As a general rule, any author wants their book to stand the test of time.
However, there are exceptions to that.
If a book is on a serious social ill then you hope that as times passes it becomes merely a historical footnote.
That is, the problem that the book explored has been happily consigned to history.
Therefore, it is with sadness that a book I wrote half a decade ago could have been written yesterday.
Minority Reporter. Modern Scotland’s bad attitude towards her own Irish (2013 Frontline Noir) has three sections.
The middle one is entitled “Neil Francis Lennon”.
Once more the Irishman was the victim of violence at Tynecastle.
Once more the Irishman was found to be partly culpable by some in Fair Caledonia.
Victim blaming is an ever-present trope in many discriminatory systems.
Women who seek justice for the sexual violence perpetrated against them have often been asked if they dressed “provocatively”.
Thankfully that battle has largely been won in many criminal justice arenas in the Western world.
The responsibility for rape is always with the rapist.
Sadly in Scotland, hate crimes are not always viewed as such when the victim is an Irish Catholic.
Neil Francis Lennon is an Irish Catholic.
If you lose sight of that then the appalling treatment that he has experienced in Scotland since he arrived at the start of the millennium is inexplicable.
All of those threats, all of those criminal assaults and all of the online abuse are hate crimes.
Neil’s agent Martin Reilly has heard all of the excuses and he’s having none of it.
I spoke to Martin at length when I was writing Minority Reporter and he was hugely helpful to me then.
He was in fighting form today when we finally caught up with each other today.
My advice to him was to liaise with the media in London and Dublin about what was happening to Neil.
They might have less problem in seeing the entire saga as a series of hate crimes directed at an Irish person.
It is a disgrace that Martin still has to convince anyone that his client is somehow deserving of what he has to endure in the “best small country in the world”.
For the avoidance of doubt, that was a marketing slogan of the Scottish government back in the day.
Yet within their ranks their rising star at Westminster can casually throw out a racist remark about the Irish community in Scotland and it’s like it never happened.
I doubt that Ms Mhairi Black MP would be so disrespectful of Scotland’s Italian community.
However, by smearing the Irish she’s apparently on safe ground.
I sent Ms Black a copy Minority Reporter early this year and her office manager confirmed receipt of it and that the Paisley MP had taken it home to read it.
MY earnest wish was that by reaching out to the young parliamentarian she would see that the language she was using was damaging and hurtful.
Ironically I use the LGBT analogy in the book as to how many people in Scotland hid their Irishness because of the prejudicial attitudes of the society around them.
After months of stonewalling from her office, I realised that she wasn’t going to answer the questions that I had submitted to her.
For the avoidance of doubt Ms Black the community that I come from is anything but “plastic”.
When Minority Reporter was published in 2013 there was no organisation on the social policy landscape that was willing and able to tackle anti-Irish racism in Scotland.
It is very early days, but the Call It Out organisation has started well.
Hopefully, they can turn my book into something suitable for a history degree.
Until then the subject matter couldn’t be more topical.
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Shows just how far Rangers have slipped. A pitch invasion to celebrate a goal against St Mirren? Come on!
A reminder of the Thistle away game where the Rangers bench erupted.
I think we have seen enough over the last few weeks that Celtic should not be putting a few hundred fans at risk by taking tickets for the Ibrox game on the 29rh December.
Simple question. Can Police Scotland guarantee the safety of the away fans, win, lose or draw?
Of course they can’t. Anyone thinking otherwise is an idiot.
Phil, send her another list of questions. And keep doing it till you get answers.
Tony Casscarino should keep his mouth shut if he would have shown as much heart as Neil Lennon maybe he wouldn’t have been such a flop at celtic. You can’t seriously lay any blame on Lennon the blame is all on the thug who threw the coin a thug is a thug not saying it was an act of anti-catholicism probably just thuggery.
I didn’t hear much on this site re the appalling sectarian remarks by Andrew Kerr, leader of the CMWU, at the recent Labour Party conference. He “apologised” for his bigoted anti-catholic comments – so that’s alright then? He should have been kicked out of the Labour party immediately. As STV’s Bernard Ponsonby said SLab’s Richard Leonard needed this “like a hole in the head”. They’ve certainly lost a lot of votes now.
Has there been any statement of support or recognition from Celtic in relation to our old managers plight.
Now that this story has gone “national” on the BBC, let’s hope that the likes of Gary Lineker, Dan Walker, or somebody in the public eye runs with this story, and makes a documentary about it. In Scotland, there is a “blind acceptance” of this “banter” from the Scottish MSM, but if that bright light is shone on this shameful behaviour by a “London-centric” media broadcaster, maybe we will begin to witness a paradigm shift in this garbage. If it were to be called-out in such a manner, surely this would be a golden opportunity for Call It Out to raise their profile?
God knows Scottish football’s disciplinary system is a shambles but surely the MacLean suspension takes the biscuit.
Two match suspension for groping the Celtic player.
Immediately misses next game up, Hibs in the league, 2nd match suspension Celtic today?
Don’t be silly , it will be carried forward to the first Hearts game in next seasons Betfred Cup!
