Fans Against Criminalisation (FAC) are closer than ever to achieving their goal of having the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act repealed. While the majority in the Scottish Parliament are on their side, the Scottish Government have gone deaf to the voice of the Scottish people in the hope they can successfully distract attention from the issue.
FAC would like you to join their campaign by emailing your MSP. The Celtic Trust have made the process easy with a link to ‘Find my MSP’ and an email template here.
Good luck to all who join the campaign.
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it’s up now.
Morning from a snow covered Kentucky.
HH!
Call that a New Post, Paul … ?
;-)
Delaneys Dunkey
Where are you?
GARY67
What was the bid? An offer to hire a few of Billy Bowie’s skips for a month as they trash all their bills?
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 15th January 2018 2:25 pm
Read that it was £125k rising to £350k
Three replies so far – all in support of repealing the act.
Still nothing from the local SNP utter buffoon that is Alex Neil – a talking tumshie if ever there was one.
HH
BGFC
Paul67
Good shout here’s the reply from James Kelly
Good Afternoon
Thank you for getting in touch with me regarding my campaign to repeal the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.
I welcome your support and enthusiasm and agree completely with your analysis of the Act. Not only is the legislation illiberal, it fails to properly tackle sectarianism, and creates tension between police and fans. It further duplicates powers the Police already have to deal with inappropriate behaviour at football games and abuse online. The Law Society has established that all prosecutions brought forward in 2016-17 could have been captured by pre-existing legislation and that those committing religiously aggravated abuse can be prosecuted under section 74 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 in relation to religious aggravation. Furthermore as representations from Police Scotland have stated, more often than not, cases of threatening communications have been prosecuted using section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 rather than section 6 of the Football Act.
The Football Act is the first ever piece of legislation to be passed without cross-party support, rushed through by the SNP Government using its majority in the last Parliament. The legislation has been widely condemned, by human rights groups, legal experts and fans organisations.
The right place to be combating bigotry is in classrooms, not targeting loyal football fans in terraces for ninety minutes on a Saturday. The Scottish Government needs to invest in anti-sectarian initiatives and do more through education.
Thank you again for your support, and I look forward to the day this illiberal and toxic piece of legislation can be struck from the statute books.
Yours Sincerely
James Kelly MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Region
Scottish Labour Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution
LEFTCLICKTIC
Time for a dreaded list,methinks. This time in a good cause.
If you reckon it’s high time DELANEYSDUNKY got his bahookey on here to say hello,copy and paste the list and add yer moniker.
As it stands…
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
HH.
DD
Phone Home
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 15TH JANUARY 2018 2:30 PM
LEFTCLICKTIC
Time for a dreaded list,methinks. This time in a good cause.
If you reckon it’s high time DELANEYSDUNKY got his bahookey on here to say hello,copy and paste the list and add yer moniker.
As it stands
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
PHILBHOY
CorkCelt
From the previous blog, dont know if you saw my post, I doubt Erik is 6’1″, having been at a function where he was present he looked 5’10” or 11, he is however extremely well developed and seemed built like a boxer. Cannavaro was not big but brilliant at reading the game and defending his 6 yard box so height is not everything, he is probably our most physical defender but seemingly not what the manager wants.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 15TH JANUARY 2018 2:30 PM
LEFTCLICKTIC
Time for a dreaded list,methinks. This time in a good cause.
If you reckon it’s high time DELANEYSDUNKY got his bahookey on here to say hello,copy and paste the list and add yer moniker.
As it stands
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
PHILBHOY
Corkcelt
Add me as someone who is a wee bit worried about the absence of DD.
Thanks Dessybhoy, To be honest I didn’t think he was that tall either but looked it up on his Wiki and that is where I got the 6ft. 1 from.
Message to be learned don’t trust Wiki.
DD where’s yo ass at:))
If you reckon it’s high time DELANEYSDUNKY got his bahookey on here to say hello,copy and paste the list and add yer moniker.
As it stands
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
PHILBHOY
Corkcelt
Tobago Street
Hi Tobago
How you coping with this weather? Chilly walk to Court this morning.
Add me to the Where’s Delano list …
If you reckon it’s high time DELANEYSDUNKY got his bahookey on here to say hello,copy and paste the list and add yer moniker.
As it stands
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
PHILBHOY
Corkcelt
Tobago Street
Dessybhoy
Starry Plough
If you reckon it’s high time DELANEYSDUNKY got his bahookey on here to say hello,copy and paste the list and add yer moniker.
