There has been just two constants in my life. While my tastes in food, alcohol, authors, entertainment to name just a few, have changed over time, my preferences in football and politics have remained constant. As a four year old, my father took me to my first game at Ibrox, and I immediately bonded with my team, the famous Glasgow Rangers. That bond remains intact to this day. Nowadays by choice and geography I never attend a live match though I never miss a game via television or Internet. Every day I avidly read or listen to Rangers orientated media sources to get the most up to date news and views about my club. I never rely on the dead tree corrupt media, their news is tainted and produced to sell newspapers not to inform honestly. By the same token if I want to know what the other side of the city is up to I go to their fan based media I know there too, just as with the Rangers new media I will get truth and not spin.
While our football team is given to us, some while still in the womb, our politics in the main is our own choice. While still at school I determined that Scottish independence was the best possible outcome for my nation of birth. Now as I approach my three score and ten my resolve if anything has hardened on that choice. While for over 50 years I trusted one party to bring about that outcome I no longer believe that they or any other political party will actually bring about the independence my nation so desperately deserves and urgently needs. I now believe only the people themselves can make that happen.
I see great similarities in my two passions. There are good times and bad times in both. In football there are times you cannot ever see the possibility of success with the current players, manager or board and there other times when you cannot see any other team defeating you. There is that certain joy when you win a certain match or win a by election or General election the elation is the same. There are times when you are watching either a match or a campaign and you are thinking to yourself the manager/leadership are deploying the wrong tactics, picked the wrong players or Cabinet.
We also think that the governing body be it the SFA/SPFL, English Imperial Parliament at Westminster or the mini Westminster at Holyrood are out to thwart our ambitions. In both football and politics we all think the media favour our rivals in their reporting. In football though I do not expect the Rangers or Celtic Boards to bung the MSM £3,000,000 of our season ticket money.
While those of us of a political persuasion on the ground refuse to buy into the dead-tree press our political and football managers feel the necessity to do just that. Both in football and politics fans and activists have decided that their own media is more reliable and honest than the corrupt foreign owned media in Scotland.
There are fanzines and podcasts everywhere now set up by ordinary fans to give their fellow supporters the news and views with the slant on their particular clubs. Likewise, in politics we have New Media Bloggers. In Scotland we have, of course, our very own Scottish Free Press eg. The Bloggers and their podcasts.
In the beginning of new media, the football clubs were uncomfortable as these fan/activist based new media outlets began to spring up. With the corrupt MSM the football authorities and political spads felt that they could still manipulate the narrative of the MSM. With these fanzines and political podcasts control was lost. Those in charge of media be it in football or politics do not like when they cannot control or at least influence the narrative. That resulted in both industries attacking the new media as rogue, unrepresentative, untrustworthy, unreliable and a host of other uncomplimentary descriptions.
Unlike the present SNP, the football clubs finally realised that if treated properly and used wisely these new fan based media outlets could help them open lines of communication directly with their fan/customer base. Now some of these fan podcasters and bloggers are accredited press at the daily news conferences and matchdays.They are given access to the manager, players and coaching staff. They can ask questions directly that can then be given to their eager listeners/viewers. These fan journalists do not need fancy headlines to sell papers. These new media football blogs do this out of love for their club. They do not do it to earn a living. Used properly, as certainly the two big Glasgow clubs have discovered it can have positive outcomes for both parties. Fans too know, when they watch Heart & Hand or A Celtic State of Mind they are getting honest opinion and news, not a slanted story to sell product for an English or offshore PLC.The truth is told by these shows, good and bad. There is also no doubt on the allegiance of the presenters. They report and reflect the views to their fellow fans. I for one never get my news about the famous from the corrupt MSM. I only trust the Rangers fan media.I know they won’t lie to me. We are after all on the same side!
In politics this is not the case. As we have seen with the Scottish Free Media our ‘team’ the SNP, hate, loathe and despise the writers and bloggers of Scottish independence. They prefer to employ ex dead tree press journalists rather than utilise their fan based media. Indeed, we have clowns like the MP for Perth & North Perthshire suggesting that the pro independence media are in fact anti-independence, union enabling, 5th columnists for the British State! It is as absurd as his bid to become the speaker of the Imperial English Parliament at Westminster.
If the behaviour was the same in football, new media you would have Steven Gerrard suggesting Heart & Hand was a cover for the Sons of Donegal Celtic Supporters Association or Dominic Mckay suggesting that Celtic Fans TV was a covert operation for the Larkhall Loyal Rangers Supporters.
