For decades complaints from you, your fathers and their fathers before them were dismissed. Your accusations that your club and its supporters followed the rules, while others ignored them, were roundly derided as paranoia – a mental illness, no less.
If we’re being generous….. there’s no denying some of us are paranoid (several million comments on CQN provides at least some evidence), but not most of you, and not on the central theme on which these accusations were based.
Get to bed early tonight, tomorrow the truth will out. I’ll leave you with a Nat King Cole mood setter to help you chill. If you watch it until the end you’ll see him mimicking playing a flute, memories of a happier time, for some.
296 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- »
Its great to be drunk and sun burnt on a week day :O)
http://youtu.be/-HyPCe73fdw
http://youtu.be/0zi4FwUGsX4
Traipsing around the interthingy I notice that Dark Mingwall has been stealing from his own. The self-proclaimed ‘voice of rangers’ is just Satan F.C’s most pathetic rip-off merchant. I give you this:
http://theweeproclaimer.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/mark-dingwall-and-the-plot-to-steal-from-rangers-fans/
Nytol.
Hail! Hail!
Just got home from Carrow Rd, absolutely amazing evening. I’m glad that I’m typing this as I’ve no voice left to speak with. Spoke (croaked!) with several Norwich fans after the game who were blown away by the Celtic fans, the biggest and noisiest away fans they’ve had all season. The Norwich fans even joined in with ‘having a huddle when Rangers die’ though they do an inventive ‘Mexican huddle’!
Game was a bit ordinary with several players mentally on holiday. McGeough did surprisingly well at full back and Ibrahim had some nice touches. Watts was the player most likely to score. Seemed to me that FF was in a bit of a huff with Neil when he was substituted, I’d put money on him being offski.
New Paddy McCourt song was almost continuously sung for the last 10 mins. Impressive stuff though I don’t agree with the lyrics and would be happy for him to be sold(and think he will be).
Its nights like tonight that make you so proud to be part of this wonderful family of fans, brilliant, good natured support of OUR team. Two of my sons(in their 20s) went with me and it is a very special time, particularly for us exiled fans who don’t get to see the bhoys in the flesh often.
Great to meet fellow CQNer Dannysbeard at the Temple Bar before the game……amazing hair!
Now there’s something on telly tomorrow night to look forward to :-). Life is good(sipping a wee dram before bed)
estorilbhoy on 23 May, 2012 at 00:43 said:
>>>
Ta for that.
HH!
I see Gordon Smith’s parents must be feeling better. Or is he just trying to get as far away as possible?
iBhoy
Some comments at the end that article as well
I liked this bit…
He became famous for a last-gasp chance to win the 1983 FA Cup final at Wembley, when his shot was saved by Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey.
Cheers
Opps, I meant some funny comments…
Gary Bailey, that brings back memories, I feel so old
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fxykGHHYkM&feature=colike
The bog has died, maybe everyone drawing breath before the big one tomorrow, hopefully not disappointed again.
Death by diamonds and pearls (and taxes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEbBIswSsEA&feature=colike
The blog :O) to much sun and beer
To much sun and beer! May we have plenty of both!
: )))
Just in after a long night after watching the Norwich total embarrassment, Have not read any of the blog. Hooper, Forster for England, Stokes for Ireland? Yer having a laugh. Absolutely shocking performance from Celtic. A 36 yer old retiree, Huckerby, and Lappin (Ye gods!) showed us up as totally lacking sped, skill, imagination or football brain. What a shocking performance to reward the fans who made the long journey. Don’t tell me it was a young Celtic team. The second half was played against the Norwich reserves, and we couldn’t get out of our own half. Absolutely dire, piss poor, no brains, shocking advert for the Scottish game. I can remember the days when we would have won this game 6-0 and strolled it.
How many boxes do you think Bigot F.C. would tick?
Fascism’s principles are wafting in the air today, surreptitiously masquerading as something else, challenging everything we stand for.
By Laurence W. Britt
The cliché that people and nations learn from history is not only overused, but also overestimated; often we fail to learn from history, or draw the wrong conclusions. Sadly, historical amnesia is the norm.