As it stands
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
PHILBHOY
Corkcelt
Tobago Street
What is the stars ( along with his Butler,Chauffer,assorted maids and groundstaff)
Ah FFS just added Dessy & Starry & now Mike gets in on the act. Lazy Bassas.
COPY & PASTE IT & ADD YOUR NAME>
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
PHILBHOY
Corkcelt
Tobago Street
mike in Toronto
starry plough
dessybhoy.
Till later all school run
Well done to all at FAC for their ongoing efforts
Ah Wits has copied the one before I did the update,
I give up.
CORKCELT
Aye,disnae work if some lazy bassa canny be bothered to follow the rules. You’d think a lawyer would know better,ffs…
I presume the idea is to send this list to DD to use peer pressure to force him to get back blogging …
Better not let BSR know or he’ll be getting a petition going to get Ms Hendricks on the blog
Sent my emails on Friday to my local constituency MSP and the 7 Central Scotland Regional MSP’s.
So far have had 4 replies.
3 of the them in favour of repealing the bill. Unsurprisingly all Lab MSP’s (one of them being Richard Leonard).
1 against repealing the Bill. Unsurprisingly an SNP member…..but also my local constituency MSP Richard Lyle.
Mr Lyle states that “…whilst I do not follow football…”.
Don’t think I need to say too much more there……
I’m still awaiting the replies from the other 4 MSP’s (3 Tories and 1 Lab). Be interesting to know their stance too.
Once I receive replies from all, I shall respond to each individually.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Morning Mike ( in Toronto )
Cold weather? I just had the furnace guy here so I’m just about coping. Don’t really like it this cold. I’m hoping to get a week in South Daytona next week; no underwater stuff though unless golf balls in water hazards count! Things are good.
Best of luck with the new pup when you get it!
T
Re the campaign to repeal the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.
Ross Greer and Maurice golden will vote to repeal
Ken McIntosh can’t vote as he is the presiding officer
Ken Gibson believes in the act and is against repeal.
Somebody add my name to the ‘ DD come back’ list as I lose more to cyberspace than I post .
BTW nae sun in Gran Canaria… Mrs CCB no’ happy!
THE TOKEN TIM
Howdy,bud. Perhaps a reply to Mr Lyle might focus his mind a tad.
Summat like…
While I don’t follow politics,I am in no way minded to vote for someone who is in favour of this discredited Act.
Personally I would have used a lot more f’s in that response. Three seem insufficient when i could have used that many in two words.
E-mailed John Scott who has, in the past, agreed that the act needs to be repealed.
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
OLDTIM67
HH.
Well – here is the aforementioned Mr Neil’s reply (I doubt, given previous experience, whether it was written by the man himself!!). There is nothing confidential in the reply, so I believe this is not innappropriate.
Oh – he isn’t voting to repeal – surprise, surprise!
Sorry for the long post – I have also included my reply to him.
HH
BGFC
————————
Neil A (Alex), MSP
15:02 (16 minutes ago)
to
Many thanks for your email regarding James Kelly’s Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 Repeal Bill. The Justice Committee has just finished taking evidence on the Repeal Bill and will publish their report in the next few weeks.
The majority of football fans attending matches in Scotland are well behaved and simply wish to support their team but unfortunately offensive singing and chanting continues to be a problem in relation to Scottish football. We recognise that legislation on its own will never resolve any social issues but it does have an important role to play. Therefore, the SNP does not support repealing the Act without a viable alternative being in place and I believe that Mr Kelly has failed to provide such an alternative. Repealing the Bill would send the wrong message to the public about what constitutes acceptable behaviour, a view supported by several organisations who gave evidence to the Justice Committee:
· Stonewall Scotland said they “would be concerned that an outright repeal of the Act may send a worrying message that prejudiced based and threatening behaviour at football is acceptable.”
· Victim Support Scotland said it “is opposed to the repeal of the 2012 Act unless there is a viable alternative to support victims of threatening communication and religious prejudice.”
· The Scottish Council for Jewish Communities said they “are concerned that repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act would send exactly the wrong message.”
The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 is not restricted to football or sectarianism. The Act has two distinct elements – Offensive Behaviour at Football (Section 1), not restricted to sectarianism, and Threatening Communications (Section 6), not restricted to football or sectarianism. The Act is designed to give better and sharper tools to the police and prosecutors to allow a more effective response to an issue which, sadly, many appear resigned to accept as the status quo. It allows prosecutors to easily identify those individuals who use football as an excuse for abusive and offensive behaviour they may not indulge in elsewhere.
