“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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Rain in Greenock just now (as usual) heading up the Clyde
THE CLUMPANY
Your bang on mate, and so should 90% of the SMSM for blanking it that’s more frightening than anything,
No so paranoid now are we?
Not paranoid enough I think, absolutely Discusting, I’m ashamed of my town, my country, and my fellow scots who allow this shocking behaviour .
Stairheedrammy
Yup I can see it coming over heading for the airport, lotsa clouds, ah well.
I don’t particulary like going to Hampden, however I will be there as usual.
I go to Hampden, not to enjoy Hampden, I go to see Celtic – let’s hope we put on a show today.
The players let us down over the last two CL campaigns – they owe us a treble this season – let’s kick on from today HH
Terry Wogan has died. RiP
Ah well! As I said, the Campsies have gone, rain clouds all around, it is Glasgow I suppose, lol, at least the wind has gone :))
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 31ST JANUARY 2016 5:38 AM
NATKNOW on 30TH JANUARY 2016 9:28 PM
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 30TH JANUARY 2016 8:19 PM
Tontine Tim on 30th January 2016 6:38 pm
The print medium will recover.
As did the cinema after the widespread purchase of T.V. sets in U.K. in `52 ….:-)……….
Nothing takes the place of a book or a newspaper in your hands..
imho
—————————-
Except a Kindle!
=====================================================================
Naw it disnae.
You keep the heid.
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:-))
TBH I use both but like you I’m old skool and prefer paper. The Kindle is great though and I can use it in bed without disturbing anyone. Battery lasts ages and you can download a book immediately. It doesn’t suit me for everything though. Journal articles etc. I still like to print off before reading – usually because I like to scribble on them.
Andy Murray 1 set down and broken in the second.
HRVATSKI JIM
Huv yoo nae guid news the day?
:-(
One set down and broken, more like.
Prove me wrong Andy, please.
TheClumpany
That’s a great piece of writing, strength to strength comes to mind in these troubled times..
Mon the Hoops..
Not to sure about this guy, and one shouldent judge, so let’s see how it pans out.
http://www.indycelts.com/celtic-hold-talks-with-kazim-richards-read-celtic/
Hopefully some good news about 16.50 today.
Murray broke back and is now 5 4 on service.
Sounds much better!
NYE BEVANS’ REBEL SOLDIER on 31ST JANUARY 2016 9:19 AM
Tims wil turn out for the game.
Hopefully.
brokeback murray ?
NatKnow on 31st January 2016 9:49 am
I`ll certainly have to look into Kindle.
Cheers.
C’mon Celtic just win
Novak serving for 2nd set after breaking at 5 5.
MURDOCHAULDANDHAY:
Hoopy Birthday to you mate.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Surely by now there should be some sort of comment about The Heralds actions against 2 journalists from all politicians, but especially the Scottish and Westminster Governments por cierto.
today we will prob be playing 11 v 14 again but will overcome,
Who is todays MIB?
Despite 2 double faults Djokovic takes second set.
MURDOCHAULDANDHAY
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY Birthday
Thanks lennybhoy a place in the Cup Final will make a great present :)
Leftclicktic, Hoping the game will be remembered for Celtic and not for the MIBs. The establishment is hurting and it wouldn’t be surprising if this was mirrored in the refereeing.
I don’t think this Cup semi final to be easy today as Ross County will prove a hard nut to crack they have a couple of ex Celts in there team who will be looking to prove a point & will be 200% committed. If we dont show the same it could be a long day
Thebarcmole
If your lurking , what have you planned for the footy today
Murdochauldandhay
Hoopy birthday ma mhan have a great day.HH
“a” :(
Lefty,
Craig Thompson is the ref today,McLean in charge at Pittodrie on Wednesday.
TR
Thank you yon McLean is a “bad un”
Thompson the best of a bad lot
The Hun passing and subsequent shenanigans, conniving and subterfuge has thrown up one massive by-product.
For years we had the paranoia label stuck on us. Every time a manager in presser or fan on the phone in mentioned a bad or inexplicable ref decision, it was thrown at us. I can recall Keevins regularly dishing it out to the likes of Terry O’Neil every time Terry was tearing him apart with cold hard facts. ‘Another paranoid Celtic fan’ was the usual cop out.
Well that’s no more, vindicated by a bent hun serving and media compliant sfa, being outed by the Internet bampots. God only knows what the establishment got away with in the dark days of 1930 to 2000.
If ever paranoia did exist in this country, it’s right now in Govan, as a false corrupt power base disintegrates.
a richt good Tim……….
…………………………………………………
Quotes “One thing was drummed into us. You never did anything that brought the club’s name into disrepute.” Malcolm MacDonald
“Celtic is not just a club, it is a heritage.” Malcolm MacDonald
“I look back at my time at Celtic with great affection on the 14 years I spent with the club and wonderful colleagues I had. We were only temporary custodians of Celtic’s greatness and I would not change them for anything.” Malcolm MacDonald
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/mark-twain-napoleon-and-fatal-newspaper-mistakes/comment-page-27/#comments
And he gave us James McGrory and Paul McStay.
He gave us Johnstone, Tully,
Hoooopy Birthday to MurdochAuldandHay
HAPPY HOOOOOPY BIRTHDAY to
MURDOCHAULDANDHAY!!!!!!!!
Doc put it much better,mind…
Gerryfaethebrig
Cheers for the reply.
Who is Ajer ? And what position is he..
Was hoping we would have got few players off the wage bill . We seem to struggle to get rid of our duds.
“The board have probably given him £500k for Michael O’Hallloran but Warbs has said he isn’t worth that so isn’t taking the money from the board.”
BFSDJ 30/1/16