One has to hope that one day the SNP realise the most direct route to their core support is through the Pro Independence media, not through the English owned and influenced MSM!
While in football terms my life is just a bed of roses my political ambitions are not as healthy. I have made my position clear I do not believe or trust this SNP government to bring forth an Independence Referendum in the foreseeable future. I do though believe it will happen, and I believe it will be brought about by the people of Scotland, not the politicians.
The Referendum of 2014 it cannot be disputed resulted because Alex Salmond had taken the SNP from doldrums to firstly the largest party at Holyrood. Then in 2011 by luck and a fluke to the majority position. The Holyrood system of voting was never meant to let that happen. This was a message myself, and others in the new media tried to convey throughout the recent election campaign. For their own reasons and wilfully the SNP propaganda machine ensured the public at large never learned that truth.
I feel no joy post election being proven correct nor will you ever hear an acknowledgement for the SNP, Ex-Daily Record Head of Communications that they got it wrong. Indeed, cynics like me believe that individual hit exactly the result he hoped for, a slim SNP victory but the union still intact and over represented at Holyrood.
I have felt despair in the last few days.The election result while ok for the SNP was a huge missed opportunity for Scotland and its independence. In years to come I believe social commentators and historians will point to this Election as a grave error of tactics by the SNP leadership.
However, I remain hugely optimistic about Scotland’s future. The reason for that is simple, it was the people of Glasgow that yesterday took matters into their own hands in Kenmure Street, Glasgow. As a Glaswegian it filled me with immense pride that the ordinary citizens of my city of birth took direct action. They did not receive a rallying call from the politicians this was done by pure civic action. The local SNP MSP and MP latterly arrived trying to claim reflected glory, of course, however all credit must go to the ordinary people of Glasgow who rose up as one and who prevented the English Home Secretary from enacting her English racist policies in Scotland.
What the ordinary people now understand is that they cannot depend on the politicians in either the English Imperial Parliament in London or the subservient Parliament in Edinburgh to uphold their desires and wishes. They now know that direct action is all that works. In the English Parliament they are too busy finding new ways to milk the public purse and subdue the Celts to steal their assets than to pay attention to the desires of the people. The Scottish politicians are too busy playing to 0.04% of the population to care what the vast majority of the citizens of Scotland desire.
People power is what will bring about our deliverance from the English Empire. As we come out of this pandemic, it is important we enthuse and mobilise the Scottish population. The politicians are too busy navel gazing and promoting their pet projects to realise the public are growing restless at being an English colony.
As a last reference to my other passion football let me, say this to Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP. Fortunes in both football and politics can change so quickly. You can be riding high one day and the very next you can’t buy a goal or a victory. Just ask the Labour Party!
The SNP might be winning just now, so were the Labour Party in 2010.Look what happened in 2015. Look where they are now. Do not take your voters or victories for granted. Pay attention and stop biting the hand that feeds you or the same fate awaits you in the SNP if you are not careful!
It’s important with political bogging that the reporting is on the politicians not for the politicians. You can still have pro-party blogs but there needs to be more of a firewall between the two otherwise we end up with the exact same situation as the dead-tree press – a narrative gets pushed because it benefits somebody behind the scenes. Much better that the party or the members of the parliaments get in on the game as well. Then everybody is up front with the position being taken.
I’d like to see a return to the years either side of 2012 when there was an explosion of bloggers. One problem is that building an audience is enormously hard. It would be much better if people could dip their toes into the water when they had something to say and not be compelled to do it for the sake of keeping an audience. Shameless plug time – I built Voices for Independence, https://www.voices.scot, to pull together the feeds from the various independence bloggers and groups. Not sure whether it will work but a site like that would mean that even somebody that wrote something once a year would still have a reasonable chance of being read.
I’d also like to see more formats being tried. What you’re doing with Scottish Prism and Jeggit with Radio Soarsa is really interesting. If the enthusiasm of 2014 can be rekindled (not the jam tomorrow bullshit that the The National is pushing) then we’d be in a great position and the politicians would be forced to listen.
Thanks for your ‘shameless plug’. I now have another good website to visit.
Good news. It’s great to see so many pro-indy sites but there needs to be some cohesion amongst them. This will definitely help.
You are right Roddy.
Had what happened in Glasgow yesterday, been left for Holyrood to sort out. Then I suspect these poor men would now be on a detention centre. Yes I know immigration is reserved to Westminster. However the SNP have 47MPS in WM and a working majority in Holyrood. So they are not exactly without influence.
