Courts, offensive law and a club for the downtrodden
I’m a bit disappointed RIFC were not in a position to advise their shareholders the results of the votes this morning. Doing so would not have added 10 minutes to proceedings. My expectation is that the board would win both votes, giving them a resounding platform this weekend to sell tickets for lower league football. Perhaps there’s more going on than I thought.
You have to wonder what that expensive legal business in London and Edinburgh yesterday was all about? Many details of Sports Direct’s deal with Newco are public knowledge, and the void of missing details is filled with pretty stark speculation. It struck me that counsel for Sports Direct noted the chronology of the new board being appointed, the subsequent leaks and that Newco had not denied they were the source of the leak. All now on record, in court. Confidentiality is, of course, a condition of the agreement, which could now be argued is in breach. That would be a source of regret. For some.
More on Dave King over the weekend. He can’t help himself.
You have to admire those who work to expose the absurdity of the Offensive Behaviour Act, designed by the SNP government to “equalise” non criminal offenses with criminal offenses. Unfortunately, the campaigners are wasting their time, the Act is here to stay, anyone in doubt should read the news this morning that 80% of people surveyed support it. Ask the average person in the street if they support a law against Offensive Behaviour and they’re hardly likely to say ‘no’. This type of survey is manipulative nonsense. Police with guns on the streets and politically motivated laws are a by-product of blind populism. This is an offensive law and I am horrified.
Robert King is one of the Angola 3, who were incarcerated in solitary confinement in the Louisiana town of that name, and who have become causes célèbres for miscarriage of justice campaigners and prison reformers alike. King spent 30 years in solitary before having his conviction overturned. If you don’t know about the Angola 3, go find out.
He pitched up on CNN yesterday dressed in distinctive attire (below).
My relationship with Celtic is different to King’s. I’m a Celtic fan because that’s the way I was brought up, but I’m pretty sure King’s roots don’t reach back to the Emerald Isle. Chances are, I’d be a Celtic fan whether we were a club with a social mission or not. For others, for King, the reasons they wear a shirt on TV, buy a season ticket, or simply share in our joy on occasion, are different.
We are the club of the underdog, a beacon for the downtrodden, a place where they will find a welcome. No one can plan for this, it either survives over the decades or it doesn’t, so it’s worthwhile telling this part of our story now and again, to set ourselves a core target: Remain the most ethical football club in the world.
To deliver on this you and I need to step forward, this is not a job that can be outsourced to the club, it takes all of us. You can start here by signing up for the Great Scottish Run for the Foundation. I know at least 30 runners who read this, sign up before I see you in person!