A retired Celtic season ticket holder, Gordon, who travels to games from Newcastle, emailed the club last week to explain that he is unable to walk for more than 10 minutes, and as a consequence of the proposed parking ban around Celtic Park on match days, he would be unable to attend games in future.
Gordon explained how Dalmarnock Station was not a viable option and that public bus provision in the area is totally inadequate.
He forwarded his email to John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston in the hope that the SNP politician would do what he could to help infirm visitors to the area, but he got the most incredible response from Mason: “Could you think of supporting a smaller more local club that would appreciate your adding to their crowd?”
On every level, this is appalling. Mason could not care less when presented with evidence that this policy would prejudice the disabled. Instead, he suggested someone who visits the city on a regular basis, stays local to Newcastle and supports another team.
He cannot suggest public transport is appropriate, because trains and buses do not have the capacity or frequency, all he can do is ignore the fact that the man is infirm, ignore that he is brining money into the local economy, concentrate on the fact that he is an unwelcome Celtic supporter and tell him to stay in England.
If you travel to Celtic Park along London Road from the south or the east, this is the NEAREST spot cars will be able to park on match days. Cars will start parking here, opposite the cemetery entrance, and anyone disabled who is unable to walk the distance will be prevented from attending.
This is one of the most stupid proposals conceived by politicians who care nothing about the people they are paid to serve.
They don’t care that they have not provided adequate public transport.
They don’t care that they have prejudiced the disabled.
They don’t care that they will displace parking from one area to another.
They don’t want you supporting Celtic and have backed themselves into a corner. God forbid they admit they have made a mistake and actually help those too infirm to walk great distances, or too poor to afford corporate parking facilities.
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Mon the 8..
We need a YNWA social media campaign with a video showing the actual scale of the walk involved.
HH jamesgang
Terrible response from his MP
Only in Scotland.
PAUL67
I can’t help thinking when I read this kind of post Paul, that a) our elected officials are useless in almost everything and b) is this a way to get at the club as they can’t beat us on the field??
Call me a Paranoid Tim but there you go:((
EIght for Eight .
Lee Perry 1969 –
https://youtu.be/Hv8PshkJXtM
PAUL67
The MSP could have saved a bit of time with his reply. Seven letters and three exclamation marks would have done the job.
Paul 67,
I have seen resignations for less.
HH.
Morning,
I can’t believe that reply from a MSP and would hope that someone with the skills could get that response into the wider social media. These people are a disgrace and he should be censured by his party for that. Hopefully Celtic will also address this and get a satisfactory outcome for all supporters.
KTF
Shocking response from any politician. GCC don’t give a flying f&@£ about who they inconvenience.
I wrote to them and never received a response other that an automated one.
Hun barstewards!
John.Mason.msp@parliament.scot
Quick link, I’ve just gave him both barrels.
A man who believes that the world was created in 6 days .
Does anyone actually know (apart from the obvious GIRUY TIMMY) what the rationale is behind the ban?
If you took Celtic out of Glasgow the city would lose £ millions every year, yet the politicians and council officials do everything they can to obstruct and hamper the club.
The board need to earn their corn here and make it clear to the elected officials that it needs to stop, they are smart people else they wouldn’t be on the board, they must be able to persuade them of their folly.
Starry Plough, restrictions are incoming at Snake Mountain as well it’s a City Council issue..
I will say that I am pretty astonished at the reply from John Mason, whom I have worked with on other issues before (although I am no lover of the SNP).
We need action on this pronto and the Club need to assist. I am going to contact them and see if we can elicit a suitable response.
KTF
https://www.celticdayone.com
http://www.celticfc.net/news/14418
Hope this works for the fans this weekend, maybe get rolled out for European games as well. Lets face it we are gonna need a drink after walking for miles to be there ?
Hun-believable, Paul.
I hope Gordon takes this up with Celtic and with his local (English) MP.
Meantime, any of the rest of us who feel strongly about this (particularly any who live in this joker of an MSP’s constituency) should considering sending a (polite but strongly worded) rebuke to this disgrace of a politician.
DAVID17 gave the link above …
VIP
? on
Football supporters are the lowest of the low in Scotland, cattle are treated better:((
KTF
SEÁNP1916 on 17TH MAY 2018 10:58 AM
Does anyone actually know (apart from the obvious GIRUY TIMMY) what the rationale is behind the ban
———
There is a video which was produced by Celtic, recorded in local areas on match days in which local residents give their perspective. On balance you can see some of the problems but the local authority still need to do more to accommodate people travelling to Celtic Park.
THE EXILED TIM on 17TH MAY 2018 11:01 AM
If you took Celtic out of Glasgow the city would lose £ millions every year, yet the politicians and council officials do everything they can to obstruct and hamper the club.
The board need to earn their corn here and make it clear to the elected officials that it needs to stop, they are smart people else they wouldn’t be on the board, they must be able to persuade them of their folly.
…….
I believe we are doing an excercise looking at the economic benefit we bring to the City. I’m sure this will be published when complete.
e-mail sent to John Mason:
John
I must say that having worked with you before on issues in the East End that I was stunned and astonished at your response to an out of town disabled football fan who contacted you regarding parking restrictions near Celtic Park; it is below:
(his e-mail response was entered here)
This beggars belief and I find myself hoping that this has been an unapproved response from one of your staff. I can advise you that this is the subject of much comment on the internet now and as an elected official you need to be aware of the impact this will have. I would suggest you may find yourself the subject of local and national press coverage when this issue recieves wider circulation. It may also be a subject that your own Party’s disabled Group may wish to comment upon; the SNP website states the following:
Disabled people have an equal right to live an independent and fulfilling life in Scotland. That’s why the SNP in government will ensure the human rights of disabled people are protected and will honour the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The SNP Government has a strong record on the promotion and enhancement of disability rights – including legislating to give disabled people greater control over the support they receive and setting up a new Scottish Independent Living Fund. The Government is also aware that disabled people are bearing the brunt of many of welfare reforms coming out of Westminster, and are doing what they can within the resources and powers they have to help.