The people were left to protect themselves and their neighbours , against the colonial invader. We must do something similar with the independence that we all want. If that requires marching on Bute House , then we should. Lets start turning the heat up on Nicola.
She hasn’t felt the full frustration of the movement yet. That’s mostly due to lockdown. Now as we come out of lockdown , we need to start a process of civil disobedience.
The SNP have been hiding behind the “immigration is controlled by Westminster” mantra since Brexit. They have not only let down the refugees who have sought asylum in Scotland, they have also let down our friends and colleagues (and families) from the EU.
We were promised explicitly in 2016 that we would have an indyref if we were taken out of the EU against our will. That promise was broken. It was more comfortable for Nicola She/Her to take the plaudits of the English centrists at anti-Brexit rallies than to do the nuts and bolts of working on our independence and being criticised by The Guardian for it.
Scotland has lost thousands of citizens in the past five years and the SNP have given them nothing but words.
Reserved to whom? The parliament of Great Britain houses the governments of Scotland and England as legally equal partners with equal authority. Scottish matters are not reserved to the English Government. They are reserved to the Scottish government. The problem stems from a Scottish government that refuses to act in the capacity they are elected – as a government imbued with Scots sovereignty and legally recognised in the treaty as an equal partner with equal authority. Instead of governing Scotland, the Scottish government hand over the reins of governance to a foreign country’s government and permits them to impose English policies on Scotland and its people. This is further worsened by the claim of Scots themselves saying that the foreign country has dominion over them. While it has conventionally been true due to the abdication of duty b y the Scottish government, legally it is not. In addition to this it has been noted by other parliaments within GB including the English government that there is no parliamentary sovereignty in the treaty and thus the English government attempted to write it into Clause 38 which fundamentally breaches the treaty of union. The Scots need to stop and question the narrative they are being sold. 2 sovereign nation states ratified the international trade agreement. And both retained their rights prior to and after the signing. Not just one.
” I believe social commentators and historians will point to this Election as a grave error of tactics by the SNP leadership.”
I believe they will call it much worse than that.
Hopefully future historians will be able to discover and explain the real reasons for the SNP leadership throwing away an independence referendum. And hopefully I’ll still be around to read it.
Great Article.
Craig Murray likewise notes the significance of Kenmure Street as a historic socio-political event in respect of what was essentially Scottish people asserting their sovereignty and their rejection of an oppressor power. https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2021/05/pollokshields-shows-how-to-achieve-independence/#tc-comment-title
As you state here, what continues to let the people down is Scotland’s own daeless political leadership. Scottish political majorities supporting independence have now been elected six times! – thrice at Westminster and thrice at Holyrood – yet still these politicians refuse to assert the sovereignty of the Scottish people given to them.
Which should make us wonder how many elected nationalist majorities would it take for independence? In most former colonies one would have been enough, and even Mrs Thatcher accepted that reality in regard to Scotland’s withdrawal from what is merely a treaty-based political alliance. Its time Scotland’s elected politicians stepped up to the plate and followed the lead of the Scottish people rather than continue to cave in to British state diktat. You are right, Scotland’s independence is in our own hands, not Westminster’s.
Bang on, Alf. Scotland doesn’t fit the criteria necessary to be regarded as a colony (“a treaty-based political alliance”).That said: what is to be done about the self-colonised, that great number of Scots who through socialisation stretching back down the generations, unquestioningly maintain the Great British narrative and identity, and vote accordingly? Sadly, I can offer no answer to my own question.
It was, indeed, a treaty-based politics alliance, Josef, but very few people voted. It was not a democracy at the time. That, in itself, and the fact that most Scots now want independence but are blocked at every turn, and that, in 2014, the indigenous NO vote (UN usage) voted YES while rUK NO voters and EU NO voters augmented the indigenous YES vote to bring it up to 55%, does actually make us fit the ‘colonial’ pattern. What we need is the courage in our politicians to acknowledge the truth of the situation, but they are reluctant to do so for a number of reasons.
The great anti colonialist Frantz Fanon talks about imperialism leaving behind ” germs of rot which must be clinically detected and removed not only from the land but also from our minds.” It’s no wonder, that after 300 years oppression and incessant propaganda the infection is deep rooted. He also said “The oppressed will always believe the worst about themselves” And it’s no wonder when you look at the media and their total control over the minds of the masses. The BBC it has been said are the best propaganda machine that exists.
It seems to me that the anti biotic to rid us of this deep rooted infection has manifested itself in the rise of the bloggers, non parliamentarian opposition movements such as AUOB and now a genuine independence party, Alba. The medicine seems to be kicking in.
