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Celtic Diary Wednesday October 19: Paranoid ?

Celtic will be without four key players tonight when they face Motherwell, Jota, Turnbull, Startfelt and MacGregor. It’s also not certain that they will have the use of a personal protection squad when they face the team known and loved universally for it’s enthusiastic and robust approach to football,.

 

 

One off games can be tricky for even the best footballing sides, evidenced by the lack of trebles throughout history , although Celtic did manage four of those in a row, something the media would rather not talk about.

 

 

As the manager explained;

 

Our form has been consistent and when we play well home or away we know we’re hard to stop, and that’s our aim on Wednesday,” 

“Sometimes for clubs, the league has a lot of pressure because you’re always fighting for something and cups give you the chance to free yourself up a little bit, which gives teams a bit more licence to be aggressive in their approach. 

 

 

Soccer Foul GIFs | Tenor

 

 

 

“It shouldn’t affect us or our players because our approach is the same all the time but for the opposition,one-off game can lift their levels because they know they can progress into the next round and I’m looking forward to it.”  

 

 

James Forrest may well continue on the right, which may once have been a surprise, but Ange doesn;t seem to pick players unless they have earned it, despite what a few fans think about Daezen Maeda, and to a lesser extent, Kyogo Fuhruhashi.

 

If he favoured his own signings, surely Ideguchi would be higher up the pecking order….

 

 

Motherwell are expected to use  heavy artillery shelling, with light infantry up front with air support. Apart from the basics, they’ll ask for American support if it starts to go badly.

 

 

Tonight will have just the one referee, but after that, we’re going to be using two of them, doubling down on the demise of fair play as opposed to ensuring there are no errors.

 

 

On Saturday, Steven MacLean, whose brother used to play for Rangers, will operate the VAR, whilst that other bastion of fair play Nick Walsh will be his partner in crime on the field.

 

 

Here they are getting the equipment into place…..

 

 

The Music Box (1932)

 

 

Of course, there is no implication  that they are incompetent….it’s much worse than that.

 

 

Something else that caught the eye is something that catches things perhaps the eye doesn’t see, and then uses it against you.

 

 

Dahau, a Chinese firm that specialises in security cameras , signed a deal with Celtic back in the days when Peter Lawwell held the pen.

 

Along with Chinese state owned Hikvision, they are market leaders in “security ” cameras that can tell little extras, such as face recognition, skin tone, and what you’ve got in your pockets.

 

All images are recorded and as ever, one has to question if this goes beyond fining out who smashed a window and pinched the charity box.

 

 

From CCTV Direct, last month:

 

There are fresh calls to ban HikVision’s use in UK institutions as May/July 2022. It is looking increasingly likely that the manufacturers use will not be allowed in governmental projects. This also applies to Dahua. We recommend training on an alternative system such as UNV which whilst similar in operation to HikVision is not likely to be banned as it is not directly controlled by the Chinese state. 

The UK’s Health Department which overseas the NHS has already begun measures to remove all HikVision cameras from operation. See Here

 

 

The quality of Hikvision’s technology isn’t really under question, support from the Chinese government helped establish the company as one of the leading providers of surveillance equipment worldwide. In fact, Hikvision has been the global market leader since 2011 and in 2020 claimed a 38% share of the market. 

Hikvision is a manufacturer of “state-of-the-art” surveillance equipment. They are known for their range of sophisticated CCTV cameras that can capture high definition footage in very challenging conditions and can be equipped with powerful motion detection and facial recognition capabilities. Which sounds promising at first, and in most cases the technology is pretty solid. Support and ethical issues are where things start to come undone. 

So, Why Are Hikvision CCTV Cameras Banned? 

Hikvision’s position has been under threat globally and particularly in the US where, until 2017, Hikvision held a 12% market share. Due to allegations against the company of complicity in human rights violations in China, and increasing security concerns among US intelligence officials, the US government has taken a number of steps to ban Hikvision from the US marketplace. There have been talks in other nations and groups banning Hikvision, with the UK Foreign Affairs Committee asking parliment to ban Hikvision and Dahua, and the EU recieving similar official filings. 

It is now the case that no Hikvision products can be sold in America, nor can American companies sell parts to Hikvision, nor can any American invest in Hikvision.

Following this example set by the US, calls to ban Hikvision in the UK and EU have increased. As in the US, these calls are ostensibly motivated by concerns for human rights and security.

When was Hikvision Banned in the US?

Since 2018, Hikvision’s commercial presence in the US has been under threat due to a string of direct and indirect restrictions on the company by successive US presidents who have viewed its connections with the Chinese government, particularly the military, as a threat to US interests and human rights.

Hikvision’s problems began when, in 2018, President Trump signed a bill banning all federal agencies from buying or using Hikvision products. Hikvision cameras were used in federal buildings across the country and in a host of embassies too. The ban meant that all these cameras had to be located, removed, and replaced.

In 2019, just two months after the procurement ban, Hikvision was added to the Entities List by the US Department of Commerce, preventing US companies from selling the Hikvision parts. In anticipation of being added to the list, Hikvision had been stockpiling parts and continued to do so up until the last possible moment.

The reason given for Hikvision’s inclusion on the list was the company’s links to human rights violations being committed against the Uyghurs in northwest China. Hikvision’s surveillance equipment is being used in the 300 to 400 detention centres that are holding up to a million Uyghurs against their will. 

