Angela Haggerty sacked from Herald

[ritchieshearercaldow 22,190]

4 minutes ago, JCDBigBear said:

Do we know what Haggerty said to get herself the chop or was it just a case of getting bumped in the cut-backs and she is using that as an excuse?

Or maybe because she's a shite journo, but she did back the slime ball, wonder how many more Journos at the Herald will do the same? P45's could be flying around.

[cascadeshrimp 1,461]

Don't often post unless something really,really gets my back up.

The use of provocative language here really does my head in.Phrases like "free and democratic society" are being used to plant the seed into readers minds that what has happened here is wrong and an injustice to both Spiers and the hag.

Here's a couple of sentences that i have yet to read.

In a "FREE" and "DEMOCRATIC"  society.Mr Parks has the right and the freedom to take his advertising where he likes.

In a "FREE" and "DEMOCRATIC"  society.If you publicly go against your bosses you'll probably get the bullet

[ChesterPerry 472]

10 hours ago, JCDBigBear said:

Do we know what Haggerty said to get herself the chop or was it just a case of getting bumped in the cut-backs and she is using that as an excuse?

.

[buster. 1,114]

Craig Houston posted the following elsewhere. I hope he doesn't mind me C&Ping it for here.

IMO it's a good read

------------------------------------------

"FREEDOM FOR PRESS, OFFENDED AND THE BILLY BOYS

There seems to be another storm brewing into a hurricane as the name of our club gets attached to it. Without our club being attached it is a nothing story.

A journo (G Spiers) writes an article stating a Rangers director had said the Billy boys was a “great song”. He ties it in with the usual “Rangers are bad” rhetoric and his newspaper (The Herald) issue an apology.

Said journo publishes a retort via a blog and basically goes against the paper and its previous apology.

A second blogger cum journo (A Haggerty) cries foul and also has a pop at their employer (The Herald)

It now appears neither is currently employed by the paper. Call it sacked, call it resigned, call it whatever you wish but they seem to be upheld as some sort of modern day martyrs in some quarters. Why? Simple, the club in question in the original article was Rangers.

If the story was about any other company, club or body this story would have received no more than a “pft” from the casual observer.

One thing has not came out, proof. We are led to believe that an unnamed director told the journo the Billy boys was a “great song”. No name and no proof.

If the paper had the proof the apology would not have been written and the story would have been in every red top within hours.

The two journos seem to be seeking the support of others based on the grounds of a free press and we see some jumping on the bandwagon of “BULLY boys” in some sort of vain attempt to blame the Rangers support for the outcome.

I totally agree on the cry for a free press but to hijack such a noble notion for their own benefit is both crass and undignified. A free press allows you to say what you want but it has to stay within the realms of the law and unfortunately for some the proof to back up their claims finds them foul of the law. Should we ignore the law and the responsibility of a reporter to actually report factually and just cry “free press” when they fall short of their legal responsibility?

I am neither a blogger nor a journalist but I understand this responsibility and although I have had numerous legal letters I have never been accused of making things up. Why should two paid individuals be different to me?

Under normal circumstances a journo writes an inaccurate piece, the paper writes an apology and that’s that, but when the article is about Rangers it takes on a whole new level of response and self-righteousness. The usual suspects will be offended and defended by their own wee gang of like minded Rangers haters. You know the ones, the use terms like “Klan” to describe me and you.

This brings me on nicely to my second point today, offended. What does it actually mean? I like the way it’s tackled by Stephen Fry 
“It's now very common to hear people say, 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so ****ing what."

I do however understand that society can’t handle everyone just going out their way to deliberately offend each other but to be offended is such an obtuse emotion. 

The words Klan, h** and Orange Bastard are often used to describe me and other Rangers fans, does it offend me? 

No but I can understand why others may be and in a tamer version of Frys words, so what. I don’t like the words but that doesn’t mean I am offended.

“I am offended” is becoming the fan version of “sporting intergrity”.

So I have covered anti Rangers writings and offended so why not now go for the elephant in the room, The Billy Boys.............

