Hitler, HMRC and how we were all played yesterday

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Do you know the story of the Hitler Diaries?  A shamelessly brilliant German got into the business of selling forged (and some genuine) Nazi memorabilia to sympathisers.  In the 1980s, his masterstroke was to handwrite 60 volumes of, largely mundane, diaries, which he claimed were the personal memoirs of Adolf Hitler.  He sold them for millions.

The Times was the first UK publication to verify the authenticity of the diaries, paving the way for their publication by their sister paper, the Sunday Times.  Both papers had a bit of form in this area, promoting and buying rights to fake Mussolini diaries.  The Hitler Diaries were a sensation when the Sunday Times ran them, at the time, it was regarded as the story of the decade.

Within weeks, the world knew the diaries were fake and wondered how the Times group could so easily be duped, after falsely promoting yet another fascist dictator’s documents.

An entertaining dramatisation of these events, Selling Hitler, was broadcast in 1991, which portrayed Nazi sympathisers and a few historians as gullible fools, but it reserved a different verdict to the Sunday Times.

The newspaper paid £750k for UK rights to fake documents.  On the surface, this looks ridiculous, but the point the TV dramatization made was that the authenticity of the ‘news’ was neither-here-nor-there, enough people bought the newspaper to make the exercise an overwhelming commercial success.

You and I may think The Times made a fool of themselves yesterday by getting a story so wrong, that HMRC took to Twitter last night to protest, “As widely reported today and to clarify: HMRC won against Rangers’ tax avoidance in the Supreme Court, and did not miscalculate anything”.

But we are missing the point.  The Times newspapers know that the authenticity of the story stands independent of its commercial viability.  Their story yesterday was a commercial success, perhaps their biggest in Scotland for years.  Fake news has been successful news for Times publications since they bought the Mussolini diaries in 1968 and nothing has changed since.

And yes, gullible loons are still prepared to believe any revisionist nonsense. The truth is, Hitler, Mussolini and Rangers were each solely responsible for their own destruction, no matter what Times Group newspapers erroneously imply.

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316 Comments

  1. Sky version of the goals:

     

     

    1. McGinn scored it with a magnificent build up – Christie got a wonderful pass ‘caught under his feet (says the mighty Dwarren Fletcher) but flukily completes McGinn’s goal!

     

     

    2. McGinn scored from a very awkward cross which no one else touched in the bulid up.

     

     

    😀

  2. RTB- I was delighted when Henrik didn’t get the job, he can stay a legend.Not done anything in management, to justify it,Lawwell was looking for a ST seller,pure and simple.

  3. Right Norn Ireland v Holland – which Orange bassas would I like to win….

     

     

    Virgil wins it of course.

     

     

    D. :)

  4. jinkyredstar

     

     

    Or listening to GSTQ before the Norn-Netherlands match.

     

    Guess the Good Friday Agreement never addressed that.

     

    Oh, from a couple of days back, couldn’t put a name to the Artist but you were right, it was Pat Benatar.

     

    And one of rock’n’roll’s greatest punchlines!

  5. You know all this shit about Sevco and The now deed club had me thinking… and that’s dangerous😂

     

     

    Do you think Traynor has put out the squirrel for some sort of feel good factor and siege mentality going into a hectic few months for the current KKKlub?

     

     

    D. :)

  6. Well done Ryan & the rest of the bhoys, Callum getting the armband and Craig getting 90mins & Jamesy doing what Jamesy does :-)

     

     

    It’s good for Celtic

     

     

    On a different subject hope our Coatbrig Bhoy Mark McKeown does well in the boxing at the Emirates

  7. prestonpans bhoys on

    Watching six counties get a daft penalty and Davis blasts it over the bar👍 now since its HT took a wander to the DR website. Remember Scotland won today however top two items are about the hun U19 winning, jings😱😵

  8. Preston Pans Bhoy 8.48pm

     

     

    Cheating is in their DNA … seemingly Jon Flanagan & George Edmundson started for the U-21s against Wrexham

     

     

    Am sure Sandy Bryson is on it

     

     

    Cheats then, cheats now, cheats forever

  9. Good Luck to the 100 brave souls sleeping out in Paradise tonight to raise funds for the homeless.

     

    I’ve just waved my son Daniel off to join them and it’s bloody freezing already!

     

     

    Hail Hail Bhoys

  10. ADI_DASSLER on 16TH NOVEMBER 2019 5:26 PM

     

    Thought RC was nursing knee problem ?.

     

     

     

    Why r we so feckin soft…lettin players burn out for f all ?.

     

     

    ——–

     

     

    Maybe need to consider that Ryan and other Celtic players want to play for Scotland. Ryan gave everything as he always does, i thought he was excellent today.