In response to being added to the Entity List, Hikvision countered the accusations in a statement, saying, “Hikvision, as the security industry’s global leader, respects human rights and takes our responsibility to protect people in the U.S. and the world seriously.” 

A year after Hikvision was added to the list, Trump brought in legislation against US investment in a host of companies connected to the Chinese military apparatus, including Hikvision. The White House justified the ban by claiming, “China is increasingly exploiting United States capital to resource and to enable the development and modernisation of its military”. 

When Biden came into office he maintained Trump’s tough stance on China, implementing further restrictions by expanding the scope strengthening the legal framework of existing legislation.

In June 2021, Biden elaborated on Trump’s ban on investments made to companies connected to the Chinese military. The executive order signed by Biden cites the “threat posed by the military-industrial complex of the People’s Republic of China” as the reason for the punitive action. It goes on to say that the “use of Chinese surveillance technology to facilitate repression or serious human rights abuses, constitute unusual and extraordinary threats.”   

 

 

 

 

As anyone who lives in or has visited places such as China, Japan or South Korea will tell you, they are miles ahead in their technological achievements of the “west “.

 

Whilst they have invested heavily in development, western companies are happy just to sell the same old tat with a couple of new features every couple of years, to maximise profits.

 

 

What hikvision, and by association Dahua, are accused of, is manufacturing and supplying products that have been or can be used to break human rights regulations, a bit like the Americans do with their bombs and missiles.

 

 

It may be that the accusations of human rights breaches are simply western firms decrying a superior product, but it would be naive to think that any firm who supplies or manufactures these cameras does it soley to stop someone pinching the charity box off the counter.

 

 

In any case, Celtic should not be associated with such a company until the club is entirely confident that these allegations are without foundation,

 

 

And that’s before we get on to the question of whether or not they’ve got them in the stadium, or on the car park….. or have we ascertained how they managed to round up supporters who sang the wrong songs, waved the wrong banners or wore the wrong t shirts so quickly ?

 

 

Which brings us back to the theme of yesterday…..

 

 

Juvenal quote: But who guards the guardians?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Phil McEachen
1 year ago

Can’t be any worse than BBC Scotland

Drew
1 year ago

Wrong site i thought I was going to read about Celtic

portpower
1 year ago

Exciting sevco FC news, brought to you by VAR bants.
Uttered hun excuses, they be beautifully scripted.

Looking forward to this, again.

portpower
1 year ago

MabozzaRitchie, Hikvision would never catch your good side.

MabozzaRitchie
1 year ago
Reply to  portpower

aye. i need to take hate the english lessons , vote for an embarassment of a person who detests the tories and think a referendumb every year until the right result is a good idea

Woof Charlie
1 year ago

Could cause a stramash in the pixelator. We played a sectarian team for the best part of a century. The board has had more Tories on it than a Soho escort. Nike payed us millions. Would be good to have a CSC in Shanghai GCHQ though.

dingbat
1 year ago

I’ve climbed the steps the boys used in the Music Box. They are in the Silver Lakes district of LA. Very cool for fans of them.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g32655-d2556213-Reviews-Music_Box_Steps-Los_Angeles_California.html#/media-atf/2556213/259212442:p/?albumid=-160&type=0&category=-160

SteveNaive
1 year ago

Same starters ( if all fit ) from Saturday?
Should Ange start Siegrist ?

The Cha
1 year ago

I doubt Turnbull is a key player anymore, if he ever was.

Sadly, it looks like his career might be petering out at Celtic.

A bit like Mike J (although he’s clearly at a far higher level) last December when we had a lot of injuries and he had a chance to state a claim, he was missing in action.

Tonight would have been a time for Turnbull to start and show he’s worthy of a place far higher in the pecking order than what he currently holds.

SteveNaive
1 year ago
Reply to  The Cha

Turnbull is injured. I think he’s a good player who can be coached to be better.

The Cha
1 year ago
Reply to  SteveNaive

I agree that he’s a good player but I’m not sure he’s entirely suitable for Ange’s style, he’s got a lot of competition for a starting place and his injury record doesn’t help.

The Cha
1 year ago

States that have actively surveilled UK, Europe etc

USA – including most domestic leaders, especially Angela Merkel, who was actively working on peace in Ukraine, in order to scupper that. How’s that working out?

Israel – bought and paid for politicians, supporting and actively taking part in coups eg UK Labour, to undermine countries.

China – er, not sure, so has anyone got any evidence (nb USA smears that are part of a desperate losing economic war don’t count)?

This story is over 2 years old, so why has Celtic cyberspace become a “herd of independent minds”?

Salad queen
1 year ago
Reply to  The Cha

Stick to the football son

The Cha
1 year ago
Reply to  Salad queen

Is that you, Lettuce Liz?

Jim Begorrah
1 year ago

I don’t think it’s the bleedin’ Chinese we need to worry about begorrah, it’s de bleedin’ Irish!

Dermot’s had his fingers in that pie for years.

https ://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/dermot-desmond-s-daon-will-know-all-about-us-yet-we-know-nothing-of-it- 1.3270030

BroxburnBhoy
1 year ago

Poor old slippy. Sacked after 13 wins out of 40 tries. How on earth a premier league club have him a job after his dismal record at the basket of assets I’ll never know. Name brand I suppose. They only had to look at his record in Scotland to have an idea. Good Celtic outing last night. Solid

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