Amid all the debate about oil, currency, pensions and a million other items, I’m surprised higher questions have not been asked about our cultural identity. I’ve never said I’m British in my life, I’m Scottish, but the full story is more subtle than that.
Despite being a football fan, a Scot and a Gordon Strachan fan, I watched another channel when Germany-Scotland was on. My sense of personal identity, the anthems I cherish, the emblems I’ve always worn, my ‘national’ community, is the one I share with you.
I know we have a large number of England-supporting, English-Celtic fans here, just as there are Ireland-supporting, Irish, and Scotland-supporting Scots, but some of us feel our strongest affinity among our urban, west of Scotland-based, Celtic community. This community will only ever march behind a green flag. There is nothing wrong or unpatriotic about this, finding your own identity is what multiculturalism is all about.
There are a thousand more national identities than actual nations, but why do many of us feel more like sons of Jock Stein, than Jock Tamson, or (cough) John Bull?
I don’t think there is a single British, or Scottish, cultural institution I feel an attachment to. I was really caught up with the whole Mo Farah/Jessica Ennis-inspired Super Saturday at the Olympics – delighted at the success of British athletes, but later that day, when Ki stepped forward to take the decisive kick for South Korea against GB, I punched the air with joy. The whole Burns Night thing feels like someone else’s party.
In fact, it’s worse than not having an affinity with a British cultural institution, our Celtic community is marginalised by competitors in the south. If Scotland, which is perhaps more bound-up in tribal football culture than anywhere on the planet, had EQUAL access to the UK’s cultural markets, would we feel so excluded?
I know there are many who are happy with the way sentiment is going right now, but if those intent on saving the union want to get busy on some urgent nation-building, they should set about removing the two-tier cultural divide which keeps our club, our community, from the top table. We pay an obligatory BBC tax to subsidise an England and Wales league, our non-tax-based pay TV money goes the same way. This is a distorted market, with Scotland obscured by an England-Wales cartel. As a result we’ve been drained of talent and financial muscle for a century.
Football is not controlled by politicians, but it can be, and is, influenced by them. Westminster is speaking with a more unified voice than I’ve ever known right now. Its voice should be clear: Scotland needs equal access to the UK’s cultural markets, including football.
Our exclusion is intolerable, unfair, has fermented disaffection and must end, irrespective of what happens next week. Why would Westminster politicians be unable to say this?
Let’s hear you.
The fantastic new edition of CQN Magazine is out today. You can read it, for free, here, at it’s dedicated site (don’t try to read on the graphic below).
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Paul,
You have ardently been a proponent of Celtic getting out of the Scottish League and joining the English cash cow over the years. Your perseverance has been admirable over this issue.
The reality is, however, that it’s just never going to happen, ever. Forget about it, it’s a pipe dream. In the main English teams sneer about us, but know that us joining them would mean one more big fish in their waters denying them another place at Sky’s trough of the almighty obese sponsorship.
The Atlantic League model would be more realistic, but who has the clout and the inclination to make that happen even?
Celtic’s best bet is a return the sane world of equal opportunity through an “economic event” that would end the strangle hold of media mogul influence.
For the foreseeable future Celtic Football Club will remain in Scotland. Better brush up on the verse “Epitaph on my own Friend”…
Any football chat
Mark fae Hamilton. … on Snyde.. well done my son, cool calm collective points put across superbly, very little response from the panel, I think they know every word he said was spot on.
Ayrshire is Green and White
Norway v Italy tonight.
Johansen likely to start. Berget not even in the squad, I think.
Injured?
Or just pish?
HH!!
New club, McMoist taking every penny he can and getting an easy ride from the Press..
HH
Cameron, Clegg and Milliband coming to Scotland tomorrow.
An unholy Trinity or simply another parcel of rougues trying to keep Scotland in their nation.
Celtic Mac
18:41 on 9 September, 2014
Time will tell whether these are new power bases.
Hitherto the SNP’s power bases have been in the wealthier parts of Scotland. The ones the Tories used to hold.
You can either ignore that (because you can’t deny it) or accept it and work out for yourself what it tells you about the SMP, who, as you should know, have made it clear have no intention of dissolving if they gain independence.
TallyBhoy 1844:-
Berget wasn’t picked for the Norwegian squad – deemed not good enough at this time.
While Norway were playing England last week he was playing in the charity game v Villarreal.
Philvis!
Welcome back old bean.
Delighted that you have become a father.
Crack open a bottle of Prosecco on me.
Cin cin!!
HH!!
Be prepared for some lump-in-the-throat patriotic synthetic compassion speeches from this mob tomorrow.
I’m filling up already…….where’s the No box for my ‘X’……
quonno
18:46 on 9 September, 2014
Would love to bump into them and tell them to get to **** out of Scotland, your not welcome and you never will be
Ernie
Thanks for responding to the first part of my question
So how’s about pointing me in the direction of the Socialist alternative at WM?
the glorious balance sheet
Thanks for that.
