“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.”
Mark Twain had a knack for overstatement, but you wonder if there was ever a golden age of the newspapers, and if so, what it looked like. In Scotland, it’s seldom looked like it has this week.
Some weeks ago, Graham Spiers, writing in The Herald, made reference to comments he claimed a Newco director made about the Billy Boys song. Spiers didn’t name the director, but questioned the club’s board’s willingness to tackle offensive behaviour.
The Billy Boys were a Glasgow razor gang from the 1920s and 30s, named after their leader, Billy Fullerton. Glasgow was one of the poorest cities in the industrial world, with high unemployment and mortality rates, squalid housing conditions and what we would now term disaffected young people who drifted into criminal gangs. The Billy Boys were known as a Protestant gang (there were similar Catholic gangs) and started going along to watch Rangers, and singing their signature tune, in the 20s.
So far, so anthropologic. The song, the gangs, the disaffected masses were a product of their time, but the song persisted through the decades, including the “up to our knees in Fenian blood” third line. It was the mood music to employment practices at Ibrox from the 20s until 1989.
Scotland has changed enormously since then. We are a genuinely plural society, not one scandalised by “mixed marriages”. The vast majority of people don’t care who or what you are, boundaries have been pushed back, there is a fairly level playing field, no matter your creed or colour. All of this change brought focus to the Billy Boys song, it’s not the mood music to modern Scotland, or to ANY Rangers fans I know.
I couldn’t care less about the song. For me, it is a millstone around the neck of Newco, as it was of Oldco. It drags them down to a place they can ill-afford to be. It offends (not alone in football), has a criminal legacy (not alone in football), but it’s unique quality is that third line. You can’t say that about any group of people anymore.
Spiers has put his neck on the block over sectarianism at Ibrox repeatedly over the years. He wrote about his recent experience at Ibrox, expressed an opinion, and submitted his copy.
The club complained. Football clubs complain lots about many things. There’s a set answer newspapers give to these complaints: “It was an opinion piece”. They never retract or apologise for “an opinion piece”.
I’m 100% certain The Herald’s first response to Newco was “it’s an opinion piece”. This would normally have been the end of it, but on Wednesday The Herald issued an apology.
Spiers then became a blogger to explain “My opinion – as expressed in my column – was based on a truthful account of my meeting with a Rangers director.”
Who you believe is irrelevant for this topic. The only relevance is that within a 24 hour period, The Herald and Evening Times group changed how they deal with criticisms of an opinion piece – and then used six degrees of separation to drag Celtic into a sectarian headline.
“Ex-Celtic player in dock for sectarianism”, screamed the Evening Times, using the Celtic badge into the bargain. A woman is on trial for allegedly making a sectarian comment on Facebook. She once played for Celtic under-19s, never the senior ladies team. She doesn’t play for Celtic Ladies under-19s (or any age group) anymore, and didn’t a year ago when she made this comment. She never held an employed position at the club.
An amateur, juvenile, registered with the club who are a member of the Women’s Association. Fill your boots, Evening Times. The apology will do them no favours with any constituency, it will cost them more readers in each than sticking to their guns would have. Reacting by grasping onto something so tenuous to drag Celtic into the murky waters was unconscionable.
They do not report in this manner elsewhere. Headlines for court appearances never lead with the person’s club memberships, “Prestwick Golf Club member in driving ban”? You’ll never read this.
One very good political journalist once told me “The football content pays my wages”. That being the case, The Herald’s already difficult job to survive has been enormously undermined. Spiers also explained “the pressure brought upon the newspaper became severe”. They can ill-afford to lose advertising revenue streams, or readers.
Napoleon once said, “‘Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets”. He’s been dead a long time, though. Newspapers can now make themselves impotent in an afternoon.
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DEATH NOTICE – HERALD
Freedom of SPEECH,
Published in the Herald 29th January 2016
SPEECH, Freedom of. Tragically in Glasgow on 27th January 2016 as a result of treachery. Born 399bc. Son of Socrates. Nephew of Erasmus, Voltaire, John Milton, Cato and Thomas Gordon. Brother of Liberty and Freedom of Information. Great friend of Galileo Galilei and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and mentor to many.
Will be terribly missed by many (but not all).
There will not be a funeral service. All records of his existence will be deleted.
THETIMREAPER on 29TH JANUARY 2016 2:50 PM
Celtic should end association with Parks of Hamilton. I dont know why we haven’t done so previously anyway.
A wild guess here……………………Probably free gratis and parks get good advertising.
