“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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Djokovic wins 3rd set tiebreak.
Murray Scottish again.
Last Sunday in January. Tradition now established. Djokovic beats Murray in Australia . Set your calendar by it.
BSR
You are kidding ….right ???
Colin Kazim-Richards is 1.85m
PF
Nope,………… yesterday live on Snyde.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 31ST JANUARY 2016 11:35 AM
“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
——————————–
BSR
Your at it………………..are you ? :O)
Well done Andy Murray another grand slam final
It’s unfortunate that he has to play against some of the best ever players
Well done to Andy Murray … getting to the final of a major tournament at the other side of the world while his wife awaits the imminent delivery of their first born.
Novak is almost unbeatable so no shame losing to him – he Defo has Andy in his pocket though
BSR
In the land of feckwits that fat steward is the King
bournesouprecipe
The Zen of Big Fat Stupid Derek Johnstone…
VP
Seriously.
This is the kind of propaganda that helped kill the original Rainjurs.
POR CIERTO on 31ST JANUARY 2016 10:31 AM
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.
———————————————————————-
Worrying for the future.
HH. COYBIG.
And he gave us James McGrory and Jimmy McStay.
Let The Maestro have his own song, he was too good to have to steal a song from Jimmy McStay.
See moniker for details.
Imaonemanband.com
Hello this is WEE BGFC. Me and Dad just heading to Mass and then we are going to the game straight. YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS CANT WAIT! GET INTO THEM!!!!!!!.
HH
WEE BGFC
Bfsdj – spokesman and all round legend for the huns.
He’s ideal for the job as he’s thick as mince
I think he believes that crap about the £500k as he believes they are the same club and all the moonbeams that minty threw their way
Stoopit Stoopit Stoopit zombie
Celtic Fans at the famine memorial in Philadelphia this morning.
If Kazim-Richards is good at threatening journalists, should he not be signing for that deid team?
MA&H
Many happy returns to you ya big gentleman, have a great day.
BMCUWP’s, thanks I did think it was quite good.
.@HTFolvik report that Celtic and Start still quite a bit apart in regards to Ajer. Player thinks he’ll stay in Norway until summer.
This turnstile fodder nearly ready to go the game. Wonder what the hypocrites will be doing.
….PFayr supports WeeOscar on 31st January 2016 11:42 am
Totally agree. Andy is a fantastic player who happens to be at his peak at the same time as the only player on the planet better than him.
TBJ
I you’re right
A hefty dollop of wishful thinking
He’s supposed to be a media broadcaster engaged in enlightening listeners
Only in the Scottish msm would idiots of his ilk get work ….I cannae listen to him …his stupidness irritates me
Just enjoy…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NloDR9lCxrw
Midday awaiting the TBB bogey to whisk me to the dump.
Gazebo relocated to the Beechwood not No.10 for the South Lanners.
Due a good one at the dump. Celtic will be too good to allow any referferance.
HH
Eurochamps67
ArmstrongandefesomersaultstodayCSC
TICTAEWIN on 31ST JANUARY 2016 11:37 AM
Murray Scottish again.
######
‘Andy Murray ‘Scottish when he loses’ myth dismissed’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-34909845
BMCUW
Enjoyed that.
Just always wonder how much more we would have won by if John Spencer had been signed instead of that nobody from Slovakia.
Ernie,
Good to see the myth dismissed in print.
It really annoys me hearing that same old record. It strikes me as constantly displaying a persecution and inferiority complex that plays to the gullible.
When in reality we are better than that. Much better.
Hail, Hail.
PFAYR
When they have bfsdj and Gordon dee ell as a double act – i wonder what the collective for morons is ?
A midden of morons some how sounds about right to me
i wonder what the collective for morons is ?
Peradicks comes to mind!
….a Copland of Morons?
Doesn’t scan as well, but……………
TBJ.
A hunnery of morons.
A LIGHT INSANITY
Aye,we missed a trick there(!)
A clusterfeck of morons.
I was told this morning by an Aberdeen supporting mate of mine that Jonny Hayes has had seventeen stitches in his leg after having been bitten by a dog. Anyone else heard anything about this?
JJ
bournesouprecipe on 31st January 2016 11:35 am
“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
==================
Fantastic. ;))
I feckin’ love those big dumb Huns. Wth delusion at those levels we’ve got years of entertainment ahead.
If Djokovic had been born 10 years before or after Andy Murray, then Andy would be a multiple major and possibly grand slam winner. Such is fate.
Hopefully Celtic will take things out of the hands of fate (and the officials) with a storming performance at the national disgr….oops, sorry, stadium today.
Collective for morons…. “Superscoreboard”
Proudbhoy from earlier, I don’t know too much about the Norweigian Ajer, another wonder kid and yet another midfielder although I tend to wait until they are in the hoops before I make my mind up
Enjoy the game folks, like last season I think we will kick on, a wee early goal will a settle the nerves and hopefully the rest will follow