HH!!
Hi Ernie thanks for your erudite reply, as I think you are Tony Blair this ones for you.
God bless your majestys
Looks like philvisreturns has ACTUALLY returned.
LivinguptoyourmonickerCSC
For any fans of the band….some U2 news in the next half hour or so…..
Philvis,
Welcome back. Was unsure if it was you. You missed nothing when you were away. Zilch. Apart from CQN declining standards. See todays lead article
HH
Thanks to all for the kind 25th anniversary posts.
Yeez are no a bad bunch:_))
ACGR
Happy anniversary
HH
hun skelper
18:50 on
9 September, 2014
quonno
18:46 on 9 September, 2014
Would love to bump into them and tell them to get to **** out of Scotland, your not welcome and you never will be
Each to their own. My approach to tomorrow’s bunch of chantie wrasslers is the same as my approach to Orange Walks. wouldn’t be seen dead near any of them.
hun skelper
18:50 on 9 September, 2014
quonno
18:46 on 9 September, 2014
Would love to bump into them and tell them to get to **** out of Scotland, your not welcome and you never will be
================================
Funnily enough, that’s the mantra of a couple of million Orcs regards us. Sweet sentiments there.
Revenue & Customs
tictaewin
18:52 on 9 September, 2014
For any fans of the band….some U2 news in the next half hour or so…..
===========================
They found Bono?
Was he up his own arse all this time, right enough?
;))
No Ledley in the Wales team
No hooper in the England team
Virgil van dijk in the holland team
Maybe the grass isn’t greener after all HH
Ernie – fair comment on Ireland – but as you’re fond of telling us, it’s a different country, different situation. Ireland’s ‘revolution’ has been called the world’s most conservative. Between a domineering and Red fearing Catholic Church and the dominance in the new State of an Irish business class that had been feathering it’s own nest since before independence and which jumped on the Free State bandwagon, very few areas as you say were represented by leftist politicians. That said there was a strong Trade Union movement in the urban centres and some pockets of radicalism throughout the country.
I do have reservations about the ability of any kind of Left to emerge in any country. But my point remains that it is more likely in an independent Scotland than in a United Kingdom.
I actually find it a little depressing that I am almost advocating a Social Democratic model of socialism, but it sure is a hell of a lot better than a continuance of the self harming austerity and neo liberal upward transfer of wealth.
Once again Ernie – fair play for your dedication. I reckon you’ll be taking a long lie down in a cool ark room when the voting is all done!
Awra best.
Good evening CQN what’s happening?
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
I I were an English voter I would be asking serious questions about the amount of time Cameron, Clegg and Milliband are currently devoting to Scotland.
a ceiler gonof rust
18:53 on 9 September, 2014
Thanks to all for the kind 25th anniversary posts.
Yeez are no a bad bunch:_))
——————————————————————-
Awe lovely my son.
Happy Anniversary to you both, a mill stone, I mean mile stone..!
Ayrshire is Green and White
A few posts today mentioning Germany of the 1933 – 1945 period and the rise of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
pop quiz – who said this
“The receptivity of the masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan.”
That’s right Adolf himself.
Tictawin
Please tell they’re getting done for plagerism
Sandman
18:52 on 9 September, 2014
Looks like philvisreturns has ACTUALLY returned.
LivinguptoyourmonickerCSC
=====================================
Imagine going to those lengths…… bloody drama queen.
Longest flounce in CQN history.
By the way Philvis, you are Lord Lucan and I claim my free pass for cream tea at Claridges.
tictaewin
18:41 on 9 September, 2014
Great, the GB (the weans) are back in 111.
Does it matter which section they are in, hardly any of them watch the game. They are so busy banging drums and singing jingles.
Wish they would gie us peace.
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VictorMeldrewCSC
lennybhoy
The only thing of note that has happened today is that Philvis has returned!
And as the proud father of a ginger -headed wean!
Marvellous!
HH!!
As a fan and fan club member, an email has informed me that U2 will announce new music in conjunction with the latest iPhone 6 available in 2 sizes.
Quick….rush…:-)
Philvis how’s Shergar keeping?
Looking forward to an Ernie Lynch and Philvis Better Together love in.
Despite superficial ideological differences, their style of debate is curiously similar.
Hmmmm….
Welcome back M’lud.
Sorry….reading back my earlier post, indeed victor meldrew….
Welcome back GB….gie us 10 guitars…..
macanbheatha Oscar Abú
18:51 on 9 September, 2014
‘Ernie
Thanks for responding to the first part of my question
So how’s about pointing me in the direction of the Socialist alternative at WM?’
###
There isn’t one. So if there isn’t one at Westminster and there isn’t going to be one at Holyrood it’s a score draw on that issue.
So you then go on to consider what else is involved and decide from there.