It is PR firefighting 101 that you must change the channel if you cannot control the narrative.
Therefore it came as no surprise to your humble correspondent that the PR folk at Sevco would try something.
Today it was to break their silence on the independent review of child abuse in Scottish football.
It was published in February, and the nine-year-old Ibrox club had remained silent about the failings of the original Rangers on this matter.
When it was released, I took a day to read through it and posted this piece.
Therefore the timing today of was rather suspect.
This was my initial take on Twitter.
I also noticed that there was a “decent Rangers fan” intervention in the Herald in the aftermath of the super spreader disorder in George Square.
If you really must, you can read it here.
“The easy thing for the clubs to do is protest that they are trying. But are they, really? Or are they dog whistling to the lowest common denominator? Does Celtic really need to fly the Irish tricolour above Celtic Park? Does that help or hinder progress?”
My friend and colleague Angela Haggerty wasn’t long in calling it out.
Apparently, Celtic’s Irish roots are still a problem for some in Scotland.
Indeed, it reminded me of the SFA’s move in 1952 to try and strip Celtic of their ethnicity.
The brogue wearing brethren in charge of the national game back then wanted the Parkhead club to take down the Irish flag.
They failed.
The year after that stand-off, a Church of Scotland document referred to the Irish as “an alien race”.
Throughout most of the 20th century, it was an organising principle of official Scotland to erase any visible vestige of Irishness from the community that gave birth to Celtic.
Well, those days are over, even in Fair Caledonia.
What is still extant is the anti-Irish racism of the Ibrox klanbase, and no PR spin will excise that shameful reality.
Moreover, until that is honestly acknowledged, then Scotland’s dirty little racist secret will remain just that.
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An excerpt from The Declaration of Arbroath 6th April 1320 ( A very Scottish Document)
“Most Holy Father, we know and from the chronicles and books of the ancients we find that among other famous nations our own, the Scots, has been graced with widespread renown. It journeyed from Greater Scythia by way of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Pillars of Hercules, and dwelt for a long course of time in Spain among the most savage peoples, but nowhere could it be subdued by any people, however barbarous. Thence it came, twelve hundred years after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, to its home in the west where it still lives today. The Britons it first drove out, the Picts it utterly destroyed, and, even though very often assailed by the Norwegians, the Danes and the English, it took possession of that home with many victories and untold efforts; and, as the histories of old time bear witness, they have held it free of all servitude ever since. In their kingdom there have reigned one hundred and thirteen kings of their own royal stock, the line unbroken by a single foreigner.“
The Gael that is the Scots,Irish,Welsh and Cornish are believed to be descendants of the Holy Lands and the genetics would in part seem to back the above 1300’s Oral Tradition/theory up.
So therefore the Irish are far less an “alien race” to Scots than those of the Anglo Saxons whom these peepel seem now want to gravitate towards in Anglo Land.
I should think their Ancestors who died in great numbers fighting them would have much to discuss with them had they had the opportunity to do so?
Mind what I was saying a wee while ago about cherry picking history in order to make a Political point?
Well that particular sword cuts both ways and slices right through these inward looking,parochial arguments about who owns the right to what and how that what came about?
Ironic really given the message Jesu brought with him.
There is Genetic evidence connecting us with the Middle East.
So in effect we are all of us the sons and daughters of Immigrants on these Islands and as such should welcome diversity and not simply reject it on a basis of …We were here before you so there 😡 like 5 year old weans in a primary school playground fighting over anything and everything.
Celtic Fc was born out a very real need to feed a Section of Society which at that time was marginalised and penalised for being different.
The Tri Colour is reminder of not only it’s beginning but also the foundation that all are and continue to be welcome within its playground.
As it should be.
Fly the flag Celtic 🇮🇪
We will cease to grow if we cut off our roots. Whether we continue to play in Scotland, move to the English leagues, or end up in some form of European league, we will continue to be Celtic, a club born in Scotland of Irish parentage.
We must NEVER forget these simple truths.
Did you notice that sevco didn’t actually apologise to the folk in their organisation that were abused, instead they used the wider scope of ‘Scottish football’ as a way of diversion.
What was striking to me about the Rangers statement was the totally absence of an apology for the specific actions of the club and its employees.
Instead we got a plethora of apologies on behalf of Scottish Football in general and to victims in general etc.
After a month, it was a pathetically inadequate “non-apology” and non-acceptance of the club’s individual responsibility to its victims.
The wretched MacIver article is why they won’t be called to task over this, as they should.
As ever Phil, always on the money. Bravo.
I must also add that I do find Angela Haggerty a constant anchor against the racist machinations emanating out of Fair Caledonia, which is still operating as just another part of England, no different to Kent or Birmingham, in fact I was reading a French newspaper the other day that referred to Edinburgh as being in England!
Do not hold your breath in the hope that they will somehow grow a pair and decide to stand on their own two feet and somehow vote out of hope rather than fear.
It’ll never happen.
They have a consistent history of being members of the ARS society, (Arselicking Royalist Sycophants).
Wallace had their card marked centuries ago and they haven’t changed.
They would rather hang onto the coattails of the dysfunctional family operating out of SW1A 1AA and a Westminster Authority.
Their national anthem still continues to sound very hollow as they have had numerous chances to “send them hamewards tay think again” but have proved to be completely incompetent in putting that into practice.
Ask them to stand on their own two feet and carve out a progressive future for themselves and create a country they would all be proud of, a distant dream I’m afraid.
Hopefully I may be proved wrong on that account but I doubt it.
ARS=Scotland.
HH.
Arse licking Scotland? If you ever work up the balls to say that to the face of ANY of thousands of Scots I’m acquainted with the only thing that would “lick” YOUR arse would be the toe end of their boot.
Hear,hear🇮🇪 Very well said✅
Jesus..
Administration / relegation. …
Here we go again…
Celtic one club since 1888..
Maybe being a bit picky, but they never apologised for the abuse at ibrox they used Scottish football
The abuse was under the old club. See the liquidators!!