In the law of unintended consequences, it is a case study par excellence.
The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis finally did for the statue of a slave trader in Bristol.
Now other British municipalities are examining their own public space apropos Britain’s shameful slaving past.
As regular readers here will know your humble correspondent is a keen advocate of British re-education.
Even after the Suez Crisis of 1956, there was no equivalent in Blighty of Vergangenheitsbewältigung.
Of course, any attempt to write the history of the British state without examining the central role of the Empire is to be a friend of nonsense.
Indeed, the polity centred in London which came to dominate this archipelago was designed for imperialist expansion.
One of the last geopolitical acts of an independent Scotland was an attempt to set up a colony in Central America.
These failed colonialists of Darien then became ardent imperialists under the newly created state.
The Atlantic slave trade was central to the success of the British imperium.
This chap came up with the idea and called it the “Western Design”.
The statue of a genocidal criminal is outside the British parliament.
The Black Lives Matters (BLM) campaign crossing the Pond is a welcome development.
However, those pesky unintended consequences are still in play.
A BLM demonstration in Glasgow at the weekend inadvertently showed the shallow nature of Sevco’s commitment to an anti-racist message.
Up stepped a chap associated with the Everyone Anyone marketing campaign.
Unfortunately, he made the grave error of speaking the truth about the Ibrox club at a public event.
On cue, the racists on Sevco message boards went ballistic.
One thing that the Ibrox chaps do not care for is to hear the truth about themselves.
For the avoidance of doubt, these are the same folks who lovingly remember in song a razor gang led by a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
They see no problem with the lyric “we are up to our knees in Fenian blood”.
The apologists for this ditty tie themselves in semantic knots about what the word “Fenian” means in the context of The Billy Boys song.
Thankfully, the vast majority of people in Fair Caledonia are probably just embarrassed that they share a country with this fascist subculture.
By last night, the PR company in charge of this doomed marketing campaign got this out on Twitter.
However, most rightminded folk already knew the truth about Ibrox.
It is home to a subculture that defines itself through racism.
If there was a functioning journalism on Planet Fitba this story is an open goal.
Of course, all that you will hear is succulent silence from the Stenography Corps.
I responded to a tweet by a Little Englander, pointing out that there was no such thing as the Irish Famine, as other crops, whilst being grown for export, were denied to the Irish populace. The reply I got back defies belief!!.. in effect, what the respondent said was that it was okay to starve Ireland because these other crops were important to trade with mainland Britain, and the rest of Europe, and by feeding the populace instead of trading these crops, it would have devastated the economy!!.. No – it wasnt Boris Johnson replying to my tweet, but that level of intelligence is what we’re up against.
Don’t waste yer time conversing with idiots.
Just ruffle their hair and pray for their poor mammy.
A publicity company with the initials “CPR”?
Too late for that.
I wouldn’t worry about that too much – it can’t be too long until Rangers International Publicity get the gig! 😉
A publicity company with the initials “CPR”?
Too late for that.
https://amymuz.wordpress.com/2020/06/12/glasgow-celebrates-a-slaver-once-a-year-a-response/
I will just leave this here.
Talking about statues and forgive my ignorance I did not know that there was a statue of William of orange in Glasgow until today’s news re police guarding it !!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/generation-emigration/from-ireland-to-the-us-a-brief-migration-history-1.2409960%3fmode=amp
If you have four season BOOKS all staying at same address.
Can you not get Celtic to sell your other seats
To fans on the waiting list for the TV deals only give fans it until we can return
Celtic could make more money selling tv deal
Its rent your seat at adult prices
GIVING more fans the chance to watch
Better Virtual tv that would help Celtic fans out and make more money.
I have parent and child that I pay for
My son in law got SEAT so av got a spare tv deal that I will gladly give Celtic it too make more money because this SEAT i pay for is cheap i don’t mind paying for it and letting Celtic sell it just for tv only they can make money fans will pay for the service for the ten
Keep some family members from losing their seat cause of the virus they need to sell
Every tv pass that’s 60.000 homes
There cause that’s all your problems solved
I just think that is fair for the fans
In the wake of the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, The Daily Mirror published photos of British soldiers engaged in torture. Very quickly there were declared fake and the “brave” editor was sacked. The result was that public interest in the subject waned so job done.