We are two-and-a-half generations removed from the horrors of Nazi Germany, although constant reminders jog the consciousness. German and Italian fascism form the historical models that define this twisted political worldview. Although they no longer exist, this worldview and the characteristics of these models have been imitated by protofascist1 regimes at various times in the twentieth century. Both the original German and Italian models and the later protofascist regimes show remarkably similar characteristics. Although many scholars question any direct connection among these regimes, few can dispute their visual similarities.
Beyond the visual, even a cursory study of these fascist and protofascist regimes reveals the absolutely striking convergence of their modus operandi. This, of course, is not a revelation to the informed political observer, but it is sometimes useful in the interests of perspective to restate obvious facts and in so doing shed needed light on current circumstances.
For the purpose of this perspective, I will consider the following regimes: Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Franco’s Spain, Salazar’s Portugal, Papadopoulos’s Greece, Pinochet’s Chile, and Suharto’s Indonesia. To be sure, they constitute a mixed bag of national identities, cultures, developmental levels, and history. But they all followed the fascist or protofascist model in obtaining, expanding, and maintaining power. Further, all these regimes have been overthrown, so a more or less complete picture of their basic characteristics and abuses is possible.
Analysis of these seven regimes reveals fourteen common threads that link them in recognizable patterns of national behavior and abuse of power. These basic characteristics are more prevalent and intense in some regimes than in others, but they all share at least some level of similarity.
1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.
2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.
3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame forfailures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite “spontaneous” acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and“terrorists.” Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.
4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.
5. Rampant sexism. Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.
6. A controlled mass media. Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes’ excesses.
7. Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting “national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.
8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.
9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens.
10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.
11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist.
12. Obsession with crime and punishment. Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. “Normal” and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or “traitors” was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.
13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.
14. Fraudulent elections. Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating an disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.
How many boxes would our current UK govt. tick?
Swiss Crime = Swift Punishment
Xamax $10m debts
Scottish Crime = still waiting …………..
i have to agree with “IniquitousIV” i watched the game on setanta ireland,
even allowing for a lot of young guys that was an apalling display i know
the season ended 10 days ago but it really showed us in a bad light imo
please celtic stop these testimonials we can do with out being embarrassed
like this.
IniquitousIV on 23 May, 2012 at 01:53 said:
Friendly Result Norwich 2 Celtic 0 STOP
I yearn for the days of the good old telegraph, sometimes the less said the better.
Testimonials are a waste of time, always have been, jeez even Tony Adams got about 4k at his game. They mean nothing outwith the fans, if people want to turn up good on them, football wise it means zero. It was more embarrassing fans getting excited about us beating Man U when it meant nowt.
Last time I checked we won the league………comfortably.
Last time I checked we hammered our biggest rivals in the last derby game.
Last time I checked we were playing a friendly tonight with NO points at stake.
Last time I checked we scored more and conceded less goals than anyone else in the SPL.
Last time I checked we will be playing in the SPL next season with the same core of a side and possible additions to replace some deadwood.
So am I concerned about us losing a friendly?
Am I concerned about the “Cracked Crest” that will undoubtedly appear in this week’s red tops?
Negatory good buddy.
the_huddle
Tell that to all the new members of the Celtic family down Norfolk way.
I’m also sure that NL learnt a bit tonight, as did some of his youth players.
I was watching in Florida and loved it.
fencelt
Glad you had such a great time with your sons and the other fans there.
HH
Paddy G
Thanks for posting the clip, magnificent and humbling.
Mrs RWE was in bits watching it.
HH
Finally,
Thanks Paul.
danso_1888 on 23 May, 2012 at 02:18 said:
“please Celtic stop these testimonials….”
NO WAY.
These games allow the Celtic family to show the world who we are. The abiding memory of so many who attend such games is the fantastic atmosphere and incredible support.
WE are Celtic football club, not just the 11 men on the park.
Rangers – The Men Who Sold the Jerseys:
I suspect most of us are preparing for another anti-climax tonight however if the programme exposes what they say they will then it should be interesting:
“uncover the truth behind the tax scheme which threatens the club’s very existence” BBC
Sheik Yerbouti on 22 May, 2012 at 23:37 said:
CQN FOREVER
Paul67
CQN FOREVER!
