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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Snake Plissken @ 20.58 – so then, according to the latest polls, half the population are “Nats” ? Amazing eh ?
BT
YAY
Ha ha Czechs
Well done jobo.
Privatisation of the NHS is now considered realism.
Obviously I’ve just stepped into the Tory/Labour/UKIP division of celticquicknews
Sad times indeed
Bob O’Baldy, one of the British negotiators in the TTIP process is our very charming director, Lord Livingstone.
Sandman
21:01 on
9 September, 2014
croppybhoy
20:52 on 9 September, 2014
—————————
Hush. You’re bringing realism in to spoil a perfectly crafted utopian fantasy.
Nobody is claiming Utopia, but damn sure what we have isn’t working for us
Robert88
Good call on Laursen, another good Dane.
Not looking good for the Norwegians so far!
Green Brigade will not be in the section :-(
Wonderful by Billy No’Well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIkLG9q7Kuw&feature=youtu.be
Bob
Health is already a devolved power – is that not why the changes that have already taken place in England have not been implemented in Scotland?
So the SNP say they can stop this happening now but not in the future?
Doesn’t make sense to me!
Meanwhile they are promising farmers this and parents that, the unemployed jobs by cutting corporation tax and of course all that lovely oil!
Yet who will actually extract that oil? -the same multinationals as today
How does that square with the socialist dawn? Or are they going to nationalise the oil industry?
Plenty of questions yet few concrete answers IMHO
HH
Jobo, well done. I hope some cold swallay has been downed to celebrate.
Have you recovered from your Knightswood experience by playing at a better municipal course?
Squire thanks for posting that…
I don’t agree with all the columnist says, nor with all his conclusions but his critique of the Scottish Labour Party is really on the mark!
Jobo
18 -88 has a ring to it
Well done getting under 90 … You must be fav for the next CQN outing ;)
Larrybhoy
I know.
It is just Labour Party group think.
They cannot acknowledge or even fathom that over time people when faced with two sets of ideas can change their minds.
Gravesen’s another, I think you covered all the Norwegians
Jobo 4 a Ryder Cup wild card!!!!
:-)))
HH jamesgang
Dallas
We met a dozen guys wi the hoops on. 2 Villarreal bhoys. 6 Irish bhoys and one fae London,Leicester,Easterhouse and Cardross. We got a huddle together before the Manics came on. Loads of Welsh and Villarreal fans joined us. :)
Coneybhoy
Talking of Scandinavian players, we’re yet to have a Finnish player in our history!
Robert
I thought pukki was a Fin?
croppybhoy
TTIP hasn’t been signed yet, which is why US Postal aren’t delivering your mail and Royal Mail, still are.
TTIP is very close to being signed and concluded and when it is concluded, nothing a devolved Scottish Govt under the umbrella of Westminster can do anything to stop private companies under-cutting services and as soon as one happens, all will happen, very soon afterwards.
Sep 19th can’t come quickly enough as Team Scotland will already be able to place the NHS as primary focus in the advance of a YES, a NO means privatisation very quickly indeed.
Pukki is from Finland , point taken
Bob, croppy – on my phone so can’t do a big message but the changes down south will affect us but now by the same method as bob suggests as the nhs is devolved. The impact might not even be on the NHS depending on how the Scottish govt deal with it.
VP ;))
Bt’s missees says oh come in he’s on the chair , the look of dissapointment on his coupon , he must have thought it was one of his many pals …but naw it wiz me lol.
TBM is home tomorrow don’t know wether you should be for hire or head for the hills anyhoo , oaf aff as they say in these here parts ;))
Jobo
Did anyone witness this sub 90 ? hmmmmmmmmmm
Jobo
Well done bud!
The first time I scored 88 on a golf course I coodny be bothered playing the back nine!
Reminds me of the time Alan Brazil was asking on TalkSport why Anti Niemi wasn’t in Scotland squad ,
guy called in and said ‘ he’s Finnish’ the bold Alan said .. ‘Naw he’s only 28 or something’
No Alan he’s Finnish, not finished.
Pukki is a fin, my mistake.
marsapa
Is he hame already? fek… that haufway must have something I’m not seeing.
Robert88
21:11 on
9 September, 2014
Coneybhoy
Talking of Scandinavian players, we’re yet to have a Finnish player in our history!
was Pukki not Finnish??
My input on indy debate
In Ireland we pay (in euro);
60 to see GP
100 to be admitted to A&E
90 for a steroid inhaler
200 per child for school books(600 if using ipads and then but books online)
55% tax
Water charges coming in
House tax in already
Only the skint get free med, only well paid get private med from employer, middle earners pay for private(you need it)
No child care breaks like in the UK
Oil found on West coast but we can’t afford to extract it so Shell have it for a song
No ability to vary interest rates to suppress a boom
Worth thinking about
Bob ttip only affect NHS England directly because the Health reform act removed sovereign control. Doesn’t apply to NHS Scotland.
Dealney’s, marvellous.
Going by the telly coverage it looked like all were having a great time at the festival.
Our fans are are rightly lauded but I hope in the future, our team is praised as much around Europe for the football we play.
BT
I was thinking you could make a few bob while your off
Breaking bad stylee , with all that chemistry stuff in your napper ,
Well yer missus says your a bit of a
“jessie” ;)))
Bob O’Balde – Scottish Govt has brought some NHS ancillary contracts such as cleaning back in-house. Funny enough where this has happened, the rate of hospital acquired infections has apparently reduced by 80 %. Admittedly my source is the First Minster on last night’s Scotland Tonight.
call me Gerry – Good man yourself, have an Efes on me, hope the Mrs is well :D
Timmy 7_noted – Paddy Power has YES back into 7/4, there wouldn’t be enough icecream in the world if that double came up ha ha
Marspapa
what would she know, she is at work all day…
Chris Brookmyre @cbrookmyre 13h
I see Ally McCoist supports Better Together. From the way they’ve blown a 15-point lead, you’d think he was actually managing them.
weeminger…
Is that right? Thought as EU agreement this would trump national directives?
Keeping the faith…
Here is the clip……
Mr.Brazil not as stupid as the caller……other way around mate
► 0:40► 0:40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl9yiRwlfTg
18 Sep 2010 – Uploaded by thomas edwards
Antti Niemi – He’s No Finnish! thomas edwards …. Antti Niemi Road to the Cup [ HD …