Fanning the flames
I wish I could summon up more interest in the World Cup. It’s tough being Scottish.
But my problems aren’t only with the inadequacy of a national side that couldn’t kick doors at Hallowe’en. It’s the narrowness of our vision as expressed by our written media that I find just as depressing. They focus on two clubs and little else is caught in their peripheral vision.
For example, this morning in the Herald, my newspaper of choice since The Quisling was banned from all my devices, there is a bylined piece in which the writer bemoans the ‘abject failures’ of Rangers in ‘slumping’ to third place in the Premiership or whatever the hell they call it. There are nine teams in that league who were envious of Rangers’ achievement. Chris Jack’s words are as dismissive to them as they are offensive to Aberdeen given the implication that their second place was achieved more by default than quality.
We are so narrow in our thinking that our national game has disappeared up its own fundament and unless our media refocuses and sees beyond the blue and the green, it won’t re-emerge.
This too: for generations we in Scotland have fought a losing battle against sectarianism. The attitudes expressed in this morning’s article throw more petrol on its flames.
Quintin Jardine's blog 
It could be worse try being a Chelsea Fan, looks like we are going from “beauty” in Antonio Conte to the beast …
Don’t think I will. Not that I ever saw any beauty in Conte.
That is so cruel, I was just about to pay Scotland a compliment, as your fellow Scot Ken Bruce has just pointed on the radio you are the best in the world at cricket.
There’s no losing battle with sectarianism; it was never fought. Would the BNP/National Front be allowed to march in Brixton? No, because it would be seen as a public order issue not conducive to the public good.However, the Orange Lodge are allowed to march in Scotland on more occasions than in Northern Ireland with utter impunity. 50,000 people in Scotland belong to that organisation.
As for our football; I used to think Scots had the desire but not the skill but the English had skills but no desire. I believe the rot sets in at school; lack of exercise, participation being counted more than winning, lack of football pitches. We’re the architects of our own misfortune and the SNP are certainly not going to fix the problem.
Scotland ceased inventing products that changed the world a long time ago; if less time was spent hating whether it’s the English, Tories, Maggie Thatcher, Catholics etc etc, maybe that brain power could be directed to benefit this nation we all love.
You’re not wrong, my friend. Every time I return to Scotland from Spain I have a sense of aggression in the air that I don’t experience anywhere else. If I’m truly honest, I sense in myself also. A few decades ago my late friend Jack, from Glossop, had a poll in his office in Edinburgh to choose a new Scottish national anthem. ‘Flower of Scotland’ was third, ‘Que sera sera’ second, but the overwhelming winner was ‘If you hate the fucking English clap your hands.’ Truth in jest.
And sadly, as I have just discovered, Arlene Foster spoke today at an Orange Lodge meeting in Fife and asked them to become, I kid you not, ”bridge-builders’ ! Talk about unintended irony.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-44653564
LOL This idea was floated by Boris, but he was as taking the piss.