Yesterday at the Glasgow Sheriff Court a better version of Glasgow’s future won an important victory.
Sheriff Stuart Reid ruled that Glasgow City Council DID have the statutory power to re-route marches.
He stated that:
“Glasgow City Council had applied the law correctly, based on correct material facts and have used their discretion in a reasonable manner.”
It would be remiss of me to fail to acknowledge the precise reporting from the court by journalist James Doleman.
The case had been brought by several Loyal Orders against the local authority.
The flute fraternity lost in court and costs were awarded for the City Council.
Ouch!
The response from the brethren was to call off two of the planned parades.
This raises the issue of the utility function of these events.
Call It Out state that they are anti-Catholic marches and should not be allowed to march past Catholic churches.
So when re-routed parades are called off it does add evidence to the allegation that they are simply a vehicle to express hatred of Catholics.
Therefore, if the opportunity to abuse Catholics is removed then there isn’t really any point in the fancy dress or tone-deaf drum banging.
Call It Out were set up to combat anti-Catholic bigotry and anti-Irish racism.
In the Scottish political lexicon, both of those hatreds are subsumed within the catch-all term of “sectarianism”.
Indeed, one could argue that enmity towards the Irish Catholic community has been a key organising principle of Scottish society since the Victorian era.
It is undeniable that both of these traditional hatreds in Fair Caledonia find regular expression at football matches.
The main offenders are the Ibrox klanbase, although they also have a warm-up act at Tynecastle.
More than a decade ago I tried to get Scottish sports journalists to take on board that the Famine Song was racist and not sectarian.
That it was aimed at Scotland’s multi-generational Irish community.
There were numerous reasons that I failed to get them to take this on board.
“To name things wrongly is to add to the misfortune of the world,” said Albert Camus and for a time in 2008, I felt like I was playing out the Myth of Sisyphus.
Of course, a cynic might have concluded that the main reason for my failure to alter the terminology of the sports chaps was a general lack of cognitive bandwidth in the press box.
Thankfully the criminal justice system in Scotland saw this product of the Genocide Choir at Ibrox for what it was and ruled accordingly.
Yesterday Irish footballer James McClean called out the football authorities for their inaction regarding the racism he suffers as an Irish person.
If McClean, say, moved to Celtic then the abuse that would undoubtedly come his way from the Ibrox klanbase would be characterised as “sectarianism” from the Stenography Corps.
By excising the ethnic from the analysis they make sure that this hatred cannot be accurately called out.
Neil Francis Lennon laid out to the assembled hacks last November the importance of correctly calling out anti-Irish racism in Scottish football.
Sadly, his patient efforts have not changed the narrative on the sports desks.
That is why the victory yesterday in court is important on several levels.
It is early days but the victories being notched up by Call It Out does seem like a campaign whose time has come.
If they win then Scotland will have a better future.
For the avoidance of doubt, you don’t have to be a Catholic or be of Irish descent to wish them well or to join them in the cause of decency.
BAN ALL MARCHES.The Scottish government and the SMSM are quick enough to condemn Celtic fans for singing so called sectarian songs especially at away grounds but allow the knuckle dragers to parade up and down our streets with a police escort at tax payers expense(no matter what there religious preferences are )and then you have the blue bag brigade following causing mayhem smashing bottles and rubbish everywhere with very little said about it and how much it costs to police.
I try to have a good day every day but especially when I have my Fish on a Friday.
Their wee KKKulcher is dying.
Let us pray for their wee KKKulcher.
🙏🏽 +
When the re-routing of the march past the church where the priest was spat on last year was ordered by the council, the Orange Order decided to cancel it entirely. They might as well have announced publicly. “If we can’t march past Catholic Churches and spew out nauseous bile at priests and anyone else in their vicinity, there’s just no point in marching at all.”
Methinks they cancelled Glasgow and decided to come to Motherwell instead. NEVER seen so many toy soldier uniforms in one place, at one time, in my life. The sound of dragging knuckles was painful on the ears!!!
