A Dark
Corner
My blogs are usually related to football and
its surrounding culture but today I’d like to diverge a little and touch on a
subject are which today of all days is in the minds of a lot of my fellow Celts
here in the West of Scotland.
Those of you who know the east end of Glasgow
will know well the distinctive Catholic church of Our Lady of Good Council. It’s
hard to miss with its steep angled sloping roof. Some years ago I attended a
funeral there of a fine man who’s sons I knew well. Old Mr Murphy (Name changed) was a true gentleman
and a big Celtic fan who would entertain us as kids with tales of Tully, Stein
and Evans. He had a big family and brought them up well in difficult
circumstances in a tenement flat in the east end. Below him lived another
family who were of the Orange persuasion. Mr Murphy didn’t have a bigoted bone
in his body and chatted to anyone. He lived in the same close as his orange
neighbours for 30 years or more without any problem. It’s fair to say that this
very decent man showed by example that he was one of the good guys. As I walked
towards the church I saw two of his orange neighbours standing outside. There
they remained throughout the touching funeral service. Even in death they
wouldn’t pay their respects in a Catholic church. I watched as Mr Murphy’s
coffin was carried out and one of his sons glared at the neighbours, obviously
emotional and upset at such a snub of such a fine man.
I last saw one of the men who stood outside
the church that day as I visited a friend in hospital. He was in a bed on the
same ward and a very ill man. I remembered big John (name changed) from our
youthful football games when he’d shout things like ‘Mark the Irishman’ to team
mates as I came up for a corner. My Grandad was Irish, I’m Scottish but this
didn’t matter to him. He died later that week and I and many other RC’s
attended his funeral. The Crematorium was lined with men wearing the sashes of
his order and perhaps he would have liked that. At least a quarter of the
people in the crematorium were Catholics and I recall thinking that it was
right to show your support of the wider family by attending as not all of them
thought like ‘John.’
So what is this organisation which so
despises Catholicism that it would not tolerate members entering a RC Church? Today
we shall see thousands march in our streets their bellicose drums booming out
like artillery. What is it all about? The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland will
tell you that it’s a celebration of Protestantism and not bigoted in any way. Yet the Church of Scotland faces huge issues
of falling attendance and empty pews. It’s clear that most attending parades
today are seldom if ever in church. Nor is there much sign of Christian love
and humility from those who attend such events. I recall prizes for those who
boom the big drums most loudly as they pass RC Churches. As a child I even saw
one big drum with the face of the Pope painted onto it. The drummer would then
batter it all day long. This isn’t a Christian celebration, this is tribalism
in its ugliest and most base form. I recall being in Glasgow City Centre on the
day of such a parade and watching young men take turns to spit on the windows of
a small shop in the High Street which sells Catholic statues and other such
items. I watched as fellow citizens tucked their crucifixes out of sight or
covered their children’s Celtic shirts. The Loyal Institutions say that it’s
not them but their followers who behave so poorly but it is they who create the
context of anti-Catholicism where it flourishes! They organise parades that
degenerate into bigoted festivals. What sort of society allows that to go on?
Is this Scotland or 1930s Germany?
I’m sure many of you reading this can offer
similar anecdotes on the behaviour of some of our fellow Scots. One has to
conclude that if such hatred was shown towards Muslims, Jews or migrant groups
there would be outrage and yet little is said about this annual outpouring of
bile. Today it’s the turn of Coatbridge, a town with a huge Catholic
population, to suffer the booming drums and medieval attitudes as many of the
parades will merge there. No doubt the Police will keep a lid on things but is
this really the brave new Scotland of the 21st Century? Is this
really the best we can do in Mr Salmond’s ‘Best
wee Country in the World?’ I accept the right of citizens to demonstrate
but they should respect their fellow citizens and do it at a time and place
which causes least disruption. There are plenty of empty fields in Ayrshire
they could march in but as we all know this isn’t just about marching, this is
about mindless triumphalism. Perhaps they
should also pay the Policing costs of such marches as the irony of the Catholic
tax payers of Coatbridge funding such parades is obvious to all.
As I drove along streets I’ve known all my life
this morning I noticed that flags and bunting were up in some of them. These
are poor districts, places of high unemployment and little hope. Perhaps such
attitudes flourish better in poverty and ignorance? A few early risers were on
the beer early preparing for a long day of marching ahead. Somewhere I could
hear an accordion playing a song made famous by the Beach Boys as ‘Sloop John B’
although here in Scotland we know it better as the tune of the ‘Famine Song.’ That’s the reality of modern Scotland’s darker
corners. Few see how this bigotry stops the working class uniting and working together for jobs, decent housing or social equality. It's frustrating to hear one group in our society celebrate the defeat and subjugation of another 3 centuries ago. What possible relevance do battles fought in the 17th Century have for Scots today? I don’t write these words in anger rather I’m a little sad. I don’t consider myself to be an unreasonable
or in any way bigoted person. I simply find it amazing that we allow these
Parades year after year and none of our Politicians has the balls to say ‘Enough
of this nonsense!’ These are the same politicians who persecute football fans
for singing the odd distasteful song and then allow, indeed pay for, tens of
thousands to boom out nakedly sectarian songs all day long in our city and town
centres. These are the politicians who said nothing about 100 years of ‘FTP’
songs at Ibrox and now try to tell us that in certain circumstances you could
be arrested for blessing yourself. They could change this culture if they had
the will to but they hide away from it like the cowards they are.
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