{"id":10664,"date":"2017-01-04T12:00:49","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T12:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=10664"},"modified":"2017-01-04T09:47:31","modified_gmt":"2017-01-04T09:47:31","slug":"the-lamb-induced-silence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=10664","title":{"rendered":"The Lamb Induced Silence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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El cormaco<\/strong> has been thinking, and points out the media silence around an age old problem. That Ibrox songbook, which inly features one or two relevant to football.<\/em><\/div>\n
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I started writing a piece about the minutes silence, and how it was to be managed by the media, and how Matthew Lindsay at the Herald took the opportunity to blame Celtic fans for breaking the minute\u2019s silence, despite evidence appearing to suggest the first shout was actually \u201cFenian b*stards\u201d, and so highly unlikely to have come from the Celtic end.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 Then I read Harry Brady\u2019s excellent piece on Celtic Underground and our own estimable Ralph here and realised there was nothing I could say that they haven\u2019t with regard to the minutes silence, a silence I think was commendably well observed overall, and how it\u2019s been reported in the press.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 What got my goat (not in a masonic way) is the selective deafness Lindsay and every other journalist suffer when it comes to the sounds and songs from our erstwhile Glasgow rivals.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 Since the Second Rangers began on their \u201cjourney\u201d they seem more determined than ever to belt out the banned song \u201cThe Billy Boys\u201d at any opportunity. Now if that\u2019s what they want to do then so be it, however it\u2019s illegal and so the police and football authorities should act appropriately when its sung and the press should miss no opportunity to call these supporters out when they indulge in singing it. UEFA have handed the old Rangers fines for singing it in the past and issued warnings about partial stadium closures, which had an impact in reducing its volume and frequency, and in fairness it\u2019s not sung as lustily now as in the games you can watch back from Ibrox in the 80s and 90s, but it seems to be on the rise again and to be going unchecked.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 Since this new Rangers have not been near UEFA competition it hasn\u2019t been an issue they have had to deal with. That does not excuse either the Press, the police or the Scottish FA however \u00a0I watched the TV cameras scan the Ibrox crowd before kick off as they indulged in singing it, while David Tanner praised the \u201cterrific atmosphere\u201d and again heard it loud right before the minute\u2019s silence. The irony of singing about being up to their knees in Fenian blood moments before a minutes silence as mark of respect for the dead seems to have been lost by the Scottish press pack.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 The silence from the press on this has been much longer than a minute.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 Why does Lindsay find space to point out the idiocy of a couple of individuals while ignoring the actions of thousands?<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 Why do the SFA or SPFL take no action whatsoever in trying to curb the actions of these bigots?<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Why following Scottish Cup final and the game at Celtic park were the press running with the idea of strict liability for clubs, and Clyde running with a \u201dcampaign for decency\u201d, neither of which have been mentioned as far as I\u2019ve seen in relation to the behaviour of three stands at Ibrox on Saturday?<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 What is the endgame of this selective deafness; to allow it back into our game as part of the \u201ccolour and noise of the old firm\u201d? To encourage more blue pounds out of pockets by winding back the clock to a time when such bigotry was even more commonplace at Scottish grounds?<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 To fill boats from Ulster and put \u201cTimmy\u201d back in their place?<\/div>\n
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Personally I do find the song and what is says offensive. It\u2019s only a song sure, but it speaks to a troubling worldview, one in which we are all terrorist sympathising inferiors to be cowed into submission. One in which \u201cThe People\u201d are the guardians of the moral compass in the<\/div>\n
country and in which any way of life contrary to the Scottish \/ British protestant culture is fair game for attack?<\/div>\n
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Were they to be singing about blacks or Muslims or any other minority they would be shamed by the Press, lifted by the Police, and sanctioned by the football authorities. Thats why, as we saw at Ibrox, black players have their abuse in mere shouts. Only the Irish get abused in song.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0As it\u2019s about \u00a0 \u201cFenians\u201d it seems to be okay. The law states otherwise, it\u2019s time those with the power to highlight and act on its flouting took aim in the right direction rather than focus on the one or two who showed their idiocy to the world.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0If they don\u2019t where does it end? The Vanguard Bears are already claiming \u201ccultural genocide\u201d against Scots\/ British protestants while also singing \u201cWe are the people\u201d, and while they can be written off as deranged there will be many others, the more moderate, sensible Ibrox match goer who will feel some of the same sentiments regarding a perceived suppression of their culture and take the opportunity being allowed them to crank up the sectarian nonsense ever higher.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 Death threats, assaults, threats to journalists, campaigns to see people sacked for stating views contrary to theirs from *Rangers fans are all matters of record; actions of the deranged who use *rangers as a cloak for their sectarian opinions, if they are allowed to continue singing these illegal songs in their thousands how many more will feel emboldened to act?<\/div>\n
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There are doubtless many *rangers fans who take no part in it, or want no part of it. However this \u201csilent majority\u201d have for whatever reason done nothing to counter this vocal minority and so either need help to challenge this behaviour or make a choice; to walk away from their team or block their ears and pretend it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 To avoid any doubt the same goes for Celtic fans singing pro IRA songs. I don\u2019t, and never have, even when the Troubles were at an intolerable level, see glory worthy of song in the actions of the IRA. I don\u2019t sing the songs because frankly I don\u2019t support their actions, even if<\/div>\n
supposedly, as a \u201cnorn Irish\u201d born nationalist, they were being carried out in my name.<\/div>\n
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Others will have their own views on that, but I do think as a collective we are a better, more decent and humane group of fans than the *Rangers fans but indulging in this kind of singing only allows the \u201ctwo cheeks of the same arse\u201d argument to continue, which is doing us no<\/div>\n
favours.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
However in 21st Century Scotland it seems no one has the will to challenge or upset \u201cra peepul\u201d and we should probably just surrender now for a quiet life, or \u201cgo home\u201d now that the Famine is over.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 Well that\u2019s not going to happen, we are rightly proud of our heritage and going nowhere, there are laws in place supposedly to punish these activities and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s unreasonable to expect those with the power to call it out, take actions against individuals<\/div>\n
and clubs to do their jobs, rather than either ignore or praise it.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0 Surely a journalist worth their salt would hear the extent of the sectarian singing on Saturday and feel compelled to speak out about it?<\/div>\n
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Or they can just blame a few Celtic \u201ceejits\u201d and disregard the real problems as usual ?<\/div>\n
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What we are seeing is a return to the old firm, both on the park and off it.<\/div>\n
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The attitudes and values of the new club , inherited from their now defunct predecessors are back, and no one is more delighted than the media.<\/div>\n
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Especially when they can blame us as well.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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