I don’t see much of that sentiment in your reply.
I would suggest that you revisit this as a matter of urgency and, although the individual concerned isn’t a local constituent, this will impact a significant number of your own constituents who attend football matches at Celtic Park and Ibrox Stadium.
I will let you know if I receive a response.
KTF
Vote him and his kind ooot.
Vote with your feet would seem apt.
Is the Scott Brown testimonial game on Celtic TV or any channel?
Mason by name mason by nature
Well done VFR
Good response
Lets hope Mr Mason is big enough to admit his mistake
VFR
Superb!
Any idea if Mason is a football fan?
DAVID17 on 17TH MAY 2018 11:22 AM
Thanks David, I was not aware of the video. If this is about residents then 4 questions immediately spring to mind, not to you but to GCC.
– How is placing a restriction of a mile helping? Is that not just shifting the issue somewhere else?
– What local residents would this be affecting that would cause a need for such a restriction at ibrox?
– Is this also being applied to firhill, hampden, scotsdoun and the SECC?
WITS
He said it and sent it, he bloody well meant it!
I don’t wan’t no poxy meaningless apology!
Get him sacked!
(No harm to you by the way :D)
Mason will get his ass hauled over the coals for this, from numerous quarters,the man is a liability but irt’s up to local constituents to vote him out when the time comes.
However, the wider issue is one that GCC have to face and a concerted protest on the streets of Glasgow over the summer could be enough to get it binned. I Imagine a mass sit in by thousands of fans on the streets sourounding Geo Sq would do the trick.
Seanp1916
Ibrox has an underground station right in it’s footprint- our issue is completely different due to the poor transport links not able to accomodate 60,000 fans in the city’s largest attraction.
SAN LUIS on 17TH MAY 2018 11:47 AM
I was trying to compare our situation to that of ibrox, i was simply asking If the issue is about residents then “what residents around ibrox are effected?” as it is being applied there also
I don’t profess to the area very well but from my couple of visits a year, I can’t remember there being a huge residential area in a 1 mile radius of Ibrox.
*wasn’t trying to compare
For what it’s worth –
Italian cyberspace fly a kite merchants have Lazio signing a defensive midfielder from Siviglia and Lucas Leiva leaving Lazio to sign for his ” great friend ” at Temporary Licence / Conditional Membership FC. Lazio paid @ 5 million euros for him . He has played well..
For what it worth-
https://youtu.be/gp5JCrSXkJY
D17
I would imagine the club would be responsible for bringing in multi millions a year to the city, maybes it would help to get business that benefit from the support to lobby their MP, MSP, local elected official, every little will help, there are many many jobs at stake here, it wouldn’t take much effort from the likes of our SLO to contact them and get them onside, it would be in their best interest to do so.
HH
Paul 67 et al.
Disregarding the crass comments from the MSP for a moment.
This issue has been periodically discussed on here for years. It’s come to a head now due to parking restrictions.
It was discussed when Labour controlled Glasgow and it’s still being discussed when Glasgow is now an SNP admistration.
There is no political axe to grind; it just needs addressing.
HH.
For What It’s Worth — Uniques style –
https://youtu.be/H7P-RkBHt94.
Chores done . Beach time . Off oot !
not just a mason by name….
I have this season very very reluctantly and sadly given up 4 season tickets due to this parking fiasco about to be implemented by GCC.
Mine, my two sons and my fathers as the four of us travel in the same car to games.
Last year this was proposed and I reached out to a contact thru my line of work at GCC and asked was this going ahead…at the time he said “it probably wont this time around, but once these restrictions are mentioned, he would bet his life it would be policy with the next year or 2”
I am angry at GCC taking away the unique bond that going to the football creates between father son and grandparent. My dad and myself have had season tickets since the last year of the ‘Jungle’ and my two sons have had them for the last 3 years. I am angry (and I don’t quite no why) at Celtic for letting it get to this stage. I’ve no idea what they could have done…but they should have left GCC (maybe they have) in no doubt that this was wrong.
Its not just Celtic park, Ibrox is having these restrictions placed around their stadium also…how much it affects the car driving support there I’ve no idea. As ive no interest in their pit of hell.
HH
I have decided that rather than get caught up with parking next season, then I will be joining a supporters club again. There are many clubs on the South side near where I live and I will be travelling to home games with them.
I am a member of the CDSA and they have a number of spaces available in the Celtic Car Parks for Disabled members. There is no fee involved and if Gordon were to contact them then I am sure they can assist
info@celticdsa.co.uk
I am aware the issue is around the response of the msp but a little assistance to resolve the chaps issue does no harm.
On the bigger picture, for the Commonwealth Games there was a proposal to reopen the closed railway line which is underground around London Road. The tunnels and platforms are still there and there is an access point on London Road a few yards from the sfaff Car park. The Capital expenditure was removed and extending the Edinburgh Tram system is getting the funding. If this line were to be reopened for match days and major events at the Emirates Arena then I am convinced it would be well used.
Perhaps the club could look to contribute to the Capital costs and restimulate the consideration of this proposal which would be a huge success.