  11. prestonpans bhoys on

    GFTB

     

     

    Noticed a fleg near half way line big green thing with ‘NI’ crest and Glasgow Rangers on it😱 aff to Croatia game nooow

  12. Ryan Christie was delighted the score his first goal for his country today ..

     

     

    Our Scottish players want to play for their country … not sure why some think they shouldn’t ?

  13. Favourite football teams

     

    1. Celtic

     

    2. Scotland

     

    3. East KIlbride FC

     

     

    Don’t forget to vote – cqnfft@gmail,com ;-)

  14. prestonpans bhoys on

    Because they hate ex Celtic players😵remember what the majority of that mob are, oh and bouncy song too

  15. Prestonpans Bhoy 9.23pm

     

     

    As a wee Bhoy my brothers played football on a Saturday so only took me to Scotland games … as they didn’t have training .. I remember Celtic players getting boo’d and Scotland fans back then (the rangers end) didn’t appreciate Paul McStay … but sorry the older I get the more Scottish I feel… don’t end up sounding like the Huns with their hatred of Scotland .. I love the fact Scotland today had the backbone of a terrific young Celtic team … in my opinion Scotland is my Scotland … and definitely not the Huns Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  16. prestonpans bhoys on

    GFTB

     

     

    You are absolutely correct , remember being in the Rangers end late 70’s and this clown was booing any Celtic player. He stopped after I hooked him🔫

  17. PPB 9.39pm

     

     

    Am a bit of a hypocrite… the more Celtic players involved the more Scottish I become :-)

     

     

    By the way international fitba is a different sport from Celtic ,, but I do want Stevie Clarke to do well

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

    Hope that Burghbhoy is still lurking and just delighted with how Neil & the bhoys are doing this season

  18. prestonpans bhoys on

    GFTB

     

     

    Gave up going to Scotland games after world cup 1982 in Spain but still doesn’t stop me supporting them👍

  19. PPB 9.53pm

     

     

    Life is too short… Celtic is a different sport from Scotland and a different emotion by a mile …

     

     

    Don’t let the Huns take the enjoyment out of being Scottish :-)

     

     

    It’s our country as well :-) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💚

  20. Hello again all you young rebels.

     

     

    Didn’t see the gemme but how did the new Scotland mega talented

     

    Ryan Jack play?

     

    Was he peerless as described by the hacks recently?

     

    Are clubs from all over the world ready to pay zillions for this amazing

     

    talent?

     

    Heard a wee story that Tom Clancy reckons he’s so good that he

     

    should star in his next huge film project The Hunblusters.

     

    Oh wait…

     

    H.H . Mick

  21. Melbourne Mick 10.41pm

     

     

    In fairness to Ryano Jacko .. he was asked during the week about meeting up with the Celtic bhoys and he said we all get on well and take the chance to get our wee digs in if we can … he came across as just a normal guy … couldn’t lace any of our midfielders boots all the same … but credit where it’s due (this is where we differ from the Huns :-)

  22. Correct Gerry ” he couldn’t lace any of our midfielders boots ”

     

    but he is very good at getting the sly wee digs in, on the park.

     

    H.H . Mick

  23. Melbourne Mick 10.49pm

     

     

    I don’t mind any player trying to maximise their “talent” or lack off .. am just glad our young team of players are too fast for them .. and Broony knows the score .. Broony as a kid went toe to toe with Bobo & Neil Lennon as a kid so pretty sure our captain is the biggest wind up merchant of the lot 👍

     

     

    Hope Paddymacuz is keeping you on your toes … I wasn’t going to post as it was international stuff but sometimes our fellow fans from far off lands need a reply or two :-)

  24. Ta Gerry it keeps the blog flowing, and us Antipodeans keep

     

    strange hours lol.

     

    Paddymac is back in hospital undergoing tests, don’t think he

     

    should have been out, but hopefully they sort his problems

     

    out this time.

     

    H.H . Mick

  25. Melbourne Mick 11.01pm

     

     

    As many others have posted he has the support & prayers of the blog …

     

     

    Your posts on here are a tonic (not the Coatbrig tonic Buckfast ;-)

     

     

    Hail Hail

  26. I’ll be oot for a tonic shortly, but it’s a pint of the blackstuff.

     

    Still trying to find out what happened to a signed Celtic top

     

    I saw on my first day in Oz.

     

    As i posted recently it was in a very quiet little town with one

     

    pub and apparently it was a staging post for the mail back in

     

    the day.

     

    I tried numerous times to buy it from the owner Frank who

     

    has since passed on, and i’d love it for our CSC.

     

    So more detective work today lol.

     

    Hope i’m not boring the tits off everyone 8-))

     

    H.H . Mick