Rather than heading off to bitter obscurity, the “brave” editor seemed to have the pick of media jobs in the following years including replacing Larry King etc, winning Trumps “Apprentice” etc.
Ultimately being rewarded with a Morning TV job which included a £2 million contract with “golden handcuffs” clause.
Somebody loves this boy. I wonder why?
Turns out Chace PR is a one man band operated by non other than Stephen Kerr, former Sevco press officer and more latterly one half of the well know comedy duo Level 5. Talk about keeping it in the family!
Everyone Anyone is welcome at Celtic Park except if you wish to sing “The Boys of the Old Brigade”. Technically, this is because you are showing support for an “Organisation Proscribed in the Terrorism Act 2000”.
Except that in 2000, the “Irish Republican Army” didn’t exist any more, having declared their weapons and disbanded with peaceful intentions in 1998 as part of the “Good Friday Agreement” which effectively ended the “War” in the six counties of the North of Ireland. How can you proscribe an organisation which no longer exists?
But CFC are happy to go with this. It is the easy option of course and ticks all the boxes for an easy life for the Corporation and their “Men”. But Celtic FC are not standing up for their Fans. They will gladly put someone elses behind on your seat who will be more compliant than you.
You cannot compare singing TBOTOB to the constant bigoted filth that pours from the mouths of fans of other teams who visit Parkhead. So where’s the justice. Nowhere. Celtic plc are supine and passive in this regard. The late Robert Kelly would not have tolerated this nonsense.
The is a declared a ceasefire in 1972 I believe you are conflicting them with the provisional ira which is just as wrong as saying the real ira or continuity ira are the same as the provisional ira
Margaret Thatcher quoted St. Francis of Assisi in 1979 on becoming PM “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, Where There Is Hatred, Let Me Bring Peace” et al. But she was no “Peacemaker”, the exact opposite, in fact. She crucified those Hungerstrikers in 1981 by her intransigence towards them and their demands; demands which were later recognised by others, who found a solution to the “War” in the North of Ireland and brought about Peace there. Thatcher in her time in office fought a continuous war against the Republicans, she was no peacemaker. And also her Argentinian, Falklands / Malvenis war.
Now Britain does not have the resources nor the capability to go to war alone.But if you take a lake a look backwards at history through the lens that is Margaret Thatcher, you can see how “Britannia Ruled the Waves” with ruthlessness, power and greed. Thatchers legacy is that she never brought Peace anywhere. Quoting Saint Francis of Assisi only shows up her actions in a more hypocritical light.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52993306
Systematic Oppression
Another blazing hot topic that will also be entertaining,not that the subject matter isn’t very serious,it will bring differing opinions that will lead to commenting on here.
Henry Dundas1st Viscount of Melville was the last person to be impeached for the misappropriation of public money.(as per Wikipedia)Alas,he was acquitted but,never held public office again.Noo absolutely none of those facts surprise me in the slightest,if he was around today he’d be seated at ayebrokes alongside similar cheating racists,no doubt singing their songs of unity,love and equal rights,ahehmmm..sorry,division,hate and the spilling of Catholic blood,;all in all a great day out for racists.
Vergangen etc… Coping with the past! They cannot cope with the present Phil,far less learn from history.Maybe that statue outside Parliament of Oliver Cromwell is a precursor to enlighten tourists about what goes on inside,an early warning system if you will.
Great stuff Phil🇮🇪Cheers
Both the UK and USA have apologised for the terrible deeds of their forefathers concerning the slave trade. What you never hear spoken or written about is the part played by the Tribal Leaders who sold whole families to the traders. No apology from African Nations in respect of that….No.. not a squeek.
All Lives Matter!!
Indeed – one third of the central African population was enslaved by the indigenous populace prior to the advent of trans-Atlantic slavery. And not chattel slavery, but what about the millions of ordinary people that lived a similar existence in the UK throughout the time of Empire in order to preserve the position of the “elite”. Unfortunately it is they who continue to preserve many of the institutions that still harbour same Elite. It is not statues that need tearing down on mass, but history that needs to be accurately documented and made part of the mainstream narrative.