A Bruce – aye, the postcolonial literature of Fanon, Cesaire, Memmi and Satre pretty much explains Scotland’s predicament and most of the related behavioural aspects that haud-doun Scots: https://yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com/2021/05/01/is-scottish-independence-decolonisation/
Although I feel gutted by all that has happened, and all that has not happened, I do believe that the Scottish people – those who do want independence – have reached a crossroads. A tension is in the air that I cannot say I have felt before; it is as if we have moved on to a different plane, a new level; and the sense of something extremely important about to happen is palpable. I believe that we, as a majority, are beginning to get a grasp of what is being denied us, and that will lead to widespread anger.
I’m not sure, but I think that the forthcoming fight against GRA reform might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, the catalyst that will blow the whole shebang into the open at last, when we will see who is in favour of more foot-dragging in obeisance to this lobby that has done little more than undermine our movement, women’s rights and spaces and even our public discourse, to the extent that most are afraid to articulate what they know, but dare not express. It is going to be highly contentious, not least because of the determination of many women not to back down in the teeth of vicious attacks from the trans lobby – which, incidentally, does not speak for all trans people.
It is an issue that I feel that many men simply cannot engage with or are not interested in, because they do not see it as affecting them, but as a distraction – and to be honest, it won’t affect them – to anything like the extent it will affect women, especially in the longer term as every space we ever had is infiltrated and commandeered, every right our Suffragette and Suffragist great-grandmothers and our ’60s mothers fought for, are lost.
A lot of men just don’t see this as being make or break for the SNP leadership, but many women are far more attuned to what has been happening within the SNP in the past years, since 2014. We have witnessed the rapid expansion of the trans lobby within the SNP in those years, the deliberate putting on of the brakes of independence in order to a accommodate this group’s policies and aims. Of course, it wont stop at the handing over of women’s safe spaces and rights: the trans lobby wants a helluva lot more than those, and our spaces and rights are just the start. Until their agenda is completed – and that means when queer theory is completed and we no longer live in a society recognizable to most people, including most men, there will be no independence, or, at lest, it will delayed and delayed.
Hi Lorna
Most men have sisters, wives, daughters,,granddaughters etc and although they may be slower they will realise sooner or later the dangers inherent in the GRA reforms.
Excellent piece. Took me back to my Primary 7 days when Miss Fraser told us about our two Scottish heroes – Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. Bruce, she told us, led Scotland for the crown, to become King of Scots but Wallace fought because he loved his country …..then she told us the method of his murder in London. We were in shock.
She finished by saying ” Our greatest hero in Scotland is The Wallace.” Janet Wallace was my paternal grandmother’s name. So, learning that piece of Scottish history, I was immediately created a Scot Nat!
Like you, my hope is in people power. Once covid is over, we must take to the streets. And we must pressurise the government at Holyrood as much as the government at Westminster.
If there is another indyref (and I am not optimistic at the moment), the SNP leadership will try to control the Yes movement. That’s why they bought the domain name. That is why Now Scotland is so important.
Angus Robertson saw the grassroots, multi-focal nature of the Yes movement as a weakness, whereas anyone with any sense knows that was its main strength. And it will be tactical numpties like him who will be in authority next time. We need to make sure they are not in control. But we must also make sure they can’t ignore us.
The SNP have settled in – its down to the Scottish people to settle up!
“And we must pressurise the government at Holyrood as much as the government at Westminster.”
We will need to; at the same time as the people in Glasgow were calling time on ‘the arms’ of the British state in Scotland, our ‘nationalist’ MSPs were renewing their oath to the oppressor!
Another great piece Roddy – straight from the heart. For a Blue Nose, ye’re a sound guy. With the sad end of the WoS era, it’s more vital than ever that genuine indy bloggers like Ian Lawson and yersel keep up the effort – hopefully your readership will continue to grow as more exWingers look for a new home. I don;t like to slag off any indy bloggers but I was disappointed with the actions of certain individuals during the past year. Aside from unnecessary, brutal attacks on Alex Salmond, for me one of the saddest moments was when Ian Blackford MP publicly stated (at WM no less) that Scotland would not be dragged out of Europe against it’s will (how did that go?) and, worst of all, certain bloggers (SNP Bloggers?) refused to condemn it or call IB to account for his weak words. My attempt to discuss this on some blogs was met with either indifference or a set of weak excuses (eg. after independence we wont be out of the EU). Wheeeeesht! Aye right, I know what IB said and it was a bit more direct than that. Of course now it looks just incredibly weak.I actually was a supporter of gradualism, but surely it has run its course now? Gradualism sure, but what we are experiencing now is an open-ended Neverendism for independence, which is not on. Gradualism has served the cause well IMO, but only to a point. It’s now time to up the ante. Are our feeble 72 MSPs up to the task? I have my doubts, they seem to be too comfy on their chairs these days. For this reason it is also vital that Alex Salmond and the ALBA party stay in the game – without some pressure on the indy flanks, nothing significant is likely to happen for a long long while.
