Woody Allen and the Pope of Rome

There’s a moment in Woody Allan’s movie Bananas, after the leader of a military coup takes control, that he loses his faint grasp on rationality and plunges headlong into random nonsense.  He informs the inhabitants of his Latin American country that Swedish will be their new language and that underwear now should be worn as an outer garment.

BBC’s Jim Spence this morning reports that a Dundee United director, flush with the success of reaching the League Cup final, told him United want almost double the ticket allocation for the final than they were able to sell for the semi-final, as “We want to ensure as big a crowd as possible for the game, which we are sure the sponsors would want too”, and that he wants United fans in the Toryglen end of the stadium, or the Celtic end, as it’s known by everyone else in the land.

Sure, ask for more tickets than you were able to sell, but don’t justify your request on the basis that this will ensure a bumper crowd.  If anything, it will achieve the opposite.

Asking for the Celtic end is right up there with wearing your pants on top of your trousers.  It’s a random and irrational exercise of power by someone who is evidently in way over their head.  It’s technically possible to have United at the ‘Toryglen’ end, but it would achieve no benefit and only cause confusion and inconvenience to thousands.  If Woody Allen is short of quality material (which appears to be the case), he should spend some time here.

Scotland is not full of these types, but those there are seem to gravitate towards positions in our national game.  From now on, I’m going to think of United chairman Stephen Thompson with his pants on the outside.  Pantsman Thompson, seems an appropriate handle.

I don’t know about you, but it’s been a while since I’ve had to listen to thousands sing “No Pope of Rome” at a public gathering.  The problem is not as significant as it was a few decades ago, and is largely limited to the embers of a dying sub-culture. The rest of the country has moved on, as have most Rangers fans. I’m not sure how, or if, you can check these excesses, but I’m sure they are overwhelmingly self-harming.

Kenny MacAskill, appointed Justice Minister in the SNP government on the basis of having selective hearing and being able to make absurd claims, left his post in November.  His government have yet to make any comment on yesterday. Nor have they repealed the politically-motivated Offensive Behaviour Act, or show they are remotely interested in asking for the laws they introduced to be enforced without fear or favour. The Act was aimed at you and is simply flawed. It is toxic, remains in place out of nothing more than bloody-mindedness and will be repealed at the first change of government.

Anyway, you’ve got a cup final to look forward to on the weekend of the CQN11 St Patrick’s Dinner at the Kerrydale Suite, on Friday 13 March.  Email me, celticquicknews@gmail.com to book your tickets.