From the X Factor to Abe Lincoln

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

I have to confess that last night I sat and watched the X Factor. In my defence I was the minority in a 3 way vote with my wife and daughter casting 2 for votes. My son was too busy up the stairs in his bedroom saving the world from terrorists on Call of Duty Black Ops.

A Dublin based singer called Mary lost in the sing off to some chav named Cher. In her interview Mary was asked what her highlight of the whole few weeks had been. Without flinching she said with all surety “The soldiers” and that making the CD for the benefit of our injured troops had been her highlight.

Which is quite remarkable when you compare her reaction to those at Parkhead a few weeks ago with their embarrassing banner protest against the British Army and the wearing of poppies. It seems that not all the people of the Republic of Ireland harbour the same hatred as that which was witnessed at Parkhead a few weeks ago and in subsequent statements from the supporters trust of the same club.

Which reminds me...Dr John...(of the following fame)...

"We should condemn racism and sectarianism without fear or favour wherever they arise.In condemning the actions of others, Celtic must always be vigilant with regard to our own conduct and reputation.”

Just how is that “vigilant” investigation coming along ? After all you did promise to ban those responsible... yet no word on that from the corridors of power at Celtic Park. How hard can it be to identify season ticket holders who held up a banner for nearly 10 minutes for goodness sake ?

Or is this Dr John just another broken promise ? Like your promise that your football club would draw a line under the allegations of biased referees which led to the eventual work to rule by our whistle blowers. Or have you forgotten what you said Dr John at your club’s AGM only a fortnight ago ? And yet lo and behold there was poor Anthony Stokes yesterday in the Scotland On Sunday bleating about the preferential treatment Rangers allegedly receive from our refs.

Or maybe you have been too busy Dr John...on the phone to Peter Kearney discussing what your strategy should be against Dallas and MacDonald. You’ll remember Dallas Dr John....he’s the one your supporters assaulted with coins at an Old Firm game...and unfortunately it seems the same investigation team was employed then as it is now as the culprits were never caught. In fact was it the same investigation team who investigated when Fernando Ricksen was assaulted with a lighter ? The reasons I ask is because...once again the culprits were never identified.

Its just a pity that the embarrassing images of that banner from Parkhead which were beamed round the world, were not balanced in the following weeks with the exemplary displays from Ibrox and which did all of Scotland proud.

In fairness to our media hacks they have not missed Celtic over this one...its quite clear that the bhoys have cried “wolf” once too often. Perhaps they are now realising they are not as untouchable as they once thought they were. For years our club and its support have been portrayed as the bad guys, much to our astonishment and dismay, while those jolly craicsters from the east end were seen as the light hearted good guys.

As Lincoln said “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

It would appear that time known as “all of the time” is at long last upon us.

The hatred which spews from within Parkhead , which for so long has been a boil on the point of bursting has now been lanced and the sectarian poison is oozing forth for all to see. One wonders if Lawell will re-visit his statement now when he asserted there was not a sectarian problem at Parkhead. (A word of advice – don’t hold your breath)

The banner of course was only the tip of the iceberg...as a subsequent statement from the thousands strong Celtic Supporters Trust echoed the feelings and protests of the banner wavers. The poppy protests was not a small number of lunatics but reflects the feelings of a considerable number of Celtic supporters. A subsequent protest banner used a line from the IRA song repertoire to air their apparent “right to protest”. Perhaps the vigilant investigation team had gone for a Bovril at that point.

But going back to Mary and the X Factor for a moment....why is this Irish woman can wear a poppy and be proud to use her talent to benefit injured British servicemen and women and yet many within the Celtic support cannot stand the thought of a poppy on their club’s shirts ? Let me tell you why I think it is.

Because its got nothing to do with being Irish per se. Its about a hatred and bitterness of all things British and I would suspect that a good number of those Parkhead protesters and members of the Celtic Supporters Trust have British on their passports and not Irish. Its about a group of people who have not moved on while Northern Ireland was negotiating some kind of peace but still want to see the bullet and the bomb dictate affairs. Racism and bigotry is alive and well and managing to give the vigilant Parkhead investigators the slip.

The attacks on the integrity of our referees by those within Celtic football club have nothing to do with conspiracies or preferential treatment. What we are seeing here is the spoilt child who is just not good enough trying to deflect blame away from their own inadequacy. It’s as simple as that.

They have fooled us for long enough. The masks are off and the world can see them for what they are.

Perhaps I should call my son down from the bedroom...he seems to do a better job rooting out terrorists and their sympathisers than the “vigilant” Parkhead Investigation team.

[GaryMc 2,398]

I'm sorry but you lost me when you said your son was playing Call of Duty yet you opted to watch X-Factor instead of joining him in the more important matters of killing terrorists.