Lets start by dissecting the words of the ditty as I don’t believe the song in its entirety nor the tune can be either offensive nor sectarian.

Hello, Hello
We are the Billy Boys (No issues surely with the intro)
Hello, Hello
You'll know us by our noise (Fans singing want to make noise)
We're up to our knees in Fenian blood (we shall cover this below)
Surrender or you'll die (Football teams not surrendering isn’t a bad notion)
For we are
The Brigton Derry Boys (a description of a group)

It would therefore appear to me that the song in itself can’t be an issue but two words may be disliked/offensive to some.

Fenian Blood may not be my favourite word in a song if I indeed was a Fenian but I cant think it would cause me any great distress nor offense if it was sang at a football match by my most bitter rivals. No more so than when I am greeted with “Soon there’ll be no protestants at all” when I visit the ground of our rivals, but i understand some may see both differently. Stephen Fry covers this off in his own manner....

If indeed I was a Fenian I don’t think I could be offended at all by the use of the word and if I wasn’t a Fenian then I have no right whatsoever to be offended as the song is in no way aimed at me.

The word was self invented by Irish Republicans and I will allow Wikipedia to explain in fear of being termed a bigot

Fenian /ˈfiːnɪən/ was an umbrella term for the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name Fenian was first applied byJohn O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican group that he founded in the United States in 1848 

I will concede however that if I was a fenian I could take exception to others being up to their knees in my blood. Here lies the issue

We now have to take the carful steps of not being offended by “soon there’ll be no protestants at all” etc but that fact does work both ways. Doesn’t it?

We also, as with the “Free Press” situation, need to consider the actual law. 

The law may or may not be eventually clearer or changed but we can’t change it with retrospect. We need to accept that fans are and will most likely continue to be arrested for signing these words.

We have three options

1) Keep singing
2) Stop singing
3) Change two words

I obviously cant encourage other to receive a custodial sentence and therefore, until clarity can be given, I could not encourage a status quo.

“we are up to our knees in EBTs” was sang at a recent game but i am more inclined to chant “up to our knees in league trophies” as a more appropriate chant to annoy our nearest challengers in that particular trophy count.

I am sure the song will be sang again soon, to sing it is not a crime but i would love to be in court the day a fan is brought to task for signing “league trophies”. Until then, stay offended..........."


Craig

 

[Virtuoso 27,180]

Quote

 

The NUJ have since pulled the above statement.

Cached version still available though:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https://www.nuj.org.uk/news/herald-condemned-for-axing-of-columnist/

[ChesterPerry 472]

Seems like the NUJ have retracted their statement. Fuckin balloons.

[OlegKuznetsov 10,816]

Not a mention of journalistic integrity by any of their supporters.

Oh, the irony.

[siddiqi_drinker 14,635]

2 hours ago, Virtuoso said:

Where the fuck do you even start with that:

http://wingsoverscotland.com/spears-of-sport/#more-81205

No Surrender is now Sectarian:

• The Last Kingdom must be the most sectarian show on tv as I have heard the phrase NO SURRENDER about four times.

Anyone ever bring into the equation that one was possibly sacked for being an incompetent, lazy journalist and the other or being a proven LIAR.

 

Waiting for an expose in the Daily Courageous explaining the truth behind why they were sacked 

[cushynumber 25,178]

7 minutes ago, Virtuoso said:

 

The NUJ have since pulled the above statement.

Cached version still available though:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https://www.nuj.org.uk/news/herald-condemned-for-axing-of-columnist/

no surprise - i think they jumped the gun with that. There is no way given the timescales they could know all the facts in a manner that allowed a carte blanche "re-instate the columnists at once".

 

It also intimates intervention by the football club cost them their jobs - our lawyers will be all over that like a bad rash.

[coopsleftboot 5,512]

superb news.

 

Meanwhile, elsewhere on this forum there are people claiming Rangers are doing nothing about defending our club.  Just because they're not shouting from the rooftops about it doesn't mean it's not being done.  Here's the evidence

[Blue Nosed Babe 20,792]

I hope someone sends the sick Ibrox Disaster tweet to plod.

