In the age of the smartphone, anyone can become a paparazzo.
However, that doesn’t make it the correct course of action.
Last night, just like the rest of Planet Fitba, I was sent the Neil Lennon video.
Full discourse, I have met the man on several occasions and found him a polite conversationalist and engaging company.
Over and above the on-field shambles, it has been tough to watch personally Neil struggle this season.
Of course, both of those things are in some way connected.
When the footage was put out there last night, the klan was gleeful.
It is worth remembering that this is the same subculture that spawned the chaps who sent bullets and a “viable” parcel bomb to the Irishman a decade ago.
This was a decent take on the issue.
The treatment of Neil Francis Lennon in this millennium has shined a light on a dark corner of Fair Caledonia.
Nice new inclusive Holyrood governed Scotland appears to be little different to the one I was born in back in the 1950s.
By the time your humble correspondent made an appearance, the Irish had been racialised in Bonny Bigotland for over a century.
Even those in the Scottish commentariat who accept that historical fact will die in a trench to say that it is all different now.
However, it is still possible to indulge in a bit of consequence-free punching down to Scotland’s multi-generational Irish community.
I cannot disconnect the wider issue of anti-Irish racism in Scotland from what has been inflicted on the Armagh man during his time in the professional game in Scotland.
When he was the manager of Hibernian, the man himself laid it out for the assembled press pack.
He even gave them the correct term to use instead of the obfuscatory “sectarianism”.
It was a presser that became a lecture for the ill-informed and uneducated.
Indeed, it should have been a teachable moment for Planet Fitba.
Instead, the shameless shills of the Stenography Corps studied their brogues.
If someone is encountering personal struggles then mocking them on social media is not helping behaviour and Neil Lennon deserves better than this.
The chap with the smartphone, whoever he is, should be sick with shame.
I have just been catching up with your recent postings Phil…and your ” Kicking An Irishmen When He’s Down….” article particularly raised my eybrows …
I completely concur with the sentiments you set out regarding the treatment Neil Lennon has had from individuals recently regarding our former manager being filmed in his time of difficulty….and being exploited shamefully by certain people and our MSM thereafter…
Your indignation Phil , at this lack of empathy for a man in his time of need , is correct and as always well articulated…
However , I wrote to you a number of weeks ago regarding the shameful and disgraceful treatment Neil Francis Lennon was receiving from both individuals and groups within the Celtic support…the Celtic family…
e.g….vile personal online attacks , his face within red circles with a line across his face , banners demanding his removal as manager being displayed outside the front door of Celtic Park and at Lennoxtown etc etc….
I asked at the time of writing my lengthy email to you , why you hadn’t commented , let alone condemned these actions by people and groups such as the Green Brigade…
This great Celt was in need of , if not support , then at least some empathy , from Celtic supporters during this difficult period for Neil managerially…
Instead – and I name the Green Brigade , as they were at the forefront of this utterly shameful behaviour against our then manager – he was betrayed completely by people he thought he could trust…and stabbed in the back by them .
Since , and before , my email to you , and to date…24th April ’21…I have not read one word of criticism from you of the Green Brigade and others who choose to put the boot into this proud Irishman when he was down…
I have always respected and enjoyed your postings because you are not afraid to get to the heart of the issues you write about…
However , there is absolutely no point in condemning our enemies for their treatment of Neil recently and over the last 20 years Phil , if you do not have the courage to condemn and name those within our support who have behaved in an abominable way towards a Celtic Great , during this difficult season for us all…
I look forward in hope Phil, that you will devote a posting on this crucial issue of how we treat trully good Celtic individuals in their time of need…
Otherwise , your ” Kicking An Irishmen When He’s Down ” article and others you write in a similar vein , will in future have , for me at least , an extremely hollow and unauthentic ring to them…
Yours sincerely…
Vincent Stevenson
Phil, you’re spot on. The media in Scotland is a disgrace. It pushes a determined unionist narrative, and an anti Irish/Catholic bias. This is because they will need the hordes as muscle during the Indyrev2 process. Be in no doubt, they are scared witless at the thought of losing the last vestiges of Empire, and will do very similar to what they inflicted on your adopted island a century ago.
The powers that be are not quite the same beast of the 1920s. Firstly, UK is not THE power on the world stage. Second, the “democratic” West promotes itself as a rules based society, especially when left leaning govts are in power. There’s no way the Brits could send in Black and Tans to the streets of Glasgow. The Tories are held in contempt by 80% of the population, a far higher figure than in Ireland in 1920. I’d say we have a decent chance of achieving Indy this time. There’s not much we can do about the media, other than calling it out as often as possible. I don’t think it’s helpful, characterising Scotland as in thrall to the bigots. No leader can have any credibility in the democratic west by pandering to them. Biden won’t let them win either.
I get that lies we’re being fed and am grateful to you and a few others for highlighting them, but constantly pushing the orange Scotland narrative is both untrue and unhelpful.
Neil himself opened up with his struggles against depression. The black dog, inappropriate term, can and does affect all regardless of age, colour, religion or status. How many times has a person been in a pub, feel as if they’re fine, then step outside and to a sober person, are quite pissed. Does it make them a bad person. Nope. It means they’re behaving quite normal within the realms of societal behaviour.