[delamonty 992]

Once again D'Art. Nail on the head. This spells it out perfectly

Because its got nothing to do with being Irish per se. Its about a hatred and bitterness of all things British and I would suspect that a good number of those Parkhead protesters and members of the Celtic Supporters Trust have British on their passports and not Irish

Thank you for composing this eloquent article.

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

I'm sorry but you lost me when you said your son was playing Call of Duty yet you opted to watch X-Factor instead of joining him in the more important matters of killing terrorists.

Im a pacifist

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

Once again D'Art. Nail on the head. This spells it out perfectly

Thank you for composing this eloquent article.

My pleasure Del. Im glad you enjoyed.

[CottonRunt 978]

As always D'art i really enjoy reading your articles.

Im gonna have to disagree with you on this one however, i still dont think the Scottish press are running scared from Celtic, and Dr Reid in particular.

I have also yet to see (maybe some of you can correct me, im not an avid reader of the press) anything negative reported regarding the Catholic media office and in particular Peter Keaney.

Only thing that i've seen mentioned in the papers is Richard Dawkins involvement.

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

As always D'art i really enjoy reading your articles.

Im gonna have to disagree with you on this one however, i still dont think the Scottish press are running scared from Celtic, and Dr Reid in particular.

I have also yet to see (maybe some of you can correct me, im not an avid reader of the press) anything negative reported regarding the Catholic media office and in particular Peter Keaney.

Only thing that i've seen mentioned in the papers is Richard Dawkins involvement.

There has been quite a bit CR - traynor laid into them on Saturday on his radio show - Tom English/Ian O'Doherty/Even Bill Leckie has laid into them.

[GaryMc 2,398]

Im a pacifist

Was only joking.

Great post as usual

[royalbluebell 38]

I noticed that about Mary the other week D'Art when she was holding the X Factor CD with the Union Jack on the cover saying how she was so proud of it.

But you're right, that lot over in the East have always been so bitter and twisted and it's deep rooted. The way they deal with their ever growing bigotry problem is to deflect and point the finger at us. They're Masters at it.

Maybe some are starting to see through them for what they really are but I get the feeling they only show them up if it's so blatant and they can't avoid it. We'll see.

As for Kearney. How can anyone take him seriously after the Hokey Cokey debacle. He was on the radio again on Sunday morning bleating on about the massive sectarianism (meaning anti catholic) problem in Scotland that only exists in his imagination. One of the other guests was a Roman Catholic who said she hadn't experienced any sectarianism and thought it was only a problem at the football. And the other a COS apologist of course. Kearney wouldn't let go though, he likes to stoke it up at every opportunity.

[minstral 5,375]

Top class once again Dart.

[stuart54 218]

Excellent article.

[BRICKY1872 118]

The problem with these buffoons that attach themselves to Celtic is that they actually believe that if they are bitter and twisted enough the Irish people will clutch them to their busoms and embrace them as comrades and heroes of the Republic. The vast majority of Irish people must cringe when they see the sort of shite these morons come up with apparently "in their name". They want so desperately to be seen as Irish that they are trying to out Irish the Irish.

I read a book a few years ago about the Provisional I.R.A., the author spoke to one of the P.I.R.A. commanders of the 80's and whilst being desparaging about a particular faction of the Republican movement he stated that "they had the political understanding of the Irish situation of a bunch of Glasgow Celtic supporters". These people would be treated like pariahs if they suddenly moved to Ireland. It must be a real kick in the baws to realise that you are neither welcome in the country of your birth nor the country you wish you were born in. Celtic as a club make themselves look increasingly ridiculous by coming out with sweeping statements about inclusion and sectarianism whilst all the while all the while hoping desperately that ǝpɐbıɹq uǝǝɹb ǝɥʇ and their like would just quietly go away. They have made a rod for their own back. These fuckers will only get worse as the demise of their team continues. Just watch them and Lennon go into meltdown if we win the league again. I can't wait.

[MisterC 12,455]

Fantastic read D'Art. Cap doffed to you sir. Yeah the silence from darkheid about the investigation into those with the banner is deafening.

[Poetry_In_Blue 1,043]

It has only taken over 100 years for the press to finally lay into them to some extent, ever since a bunch of priests were jealous of what and how Rangers started there has been this divide.

Yet, the blame was always laid at the door of our club even though when we started we weren't about protestant or catholic supporters, we were a club for the working class, there was no religious divide then those priests started Celtic.

And because they started it our club has grown with strong protestant roots and a strong protestant community which will continue to remain strong irrespective of whatever shite they try to throw at us.

[H72 265]

Perhaps I should call my son down from the bedroom...he seems to do a better job rooting out terrorists and their sympathisers than the “vigilant” Parkhead Investigation team.

Fantastic finish to a fantastic read.