[K.A.I 36,183]

Just now, coopsleftboot said:

superb news.

 

Meanwhile, elsewhere on this forum there are people claiming Rangers are doing nothing about defending our club.  Just because they're not shouting from the rooftops about it doesn't mean it's not being done.  Here's the evidence

That's not the evidence - that was Park defending himself from claims by Spiers and threatening to withdraw his company advertising - not the club 

the end result is still good for all Rangers fans though 

[bluewhitevanman 1,619]

Absolutely horrible skank thinking she can just say what she likes about us. Hope she gets sore feet standing in the dole queue 

[Corky True Legend 2,682]

3 minutes ago, Blue Nosed Babe said:

I hope someone sends the sick Ibrox Disaster tweet to plod.

50,000 could send it and they'd still do hee-haw.

[eejay the dj 31,964]

5 hours ago, blueoutthedome said:

Fly with craws you get shot with the craws

Love that saying .Remember GF once telling me that .Thought cool as fuck .

[Ben10 2,293]

I can't believe what passes for journalism in this nation of ours - border personality disorders blogging to their pish-stained acolytes.

[coopsleftboot 5,512]

2 minutes ago, K.A.I said:

That's not the evidence - that was Park defending himself from claims by Spiers and threatening to withdraw his company advertising - not the club 

the end result is still good for all Rangers fans though 

Ah of course.  Couldn't possibly be the club...?

 

 

[RFC Eagle 4,888]

Just now, Fabric said:

Absolutely horrible skank thinking she can just say what she likes about us. Hope she gets sore feet standing in the dole queue 

She's more likely to get sore knees if the Penilee stories are remotely accurate!

[K.A.I 36,183]

Just now, coopsleftboot said:

Ah of course.  Couldn't possibly be the club...?

 

 

It's nothing to do with the club though. Put your little smiley away 

just enjoy this for what it is eh 

[Sparkle 53,649]

17 minutes ago, ChesterPerry said:

Seems like the NUJ have retracted their statement. Fuckin balloons.

I wonder if the many bleeding hearts to have tweeted the unemployable 'Captain' may have second thoughts now that The Herald has released the clarifying statement.

I'm disappointed in Ruth Davidson taking the hyperbole at face value, I thought as a politician she would check her facts before weighing in. 

[ritchieshearercaldow 22,190]

4 minutes ago, coopsleftboot said:

superb news.

 

Meanwhile, elsewhere on this forum there are people claiming Rangers are doing nothing about defending our club.  Just because they're not shouting from the rooftops about it doesn't mean it's not being done.  Here's the evidence

This has nothing to do with the club or the fans, the paper realised that there was no proof that the statement was made, any decent editor would have to retract and apologise.

The two imbasils were hosted by their own pitard, nothing to do with big bad Rangers men

[coopsleftboot 5,512]

1 minute ago, K.A.I said:

It's nothing to do with the club though. Put your little smiley away 

just enjoy this for what it is eh 

Wibble.  We know you hate the board.  

 

Accept it for what it is eh?

[K.A.I 36,183]

Just now, coopsleftboot said:

Wibble.  We know you hate the board.  

 

Accept it for what it is eh?

I don't hate the board - how you can bring this crap into it and twist it to suit your own wee agenda is baffling 

this has nothing to do with the club it was Park on a personal level and he got a result that all Rangers fans should be delighted with 

unless it's you attempting to use it for something it isn't to point score which is a bit sad 

try and not derail the good news thread anymore 

[eejay the dj 31,964]

3 hours ago, ThatNightInFlorence said:

I see Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish conservatives is backing her.

 

Anyone thinking about voting Tory in May keep that in mind. 

She is an embarresment for a Tory leader .With her offices in beggar heartlands ,it does not surprise me to hear this ..She is a patsy and a joke 

[Blueshoff 11,877]

She never have had a job in the first place if it wasn't for the Rangers.

 

And the Billy Boys IS a great song.