Why am I reminded of the quintessentially British condemnation of Islam during the Salman Rushdie affair?
Spiers is often portrayed as yer “reasonable type”. The so called reasonable hun fan who only follows his team and who plays no part in the racism/hatred of all things Irish/Catholic.
NO REASONABLE PERSON would have anything to do with such a club. The mealy mouthed denials and deflections they give out are red herrings and smokescreens, lies even.
The very fact they “follow” them links them with the inherent fascism and anti-Irish racism that this so called sports club encourages. They themselves live in constant fear of the thug arm of the club. Just think of the number and varied backgrounds of the individuals and organisations that have received threats if they don’t toe the line. People from every walk of life have been threatened by the mob/klan.
Spiers still walks the eggshells. He pussyfoots around the arguments. He even finds time to feel sorry for The Herald. FFs, they’ve just sacked him and he finds that he can afford them sympathy???? WHAT!!???
There are NO reasonable hun fans. It is a myth.
LENNON N MC….MJALLBY on 29TH JANUARY 2016 2:54 PM
Why am I reminded of the quintessentially British condemnation of Islam during the Salman Rushdie affair?
###
What are we?
Psychiatrists?
Win those Trophies in that stinking corrupt cesspit. Get the Green and White Ribbons on every bit of Silverware until the Scum that run Scottish Fitba are sickened into leaving. Rack em up.
LENNON N MC….MJALLBY on 29TH JANUARY 2016 2:54 PM
Why am I reminded of the quintessentially British condemnation of Islam during the Salman Rushdie affair?
Beats me. I can only conclude that the knuckledraggers must be a far more serious threat to life and limb than isis, al quaeda, Daesh and Jihadists all rolled in to one.
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/sunday-herald-columnist-sacked-backing-journalist-who-questioned-rangers-mettle-stop-offensive?platform=hootsuite
Whit the f*** is this about??
SUPPORTERS are asked to arrive early for Sunday’s 3pm kick-off in the League Cup semi final against Ross County at Hampden Park.
For safety reasons, both semi finals, Ross County v Celtic plus the Hibernian v St Johnstone match at Tynecastle on Saturday, will be subject to enhanced search arrangements.
An SPFL spokesperson said: “All fans attending the Scottish League Cup semi-finals, presented by Utilita, this weekend should note that enhanced search arrangements will be in place at these fixtures.
“This additional safety measure has the potential to delay entry into the ground, so fans are strongly encouraged to get to the stadium as early as possible.
“Turnstiles will be open at 1.30pm, one-and-a-half hours before the 3pm kick-off.”
Brian Moore @brianmoore666 3h3 hours ago
I look forward to the next passionate defence of press freedom from The Herald’s spineless editor, Magnus Llewellin.
petec on 29th January 2016 2:57 pm
Win those Trophies in that stinking corrupt cesspit. Get the Green and White Ribbons on every bit of Silverware until the Scum that run Scottish Fitba are sickened into leaving. Rack em up.
======================
Thats exactly what we need to do.
And then after that, hire an open top bus and parade through the streets of Glasgow the way any other club in any other city could and ram our advantage home.
HH
Lady Dorrian, Lord Bracadale and Lord Malcolm.
I see they’ve thrown one from the Eastern Star in the mix for today’s hearing. -)))
That quintessential dignity would be the first to condemn book burning in another part of the world that is not their own,the ‘right thinking peepow’ of Scotland think it’s dignity preserving and right to do the same but happily condemn others.
In one sense I can understand why the huns have attacked Speirs so vigorously, not condoning it BTW, since if his comments had gone unchallenged then the defence of “we are doing everything we can to stop it, the singing, but what else can we do?” is completely blown out of the water.
If a director of the club’s shows a liking for the tune himself how can they be sincere in their efforts to eradicate it. Spiers had to take the hit not the huns.
Subscription to The Herald cancelled.
Glibby McShameless on 29th January 2016 2:55 pm
Perhaps he feels sorry for them because the lost business (if tales of withdrawn ad spend are correct) might fold the paper.
WIth there having been 4 rounds of redundancies in the last 15 months I wouldn’t be surprised if it was that close. The BBC, who backed Chris M, are in a completely different ball park financially.
That said, it may end up down the pan anyway, so doing the right thing would have been a better option.
Ernie –
‘Brian Moore @brianmoore666 3h3 hours ago
I look forward to the next passionate defence of press freedom from The Herald’s spineless editor, Magnus Llewellin.’
