ONE LOVE
The Scotsman, fresh from it’s campaign to stop a reduction of air pollution returns to the fray with some pithy analysis of sectarianism employing the ever-ready Steve Bruce, of Aberdeen University who is routinely rolled out to declare that the problem is a media invention. Revealingly, the Scotsman starts with the following summary of the key points: • Summit on sectarianism gets off to less then perfect start • Catholics ask for repeal of Act of Settlement • Orange Order accuse them of attempting to undermine 'a guarantee of our religious liberties' You HAVE to be suspect of any gathering that invites Ian Wilson, whose title is “Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland” This isn’t Lord of the Rings. This is a secular society for Setanta’s Sake! What’s he talking about: "The settlement is there for good historical reasons and particularly we see it as a guarantee of our religious liberties. Having a Protestant monarchy, under the constitutional arrangements that we have guarantees everyone’s religious liberty." For the full piffling article go here: Scrotsman News Guff. What’s striking is the approach from people like David Murray, the Orange Lodge and Rangers FC which has been to declare that the problem simply does not exist. Far from dispelling such actions McConnell’s conference has given them legitimacy lending weight to James MacMillan’s warning that this is a land of "sleep-walking bigotry" where "visceral anti-Catholicism" disfigures national life. There is no recognition from key players that deny that the problem even exists, take David Murray who said: “It was disrespectful of the first minister to call the problem of sectarianism ‘Scotland’s shame’. It’s a very delicate and deep-rooted situation.” Well indeed David. “I don’t think he took on board the work that has been going on behind the scenes. His statement was made without having all the relevant facts in front of him. Rangers have done a lot of work improving the situation. If you look over the last 10 years there has been a massive improvement and both Celtic and Rangers fans should be applauded.” This from the club selling Orange away strips? Mind you when you read some of Murray’s other remarks you have to ask yourself - how did this guy ‘earn’ his £450 million? “I enjoy being in Scotland but I honestly think as a nation we have got to look at the reasons why people are leaving,” he said. “We have become a very socialist country, where the priorities are on healthcare, schooling and everything like that and we’ve not become an entrepreneurial country. Go here for the whole cockhanded report: Scottish Executive.