Now we get to the phone voyeur. What a despicable, low life act. Who the fu*k does he/she think they are. I would like five minutes with this piece of shit. He wouldn’t be just losing a phone. I believe many fellow Glaswegians may be wanting a quiet word. Assumptions can be dangerous but the chances of this being a teenager from the wrong side of town, a supporter of a certain dead team, must be high.
Neil Francis Lennon has had his life disturbed on more than one occasion, none of which were deserved. He didn’t ask for it, never encouraged it, yet, a certain element came from the dark side try to mentally destroy a man who has done nothing to them. What a sad individual who should be named,shamed, subject to charges and made to apologise publicly with a severe penalty.
If his name comes out, he may need another country of refuge but wouldn’t that be quite ironic. Not being able to venture out without people noticing you. The individual should be shitting himself and rightfully so. We are all Neil Francis Lennon. God bless you sir. 💚🍀🇮🇪👍
Sick with shame?
I doubt very much they are capable of such levels of self reflection or awareness.
No I’d wager they just couldn’t wait to upload that as soon as possible.
After all life is all about how many likes or retweets you get regardless of the consequences isn’t it?
Neil hasn’t helped his own case here of course but I doubt there are few among us who haven’t been in similar or worse states at some point in our lives.
He’s had a tough year as have a lot of us and let his guard down.
When you do that in life that generally when the punches rain in.
GBNL and FTH’s
I was sick to my stomach when I saw it. Like you I’ve met Lenny on a couple of occasions and found him good company. Intelligent, articulate and just a right nice guy.
The complete arsehole who posted that clip thoroughly deserves to have his phone rammed down his throat. I noticed that he waited until Neil was about as far away from him as the room allowed before he bravely and heroically started shouting abuse, certain in the knowledge that Lennon would be restrained before he got anywhere near him.
Probably the kind of guy who posts comments about racists being as bad as taigs. A real towering intellectual.
I am not a Celtic fan but whoever filmed this is a disgusting individual. Neil may well be suffering some form of mental breakdown. Or he might just have felt like having a good drink and overdid it. But it is intrusive. I understand this took place outside Scotland so your headline is wrong.
Unfortunately I doubt if he has any sense of shame to be honest
God bless Neil lennon ! And to the gentleman with the smartphone here is hoping that in the near future you don’t find yourself in need of help and feeling vulnerable! Unfortunately people like you don’t do shame and are usually the biggest wingers on earth !
We all know the subculture of hate towards Irish catholics is the foundation stone here, Neil Lennon might have and has in the past had mental health issues, but come on, having a couple of sherbets too many, this is the blue touch paper to gloat and glee from the angry hating from the mob of anyone, in particular Irish catholics, the redundant racist ignorant uneducated mob hoping and willing him to be in a bad place mentally, even the so called decent Rangers fans can’t just say what they see, a guys that’s just drunk, they have to come away with ridiculous crocodile tears comments of it’s so sad and such a shame whist unable to resist having a dig at Celtic fans actions and opinion during Neils last few difficult months as manager as the cause, this is just like our media, unable to condemn the racist hostile threatening actions of the perpetrator, instead let’s silently gloat and glee whilst showing fake concern about Neils mental health whilst deciding the cause of it all is Celtic and their fans, the racist undertones are there to see in plain sight but it’s the only thing that’s not even mentioned, maybe I’m being too harsh on them during their mass hysteria of mourning they are all going through right now, for an old guy who seriously couldn’t give a toss for even one of them, a guy who started grooming girls as young as 13 yrs, but hey ho you’ll never find an adverse comment on that or even his sons actions from any of them including the media, this silent denial is one way of measuring these interwoven undertones of Irish Catholic racism
I’ve also seen this video and agree with your comments regarding the clown who took and posted it. I hope Neil all the best and I just hope he knows that he will always be a legend within Scottish football, for all the right reasons. One point though, (not that it makes much difference) was this video not taken south of the border as, as far as I am aware, the bars (including outside drinking only) are not yet open in Scotland?
Again, I and most other decent minded people, wish Neil all the best, and have nothing but admiration for the man, who has put up with more bigoted, racist, sectarian abuse than any human being should ever endure in a lifetime. It also makes me extremely embarrassed that all the issues he had to go through happened in Scotland, and all those who contributed should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
More then any other Neil has been subjected to racism and hate over last 20 years. I have massive respect for him and what he has achieved. I dislike any man when he gets drunk and aggressive in speech and/or manner. Any man let’s himself down in such a position.
At first I as thinking –
“Ah no Phil!” McCoist has the right of it. This is a disgusting invasion of privacy and that’s a fact. But with Neil Lennon you are never dealing with a person or a fact. He is a symbol, a metaphor – sometimes actively so and sometimes an unwitting and often injured recipient.
I’m thinking now of Arlene Foster and her recent utterances, the comment about moving should unification take place – but it won’t she assures herself. Then I wonder if anyone caught her full statement about the Duke’s death and the reference to paramilitary murder? It was midday radio. Did she really say that? If so, it’s been censored.
So then we get this attack on Lennon the metaphor.
I concede the point Phil. This isn’t about the evils of social media. This is about an increasingly marginalised culture who are beginning to realise that the game is up.
I don’t want Arlene and her kind in my street. Time for Scotland to wake up and stop the collusion.