‘GG at 2:
‘GG at 2:51:
Last time I checked, you were right on the money. Last time I checked, we were playing 11 Englishmen away on an excellent surface in front of about 4000 of our fans and a whole lot more who had never seen us before.
So how come we looked as if we had never seen a ball before? Never tried a leg? Couldn’t control a ball, pass, tackle, shoot, or do ANY of the basics? How come Paddy was yelling at his team mates to at least move a leg? For God’s sake, we were playing the reserve side of a team that had finished 12th in the EPL, and we looked like rank amateurs – the fans may have done something for our public image, but the 11on the park were unbelievably dire, particularly in the second half. We were lucky not to be totally humiliated.
I know it was a friendly, but for goodness sake, show a modicum of skill or desire. That was simply dreadful.
IniquitousIV –
So, you remember when Celtic would thrash a mid-table EPL club 6-0 away from home do you?
Were you on drugs as well as the drink in those days? I experimented with hallucinogenic drugs as well when I was a student in the early 70s, but it was just a phase and I grew out of it.
I don’t disagree re the attitude of Commons, Hooper and Stokes.
Maybe Neil should have dropped them off at Scunthorpe.
However look at the rest of the team fielded and apart from Paddy there wasn’t much experience.
The problem we face is that the huns torpedoed the reserve league for two reasons:
We were headed for 10 in a row and
they were financially strapped.
This means that we need to field under 19s in these games for them to gain some experience and sharpness.
McGeough, Ibrahim, Watt, Wilson, Findlay are all works in progress. As for the bench I assume they were all under 17s. Not even a hint of the Twardziks, and there are two to choose from.
Oh and my personal gripe. Why wasn’t John Herron included?
‘GG
I don’t like these games either, especially after a long hard season for players and fans alike. I stopped going to them a long time ago, and I am talking about while I was living in the old country.
I also think it is embarrassing and pathetic to read the standard, predictable post-match announcement on the Celtic website about how the local Police Commander “Praised the Celtic support for their good behaviour”.
Do we really need to be praised for behaving ourselves? It is patronising in the extreme.
Tom McLaughlin on 23 May, 2012 at 04:39 said:
I can remember Celtic thumping a world class manure side 5-1 in a sunshine filled pre season friendly. Their side contained, Charlton, Styles, Best, Crerand, Cantwell and a few others who, notwithstanding a couple of world cup medal winners, were run inside out.
August I think 1966, but my memory plays tricks these days.
Yes and I am at the wind up.
‘GG
‘GG –
It was only 4-1 so stop exaggerating.
:-)
And that was at home.
:-) :-)
I told you my memory isn’t great.
I bet Bobby had a perfectly good goal chopped for a phantom offside decision.
He scored a hat trick against the huns at Ibrox later in the Glasgow Cup on another sunny evening. It may have been August again.
Ah sunny days and Celtic.
It was raining the day we won the league in front of Helenio Herrera.
Come to think of it, it’s only 3 days to the 25th. Or two depending on your location.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCAODjdd7Jg
‘GG –
I remember that 4-0 victory at Ibrox. Big Billy opened the scoring before Lennox ran riot for his hat-trick.
2-2 at Ibrox in a downpour to clinch the league. Jinky got both in front of, as you say, Helenio Herrera. I didn’t make that game because it was my dad’s work’s annual day-trip for the families. Rothesay it was.
I told my parents I didn’t want to go, because I wanted to go to Ibrox. My mother was having none of it. I am pretty sure my dad would have preferred Ibrox as well but as I say, my mother ruled on this one. As I went to bed on the Friday night, having failed to talk my mother round, I said, “I hope it rains all day tomorrow.”
So you can blame me for that game being played in torrential rain.
Have you ever spent a rainy day in Rothesay Bay? Have you ever spent a rainy day in Rothesay Bay with a mother who thinks you are in league with the Devil himself?
Tom McLaughlin on 23 May, 2012 at 04:50 said:
‘GG –
It was only 4-1 so stop exaggerating.
I was so sure it was 5, I went to the stats and checked. (I was not right)
In 7 games in August 1966, we scored 30 goals and only one of them was a friendly.
Those were the days when you asked someone at the top of the stairs what the score was if you missed the first two minutes.
Bedtime for this old timer.
Who knows what tomorrow brings, in a world where no huns survive.