Correct!.. I remember history lessons in school, talking about the bravery of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, or more recently, about the brave Tommy’s in the trenches. Not once do we hear of any barbaric acts during these battles, suggesting that battles were fought on a 9 – 5 basis, and that all participants sat down together to share cups of tea, and a few jokes together. There is the beginnings of historical inaccuracy right there. We all learned about the holocaust, and how the Nazi Germans placed Jews in concentration camps – I dont remember ever being taught about Frongoch. It is only through Phil’s work here that I heard of it, and that is wrong. There should be no (if you’ll excuse the following phraseology) whitewashing of history.
Let the African people’s and Tribes hold them accountable.
What is the use of a policy for crimes of the past if the same crimes are being committed today? Police brutality in the US continues with black children taught that if they respond to Police in the ‘wrong’ way it could be fatal. In the UK the deportation of Windrush era citizens, who had lived in the country since their childhood is a scandal and a very recent one.
Frankly I’m now tired of Phils relentless denegrating of the land of his birth and of mine. I follow Phil as a lifelong supporter and season ticket holder(with my wife) of my beloved Hoops and have long welcomed his insight into footballing matters. I do not however welcome the increasingly frequent attacks on a country that i cherish and am proud of. No country is without fault in its present or its past and whilst Slavery is a stain on our history it is also a stain on the Irish who participated and prospered from the same. So as they say….”let ye who is without guilt…..”. Meanwhile I ( and my Wife of an Irish father) look forward to reading football related insight to the club we love and not the constant denegration of our homeland.
So let’s pretend that similar things are not still going on eh. Move along now nothing to see. Let’s stick to football? Bullshit. Carry on Phil shining a light on the racists, xenophobes, fascists and bigots.
Aye because no Irish man has ever done a bad thing, ever, right? In the context of America why not bring up L G Murphy and James Dolan? such fine upstanding citizens who ran a political con ring, robbed and cheated Everyone, anyone” (see how that works) were under government contract to supply beef to native reservations, guess how that turned out.
There was never any Irish men in India or anywhere else being paid coin to do bad deeds eh?
Also on the subject of America see all those brutal police, that blm are protesting against from what country do a large part of what built the police force over there come from and still hail?
I’ll give you a clue, James Dolan was a sheriff. So keep that in mind when you’re having a go at Scotland.
Everyone is against prejudice until you get to their own and anyone shouting about others while doing the same things they claim is bad, is a hipocrite.
If you want to blame people now for sins of yesteryear then you can take the blame of yours too and stop being so sanctimonious because that’s all it is and the veneer is flimsy.
On the subject of “flimsy” your straw man arguments are rather threadbare.
Speaking from personal experience, and I’m including many of my own relations in this, Irish Americans ARE among the most racist people I’ve ever come across.
In 2015 pproximately 10% of the present US population was estimated to be of Irish descent. At one time it was estimated at over 25%.
For a proportion of the population that size, not to have a major input into the overall psyche of any country, is frankly absurd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gESuHAB8zpI
Reference to single dreadful incidents of greed pale alongside state sanctioned policies of racisim and genocide that is being highlighted here in the piece.
That said phil fails to acknowlege that also at that time a movement of abolitionist were starting to acsend, indeed GB eventually became the first country to make slavery a crime in the modern era. Its also a fact that scots and irish were at the forefront.
Balanced reporting is one to strive for , phil, at times fails that test.
Revolutionary France banned slavery (not just the trade in slaves) in 1794.
However, that was revoked by Napoleon in 1802.
The following year Denmark was the first European country to ban the slave tard-four years before Britain.
Newly independent Haiti abolished slavery-not just the trade in slaves-in 1804.
Slavery was not abolished in the British Empire until 1833.
The slave owners were compensated by the British government (£20m).
This loan was only paid off in 2015.
Of course, the enslaved people were never compensated.
Therefore, Britain was not the first country to ban the slave trade or to outlaw slavery.
Historical illiteracy annoys me.
Do better.
Have a look at this map…
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/maps/britain
Oh Dear JP,
I suggest you consult a history book. As Phil has said, this site is fully searchable. I also suggest you start here https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/pdf/ip170493.pdf
Failling that an honest reading of the historical role of Scotland in the spread of English imperialist ambition may be educational.