What the feck! That’s crazy, having to wait 12 months for justice to be served, ah but that’s indicative of the mess the SFA/SPFL have created.
Wake me up the next time, or the first time, that either of these organisations do something right.
The Scottish Government and Police Scotland can put an immediate end to the crazies who think throwing items in a crowded public space is no big deal.
Instead of a slap on the wrist, community service or a suspended service, lock up the offenders for a minimum of 5 years.
That will make them think twice, well perhaps those with a brain anyway!
OK here is my honest opinion. I agree Neil Lennon has been treated abysmally and I agree a large amount of the hatred and vitriol directed against Neil lies within a deep rooted bigotry of Irish Catholics. When you look at the history, from nail bombs in the post, a driver trying to drive him with his family off the road, a street attack, the physical attack at Tynecastle, death threats, anti Lennon rhetoric in the media and this recent coin attack, the abuse he has had to endure has been astonishing and disgusting. Now here is my but… no, I’m not going to say he brings it on himself, I have already stated a large part of the hatred stems from blatant bigotry. Neil Lennon is an intelligent man and also a brave man, a warrior on the pitch and indeed off it. I believe he has decided to confront the abuse head on, hence the juvenile unprofessional antics on the touchline, directed at the fans giving him abuse. Some may think this is justifiable, I don’t. Everyone knows, when you call a fight you are liable to get a fight. The coins thrown at Lennon were not enough to floor Lennon, but unfortunately Lennon milked the moment Naymar-esque style and went down as if hit by a Mayweather knock out blow. To me Neil went down like that to fight back, to gain the higher ground morally and to understandably make an issue with the coin thrower, however I believe there are better ways for Neil to fight back than this type of juvenile tactic. Instead of coming down to the low life’s level, if Neil wishes to win the fight, he must rise above it, act with dignity and make witty sarcastic comments that could actually isolate the true bigots and slowly get the majority of the fans on his side. If he made a statement such as “in some ways when opposing fans abuse you it’s a compliment as it shows they respect what you have achieved and are doing, however it’s the few numpty’s that go over the line, forget it’s only banter and bring bigoted hatred into the equation that I have issues with”. What I mean is Lennon should try to find some common ground with the ordinary away supporters and try to isolate the bigots within their ranks. He is intelligent enough to do this. Gesturing to away fans as if he was a supporter of low intelligence looking for a fight is not the best tactic (in my opinion)
Best most sensible comment on here. Some much needed rationale.
I get what you are saying Phil about the shameful culture of anti-Irish catholics all the way. It needs to be stamped out. However, let’s take the Edinburgh derby in isolation. The fact a coin was thrown at Neil Lennon was deplorable, but we cannot be certain of the motive. The fact the Hearts goalkeeper was assaulted was deplorable and we cannot be certain of the motive. These people are thugs and we don’t want them at football matches, regardless of the opposition or the occasion. I’m a Hibs supporter and I felt let down by the arsehole in the crowd – as no doubt did most of the other 4,000 in the away end. Find them, shame them and ban them for life.
Overall I agree with this and hope that the fans come out in strong support of Lenny at the game tomorrow against Hearts. Although Lenny at times can be animated on the touchline and forthright with refs players etc is he really in that regard so different from Mourinho / conte / Guardiola who are very animated at times on the touchline and have had some back and forth with fans – particularly Mourinho! What I would like to see however that hasn’t been touched on yet is us getting our own house in order as well as the resurgence of IRA songs being sung at home and away games is a worrying trend after all the Bhoys against bigotry work Celtic did. I am as proud of my Irish heritage as any but get real the IRA are not some group of romantic rebels but no doubt organised criminals involved in people smuggling , drug running etc. Regardless I think both sides are more extreme then they have been in years which worries me with such a small number of Celtic fans having to run the gauntlet to get in and out of Ibrox soon in what is becoming a very dangerous atmosphere. I know plenty of level headed fans on both sides of football divide and also plenty of idiots on both sides. There’s no room for any forms of racism / Sectarianism in Scotland no matter what side they are on.
It is totally ridiculous to blame Neil Lennon for the several physical attacks that have been made on hom and only a moron would attempt to justify such a position.
As for Mhairi Black, in my experience you will wait a long time for a response from her when it does not suit her to reply; i.e. when you catch her out.
A few weeks ago I happened to see her column in the Daily Record. I don’t buy that shiterag but occasionally glance at a copy in the local library, just to check that they still print all the crap that’s unfit to read.
In her column Ms Black heaped praise on Nike for choosing the “taking a knee” advocate Colin Kaepernick to be the focus of their latest advertising campaign. Since Ms Black has made a name for herself as a champion of the weak and exploited of this world I thought I should point out to her that Nike has a terrible reputation for extreme exploitation of their workforce. Actually, they sub-contract their manufacturing and have a record of using countries where the workers have no rights, or at best very few. I thought Ms Black should be made aware of this fact.
I received a reply from her parliamentary assistant who informed me that unless I was a constituent of hers parliamentary protocol forbid her to offer me advice or assistance on any matter and that I should contact my own constituency MP.