Repealing the Act would leave a gap in the law meaning those who are victims of offensive behaviour would no longer be able to seek justice and those who commit offensive acts would not be held accountable for their behaviour. Section 1 of the Act strengthens the law by focussing on whether behaviour would be likely to incite public disorder, removing the requirement to prove it would cause fear and alarm to a reasonable person. Section 1 also has extra-territorial application, which makes it possible for a prosecution to be brought in relation to behaviour which takes place at matches played by Scottish teams abroad. Section 6 of the Act criminalises threats made with the intent of inciting religious hatred, something which was not previously covered in Scots law. Our concern regarding the impact on the law has been echoed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service who told the Justice Committee “…there would be a gap in the law” if the Act was repealed.
There is also significant support for the legislation as shown by a YouGov poll on the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act conducted in 2015. The survey found:
· 83% support legislation to tackle offensive behaviour at football.
· 80% directly support the Act.
· 82% believe that offensive behaviour at football matches is harmful.
· 73% of the respondents who said they were “very interested” in football, directly support the Act.
I would also stress that the legislation is just one of the actions being taken by the Scottish Government to tackle sectarianism and hate crime in Scotland. Since 2012 the Scottish Government has invested just under £13 million to tackle sectarianism, including funding for educational initiatives and academic research. In 2017 the Scottish Government commissioned an independent review of all hate crime legislation, including the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act, which is being led by Lord Bracadale. Several witnesses have told the Justice Committee that repeal of the Act should be delayed until Lord Bracadale has completed his independent hate crime review (Church of Scotland, Scottish Women’s Convention, Stonewall Scotland, Equality & Human Rights Commission, Scottish Council of Jewish Communities). I think this would be a sensible approach to take as it could allow amendments to be made to the legislation to make it more effective.
While I understand your concerns regarding the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 and appreciate you contacting me, I believe it is a necessary piece of legislation and repealing it without a practicable alternative would set back our ambitions to eradicate hate crime across Scotland.
Yours sincerely,
Alex Neil MSP
**********************************************************************
BGFC
15:19 (0 minutes ago)
to Neil
Thank you for this reply – thankfully we are not as yet governed by YouGov polls.
As I mentioned in my initial email to you, the bill is illiberal in that it targets and seeks to criminalise a specific section of society.
I go back to Christine Grahame’s attempted justification for the then-proposed bill when she explained that part of the need for the bill was that the then existing legislation could not be used to arrest Celtic fans singing ‘political’ songs but could be used to arrest Rangers fans singing ‘sectarian’ songs – therefore the existing arrest statistics for ‘anti-catholic’ hate crime were artificially higher than for ‘anti-protestant’ hate crime.
Her ill-informed, and frankly astoundingly ignorant, views expressed in discussion with Tom Devine in her role as Justice Committee Convenor should have raised sufficient red flags at that point to kill an ill-conceived piece of legislation in its tracks, but alas – here we are.
As a regular and law-abiding attender at football every week, home and away, my son and I have had to endure some completely unacceptable, aggressive, highly obtrusive and – yes – offensive behaviour – the problem is this has come from Police (and I do stress, a minority) who seem over-zealous, enjoy thrusting cameras in the faces of our citizens and appear to actively seek confrontation with people who are simply attending football games.
There is undoubtedly offensive behaviour at football, as there is in many walks of life – the legislation that exists for handling such behaviour more generally is sufficient for the football arena.
As one of your constituents, you should be aware that the SNP’s stance on this matter it is at the cost to you, personally, of three votes from within my own household.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to reply.
Kind regards – BGFC
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
PHILBHOY
Corkcelt
Tobago Street
mike in Toronto
starry plough
oldtim67
dessybhoy.
OLDTIM67
Good lad. Hope yer smashing.
I’ll have to add my Dad to it though. He’s hopeless at c&p.
Gimme a minute,I’ll update it and then hit my cot!
HH
BGFC at 3:25
That’s exact same reply I got from ken gibson
If you reckon it’s high time DELANEYSDUNKY got his bahookey on here to say hello,copy and paste the list and add yer moniker.
As it stands
LEFTCLICKTIC
BMCUWP (and my lurking sisters.)
PHILBHOY
Corkcelt
Tobago Street
What is the stars ( along with his Butler,Chauffer,assorted maids and groundstaff)*
DESSYBHOY
MIKEINTORONTO
TEUCHTERARLA
OLDTIM67
COSYCORNERBHOY
* no mention of the missus,WITS?
Good Afternoon.
Here are the two new offerings from Clumpany Towers…
One about the greatest Cup win of all time… https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2018/01/14/winning-an-intercontinental-cup/
And one about a very dirty fight involving Sevco… https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2018/01/14/a-fight-to-the-death/