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. HH
You constant comments about Hearts and Tynecastle shows your hatred. Other clubs and grounds also have an element of bigots and anti Catholic fans, so your constant comments do you no favours as a supposedly unbiased reporter. Ann Budge has worked wonders to remove as many offenders as possible, and Hearts in general should be praised for the sterling work they have done in this department. NO, they will never completely stamp it out, but when found the culprits are dealt with, so your constant snyde comments are disrespectful and unnecessary.
You should be praising the hard work done, instead of your negative reporting. The vast majority of Hearts fans are not anti Catholic, and where a certain song is sung, the words are changed to Hibby’s blood, a comment on the club rivalry and nothing to do with religion.
Religion and sport should never be in the same sentence as they are completely different issues.
DId you watch and/or listen to the SFA Cup final???
I can see why you made such comments,however,without doubt they,religion and sport,are intrinsically linked,especially in the West of Scotland.I’m in no way saying that they should be,far from it,they are indeed two separate issues,my point is;it’s such a pity that the Scottish Government and the running joke that is the ‘sfa’ cannot make the same easy distinction.
Can I also hazard a guess,that you personally have never been in a position where you are the victim of sectarianism and/or bigotry,having been in that position myself once,that experience is very difficult to put behind you.In fact,I don’t think I will ever be able to say that I am truly over it.
Unfortunately,Phil has went through a helluva lot more than he would care to recall,that may have coloured his opinions.Neil Lennon’s experiences @Tynecastle does your club no favours either!!
But,I wholeheartedly agree with your last sentence.☮️
It’s an old joke but, sorry, I can’t resist it.
Q. “How many Rangers fans does it take to change a lightbulb?”
A. “51……. 50 to change the bulb, and one to drive the bus back to Tynecastle.”
Religion and sport do mix in the all priests, over 75’s cup final on Father Ted
NOO that must’ve been comedy gold.Father Ted was very funny at the time,great laugh.
Congratulations to Call It Out.
They have certainly made an impact in a short period of time.
Now – perhaps – a precedent has been set, that these OO Walks shouldn’t go past a Church…
the logical end game is a total ban on Glasgow/Scotland streets.
It might still take a while, but it seems that this Court decision could be a massively significant step in the right direction.
Meantime, the continuing, embarrassing question remains:
Why is this even happening in a 21st Century Scotland?!
Come on guys, cut these OO marchers some slack.
After all they are only celebrating their culture. 😅
Coincidentally the route of many of these marches takes them past Catholic churches where the big guy with the big drum can give it laldy as part of that cultural celebration.
It beggars belief that most of those involved either have no idea that Billy’s army was financed by the Vatican for political reasons, or choose to ignore the fact.
You would expect at the very least that some homage to the Pope responsible would be appropriate amongst the bands banners etc, perhaps I’ve just not been able to pick them out in the throng?
The true proof of this ruling will be when the “main event” takes to the streets of Glasgow in July. I’ve noticed in recent years, since coming home from serving 30-odd years living and working in Greater London, that (rather alarmingly) these bigoted parades are being dressed with resplendent descriptions such as Orange Fest – fest being an abridged version of the word “festival”, something to be enjoyed. I’ve been in New Orleans, where people of all races, colours, creeds, religions, and sexuality have enjoyed the Mardi Gras festival. I have also attended the Rio Carneval (no-it’s not a spelling mistake. That’s how the Brazilians spell it), where, again it is enjoyed by all. Likewise, Thailand’s Songkran Festival, wheretc the local That’s will throw water at you – it is their way of wishing in their New Year, and wishing those they shower with water prosperity and good health. Somehow, seeing peely-wally fat guys dressed in their suits and bowler hats, and wearing sashes, and their followers spewing their bilious poison, and spitting at “kaffliks” doesn’t have the same charm or appeal… maybe it’s just me, though!
Nah…. It’s not just you!!!
Could just be a contraction of..
inFESTation