[Tumshie 205]

The Celtic support are a bunch of hypocritical T*rrier cunts

[archangel gabriel amato 240]

I have to confess that last night I sat and watched the X Factor. In my defence I was the minority in a 3 way vote with my wife and daughter casting 2 for votes. My son was too busy up the stairs in his bedroom saving the world from terrorists on Call of Duty Black Ops.

A Dublin based singer called Mary lost in the sing off to some chav named Cher. In her interview Mary was asked what her highlight of the whole few weeks had been. Without flinching she said with all surety “The soldiers” and that making the CD for the benefit of our injured troops had been her highlight.

Which is quite remarkable when you compare her reaction to those at Parkhead a few weeks ago with their embarrassing banner protest against the British Army and the wearing of poppies. It seems that not all the people of the Republic of Ireland harbour the same hatred as that which was witnessed at Parkhead a few weeks ago and in subsequent statements from the supporters trust of the same club.

Which reminds me...Dr John...(of the following fame)...

"We should condemn racism and sectarianism without fear or favour wherever they arise.In condemning the actions of others, Celtic must always be vigilant with regard to our own conduct and reputation.”

Just how is that “vigilant” investigation coming along ? After all you did promise to ban those responsible... yet no word on that from the corridors of power at Celtic Park. How hard can it be to identify season ticket holders who held up a banner for nearly 10 minutes for goodness sake ?

Or is this Dr John just another broken promise ? Like your promise that your football club would draw a line under the allegations of biased referees which led to the eventual work to rule by our whistle blowers. Or have you forgotten what you said Dr John at your club’s AGM only a fortnight ago ? And yet lo and behold there was poor Anthony Stokes yesterday in the Scotland On Sunday bleating about the preferential treatment Rangers allegedly receive from our refs.

Or maybe you have been too busy Dr John...on the phone to Peter Kearney discussing what your strategy should be against Dallas and MacDonald. You’ll remember Dallas Dr John....he’s the one your supporters assaulted with coins at an Old Firm game...and unfortunately it seems the same investigation team was employed then as it is now as the culprits were never caught. In fact was it the same investigation team who investigated when Fernando Ricksen was assaulted with a lighter ? The reasons I ask is because...once again the culprits were never identified.

Its just a pity that the embarrassing images of that banner from Parkhead which were beamed round the world, were not balanced in the following weeks with the exemplary displays from Ibrox and which did all of Scotland proud.

In fairness to our media hacks they have not missed Celtic over this one...its quite clear that the bhoys have cried “wolf” once too often. Perhaps they are now realising they are not as untouchable as they once thought they were. For years our club and its support have been portrayed as the bad guys, much to our astonishment and dismay, while those jolly craicsters from the east end were seen as the light hearted good guys.

As Lincoln said “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

It would appear that time known as “all of the time” is at long last upon us.

The hatred which spews from within Parkhead , which for so long has been a boil on the point of bursting has now been lanced and the sectarian poison is oozing forth for all to see. One wonders if Lawell will re-visit his statement now when he asserted there was not a sectarian problem at Parkhead. (A word of advice – don’t hold your breath)

The banner of course was only the tip of the iceberg...as a subsequent statement from the thousands strong Celtic Supporters Trust echoed the feelings and protests of the banner wavers. The poppy protests was not a small number of lunatics but reflects the feelings of a considerable number of Celtic supporters. A subsequent protest banner used a line from the IRA song repertoire to air their apparent “right to protest”. Perhaps the vigilant investigation team had gone for a Bovril at that point.

But going back to Mary and the X Factor for a moment....why is this Irish woman can wear a poppy and be proud to use her talent to benefit injured British servicemen and women and yet many within the Celtic support cannot stand the thought of a poppy on their club’s shirts ? Let me tell you why I think it is.

Because its got nothing to do with being Irish per se. Its about a hatred and bitterness of all things British and I would suspect that a good number of those Parkhead protesters and members of the Celtic Supporters Trust have British on their passports and not Irish. Its about a group of people who have not moved on while Northern Ireland was negotiating some kind of peace but still want to see the bullet and the bomb dictate affairs. Racism and bigotry is alive and well and managing to give the vigilant Parkhead investigators the slip.

The attacks on the integrity of our referees by those within Celtic football club have nothing to do with conspiracies or preferential treatment. What we are seeing here is the spoilt child who is just not good enough trying to deflect blame away from their own inadequacy. It’s as simple as that.

They have fooled us for long enough. The masks are off and the world can see them for what they are.

Perhaps I should call my son down from the bedroom...he seems to do a better job rooting out terrorists and their sympathisers than the “vigilant” Parkhead Investigation team.

There is an intresting article in the Belfast Telegraph that highlights your point about Mary from the x-factor perfectly and shows that it's not just a "one woman show" on the issue of the British army.

As you say the masks off!

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/british-army-sees-more-irish-recruits-15022631.html

not sure how to post the article on the site as a quote.

[Jamie1807 146]

Poor chubba