly wearing the Royal British legion Poppy.
These fine fellows will proudly state that they do so to remember those who died for our freedom.
I would wager that they have a rather different concept of liberty than most of us.
Their idea of freedom is when they get to decide what books can be sold and what stories newspapers can publish.
That is why we cannot allow them to win.
Lest we forget.