Is that the ex rugby international turned pundit ?
James Doleman @jamesdoleman 1m1 minute ago
Wilson says Rangers football club is a “different entity” from the company.
James Doleman @jamesdoleman 39s40 seconds ago
Wilson ‘there is a danger in lawyers trying to decide what a football club is” even though “this might he of great interest to the press”
Grant Russell @STVGrant 53s54 seconds ago
Rangers QC says he would not accept previous submission a club is a “myth”.
Grant Russell @STVGrant 55s56 seconds ago
Rangers QC says when people say Rangers, they aren’t referring to a limited company.
Grant Russell @STVGrant 55s56 seconds ago
Judge asks if club was owned by an individual person, you would talk about Rangers FC, not Joe Bloggs.
Grant Russell @STVGrant 55s56 seconds ago
Judge asks, for purposes of clause, whether it matters whether intention was Green was chief exec of “club” or “company”.
james Doleman @jamesdoleman 2m2 minutes ago
Lord Malcolm tells Walker “he cant have it both ways” leading to laughter in court
James Doleman @jamesdoleman 23s24 seconds ago
“I don’t think this is going to work Mr Walker” judge tells RFC advocate
Boom
Grant Russell @STVGrant 30s30 seconds ago
Judge says Rangers’ argument over club v company indemnity coverage “isn’t going to work”
There’s yer dinner,Wilson.
BURGAS HOOPS on 29TH JANUARY 2016 3:06 PM
Lady Dorrian, Lord Bracadale and Lord Malcolm.
I see they’ve thrown one from the Eastern Star in the mix for today’s hearing. -)))
——————————————————-
I’ll hear no criticism of The Eastern Star. They do the best fish supper for miles around…
PETETHEBEAT on 29TH JANUARY 2016 3:09 PM
Ernie –
‘Brian Moore @brianmoore666 3h3 hours ago
I look forward to the next passionate defence of press freedom from The Herald’s spineless editor, Magnus Llewellin.’
Is that the ex rugby international turned pundit ?
###
Yes.
James Doleman @jamesdoleman 2m2 minutes ago
Lord Malcolm says Rangers only talked about two different entities ‘so they could still say they won the league”
Petec.
Why our immediate anger may lead us to a conclusion of lets go and win everything to spite them, are you forgetting that the game is also rigged? And that Celtic are ok with it being rigged?
There is no out here other than to tackle the root cause of the problem. That root cause is Scotlands institutional racism. That is a big problem to solve. But other countries have managed it.
I’m afraid at the moment supporting the board by going to games is merely pandering to and implicitly accepting the racism and our victim role in it. That would change if we could rid ourselves of the current Celtic board. They are betraying us.
Herald whilst unwilling to currently comment, is preparing a statement regarding alleged reasons for Speirs/Haggerty sackings.
Have said that they will e-mail me a copy.
James Doleman @jamesdoleman 29s30 seconds ago
Walker says that when Green was CEO he made a “distinction between club and company” cites Wikipedia, Judge says they can accept that
The ole FF banned list will be bolstered by a few learned gentlemen the day!
Emeraldbee it’s open season on football fans. They police will attempt to stir up trouble to justify their own racism.
This will only get worse.
Celtic will wait with baited breath to ban any Celtic supporter they can.
James Doleman @jamesdoleman 32s33 seconds ago
The club didn’t spring into existence on 14 June 2012 Walker tells court
Glad to see common sense prevails in relation to the loan deal to Celtic for the Man City youth. Well done Runny for demanding a loan beyond summer or no deal. We do not need this youngster the club now has a rich vein of our own young talent.
quonno on 29th January 2016 3:24 pm
I suspect GS can’t actually prove the director in question said what is claimed.
MURDOCHAULDANDHAY & WEE OSCAR on 29TH JANUARY 2016 3:16 PM
james Doleman @jamesdoleman 2m2 minutes ago
Lord Malcolm tells Walker “he cant have it both ways” leading to laughter in court
For Fs sake, I don’t need an expensive gown and wig to know that THEY can’t have it both ways
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/mark-twain-napoleon-and-fatal-newspaper-mistakes/comment-page-3/#comment-2763334
Have Police Scotland arrested the Bareback Fighter guy who was threatening to do damage to Spiers’ children? Or are they just gonna tell Spiers to “be careful” again?
NEGANON2 on 29TH JANUARY 2016 3:26 PM
Celtic will wait with baited breath to ban any Celtic supporter they can.
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“bated”, Shirley?
#GoneFishin’CSC