Very proud of the good people of Glasgow – unlike our politicians, the ordinary folk won’t put up with WM nonsense. What are they going to do now? Something oppressive Churchillian like sending the tanks in, like they tried in 1919? I wouldn’t put it past em.
“They did not receive a rallying call from the politicians this was done by pure civic action. The local SNP MSP and MP latterly arrived trying to claim reflected glory, ”
If this is an accurate capture, it would seem to suggest that the (Labour) MSP Paul Sweeney did give a “rallying call”:
https://twitter.com/angelauk1900/status/1392883523745370112?s=20
Where the text in the image is “Every Glaswegian who can, please go to Kenmure Street at Albert Drive in Pollockshields to demonstrate support for this picket. We must adopt a zero tolerance stance against Home Office detentions. Those detained have committed to crime. Removal of our neighbours will not stand. twitter.com/PaulJSweeney/s…”
“I believe social commentators and historians will point to this Election as a grave error of tactics by the SNP leadership.”
I have to disagree BB, I believe she knew exactly what she was doing.
Indeed she did know, however that foes not alter the fact it was indeed a grave error of tactics.
Agreed.
Excellent article.
I believe the people of Scotland, with their traditional thrawn attitudes to so-called superiors, will deliver independence, not the power-greedy desires of the SNP leadership.
Can’t wait for AUOB to start marching again.
You hit the nail on the head, BB, as you always do! I absolutely agree with your take on the way things stand at the moment.
Thank you for this.
Roddy, I’ve had 2 comments today that have disappeared. What’s up?
Roddy, I have now sent you 3 comments including the last one asking why the first 2 comments disappeared.
Roddy, I have now sent you 3 comments including the last one asking why the first 2 comments disappeared.
They didn’t disappear, I was sleeping🙄
Roddy. I hope you enjoy the blue half triumph today. I was delighted as a Celtic fan and regular BTL to Celtic sites to say that I support a spontaneous celebration by the bears. By the way Gers have played some lovely football this season and have some really decent players. Their European performances have been awesome at times. Restored a lot of pride to Scottish football. Obviously I hope my team makes a better contest of it next year. I agree with you about grassroots football blogging and the MSM.
We can debate this, but I see real parallels too between the spontaneous Gers fan celebratory riots in March and what happened in Pollokshields this week. They were both riots ( uncontrolled uprisings where the police were afraid to impose the law). Both had tacit political indulgence because in my view politicians they were dragged along.by events they could not control.
That Thewliss and others turned up when they had read the mood (and knew it was probably acceptable to Sturgeon), to me supports that. That said most of these gathering were woke hipster/SWP types were in there. These are in my view not necessarily the crowd who stopped the poll tax, which included many more local working class people.
Many of the Kenmure crowd were organised around the overfunded Govanhill Baths project . They are often dismissive and contemptuous of the concerns of working class people in Govanhill and have a middle class disdain for a lot of the people separating themselves off in their own subculture. There is something very Portland USA about That part of Glasgow which I know well. They and the SNP politicians and councillors like Mhairi Hunter do nothing about the squalor and crime in their neighbourhood. Instead they take the divisive leftist response to indulge vocal and well funded minorities and their middle class NGO supporters. They are thoroughly identitarian not communitarian in my view.
It’s a difficult balancing act, but we can’t be fooled that this movement was genuinely representative of the wider people. All that said I am sure many of them will be asking why Sturgeon and Yousaff allowed Police State Scotland to act as security guards for a home office operation. Or they might wonder why they had’t used their numbers at Westminster rather than posturing and pointing at Priti Patel, to stop this. So it will have positive effects but for me as a left libertarian nationalist we need to see it in perspective.
Jontoscot21
Regarding the fans you say…
>a spontaneous celebration by the bears they are thoroughly identitarian not communitariancan’t be fooled the movement was genuinely representative of the wider people<…
How true for both of these occurences. Until the wider people ,as you call them, come together in solidarity there can only be chaos and division. The bugbear [ no pun intended] of partisan football and splinter politics on all sides needs drastic re-education.