I wish you well
I hope the BLM does cause change in America but it probably won’t. It will fade away just like the me too movement.
What I find strange is that people in Britain are jumping on the bandwagon.
Where were the protests when sheku bayoh was killed by police Scotland?
What about the Asian groups of sex offenders grooming and raping girls from any other communities apart from there own.
We have anti Irish matches no stop in the west coast of Scotland, where are the anti racist protesters then?
On another point, why take down these statues? They are a reminder of our past, whether we like it or not.
What these protesters fail to realize is that these slave traders very rarely went on shore and rounded up people to sell as slaves. What actually happened was tribes in Africa would attack or Tribes, take captives and enslave them. These people would then be sold to the slave traders. So yes , these white slave traders with statues were heavily to blame but so were the black slave traders who sold to the white man. Before the white slave traders the Africans sold their slaves is Asians.
Every comment I’ve read here refers to slavery as though it was an abhorrent crime of the past. It wasn’t and isn’t.
Slavery is alive and kicking in probably every country in the world.
A couple of years ago I read a report which estimated, that in all probability, there were more slaves in the UK now than when slavery was officially abolished.
You are correct apropos the current situation regarding slavery.
According to human rights organisations, there are now more people in the condition of slavery than at any time in human history.
Awful in a so called civilized society. Truly awful.
Was st.patrick no taken and sold into slavery in Ireland?
Slavery has always been around and always will be, as sad a statement as it is , it’s true. As long as people think they are better than others it will always happen.
In fact, you could even argue that we are all wage slaves
These statues are not history they are memorials to people who have been put on a pedestal for the rest of us to revere.
History is not just dates it is interpretation of events and causes surrounding them and is therefore not set In stone. Churchill. stated ‘history will remember me kindly as I am going to write it’.
Statues of people we longer look upon as worthy of praise should be removed and not erased but placed in a museum where people can still learn about them.
They could be replaced by statues of people who we now recognise as worthy of praise. Future generations might not agree with us but that is for them to decide.
Does anyone think Robert McDonald would publicly denounce the sectarian antic Catholic anti Irish philosophy practised by the old Rangers FC Director Robert Ure Primrose ? Primrose camel from a wealthy merchant family who freely aired his sectarian and racists beliefs at public meetings in Govan. He stirred up the anti Catholic feeling which still exists to the present day and left a history of blood money politics. Perhaps now is the time for Scotland to be finally educated about Scotlands Shame and their cesspit temple of hate down at Edmiston Drive. If a statue in a town centre epitomises Britains exploitation in the slave trade and is symbolically toppled then what does Ibrox Stadium represent ? It’s a blight on the Glasgow horizon. It’s a reminder of everything that is wrong with Scottish society. Why stop at educating people about the slave trade involving blacks. Let’s extend the education to the exploitation of the Irish. Lets embarrass Rangers and latterly sevco for what they truly represent.in modern day Scotland. McDonald is fooling nobody.
Poetic justice to see Edward Colston’s statue being lobbed into Bristol harbour. African women and children were thrown overboard on his slave ships. Generally because of food shortages and human overload. The Brutish Empire is thankfully over, but now we’re being globally educated about other imperialist ghouls like Henry Dundas, Cecil Rhodes et al.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plZkO3y9_hY
If the above link doesn’t work go to YouTube “The Bengal Famine and Winstone Churchill/ Badempinada.
You quite simply won’t believe your ears. And it might explain why the “Great Leader’s” statue was lately daubed with graffiti .
” I am proud my club has taken a lead roll through the creation of such an important and impactful campaign”…Eh?. That’s just Mental.
‘Totally opposed to all forms of discrimination,’ well apart from the obvious.
Methinks that the Everyone, Anyone campaign name could be slightly misleading for those not previously au fait with the club.
The darkness of racism has cast it’s shadow over the history of mankind. Some nations were and are more blameworthy than others. Some people also. In more enlightened times it is heartening to see an upsurge in the awareness of the evil and the focus and discussion on the issue. One current debate is “what to do with the statues”. The latest target in Glasgow is the removal of that well known imperialist Dub with the conical titfer a.k.a. the Duke of Wellington from his commanding plinth in the city. A small step towards enlightenment but a bad blow to the late night reveller.