I replied, saying that I was not seeking Ms Black’s help but merely pointing to a flaw in her newspaper article and would be interested to hear what she had to say about the matter.
Since then … nothing. So I assume she has no interest in discussing any matter when she has been caught out.
I’d like to have read Minority Reporter (and your The Squad) however my order of these never arrived, and I can’t seem to get a response from Frontline Noir…
I had a similar situation. I’m still awaiting Minority Reporter. Send an email to Bob, at: [email protected].
Apparently, MR is on reprint hold due to demand for Phil’s other two titles. I hope this helps, Michael.
Hi Phil. Good piece and I agree with all of it, except the reference to the battle for justice for women victims of sexual violence being largely won. The conviction rate for sexual offences is disgracefully low across the UK and most of Europe and across the UK women are still quizzed relentlessly about their sexual history. Women routinely report feeling that they are on trial and feeling further violated by the process: sadly, we still have a long way to go.
The issue of victim culpability apropos clothing etc was the basis of my analogy.
Yes. And unfortunately that still happens too.
Just seen this.. . https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/07/lawyer-tells-jury-to-think-about-girls-lacy-underwear-during-rape-trial-8114693/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
I think it’s only fair to note that the victim-blaming in this case has not been confined to the BWC (Best Wee Country).
Mr. Anthony Cascarino, an 88-cap former Republic of Ireland international, has been vocal in delivering the brings-it-on-himself narrative.
Typically, should-know-betters like Cascarino and Alan Brazil are quick to assert a victim’s complicity in the wider circumstance of their assault – yet apparently blind to their own complicity as apologists and social enablers.
Cascarino and his ilk should shoulder far greater blame for these sorts of attack than Neil Lennon.
I seem to recall that Alan Brazil was the victim of sexual abuse as a child.
I wonder,does he adhere to the view that “he brought it on himself” because he wore short trousers ?
He,Caldwell and Cascarino ought to be ashamed of themselves,as should anyone else who share their twisted logic.HH
There is nothing to suggest that the person who threw the coin at Neil Lennon the other night did so with an anti-Irish motive. The person might have lost control after he turned to the crowd and gestured. Im not saying he deserved it. Far from it. But, the person who threw the coin might have no gripe whatsoever with the fact Neil Lennon is Irish
Are you serious ?
Yes.
The only person who can answer that is the coin thrower,anything else is purely speculation,nothing else.
The same way that people who hunt animals for “sport” may not be anti-animal, they just like killing them, is that what you mean?
No.
Stephen – Neil Lennon has been attacked at Tynecastle twice now (once as Celtic manager). How many times were Bobby Williamson, Franck Sauzee,Tony Mowbray or Alex McLeish attacked there during their tenure as Hibs manager? Neil Lennon has to sit through 90 minutes of fans at Tynecastle, Ibrox and elsewhere calling him a ‘tarrier’, ‘taig’, ‘fenian’, ‘papist’, ‘beggar’ and all these vicious racist insults.
This is the wider sociocultural atmosphere within which Neil Lennon is harassed. He is dehumanised and basically branded fair game. The horrific graffiti painted in red on Russell Road (which is very close to Tynecastle) saying ‘Hang Neil Lennon’ was painted BEFORE the game. That’s the mentality of not a ‘small minority’ as some would have it, but a sizeable minority from my own experience of Hearts fans, never mind fans of Sevco. If he walked away from this shithole tomorrow, I wouldn’t blame the man at all.
HH We are all Neil Francis Lennon
Believe me, I think its a disgrace what happened to Neil Lennon. All I am saying is that the person who threw the coin may well not have did so because of anything to do with religious views. They may already hate Neil Lennon but it could be for a multitude of reasons. The coin thrower is still a scumbag but it’s very possible it’s not for the reasons that Phil assumes. I, for example, in my younger days used to really dislike Barry Ferguson. Purely because he was a wee twat. Anyway, back in the day, if he turned round in the heat of an old firm game and gestured to the crowd like Lennon did and I was close to the pitch then I could imagine I would momentarily fume and feel the rage and perhaps want to throw something. I’d have the restraint not to though. Maybe this person at Tynecastle, still a moron though, felt the same but failed to restrain themselves. Nothing to do with the over dramatic anti Irish, racist, anti Catholic rhetoric being touted.
I believe (hope?) that Stephen’s point is that this specific incident may not have been motivated by Lennon’s beliefs or background and we should be careful about using the “broad brush”. Lennon’s abuse overall has been clearly motivated, or at least exacerbated, by his apparent religion and region of birth. There is clearly a problem in Scotland that is being ignored by the media and downplayed by the residents*.
* Including myself by taking the line that it’s not as bad now as it was in the past.
Hi Phil, think you’ve got the ‘best small country in the world’ bit wrong there. That was the work of Jack McConnell’s Labour / Lid-dem administration. Can’t pin that one on the SNP https://www.scotsman.com/news/best-small-country-in-the-world-no-longer-1-1422666
Sometimes you feel moved to write something. This is one of those times. https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2018/11/01/in-defence-of-neil-lennon/