Before you abolish Catholic schools...

...why not get rid of Rangers and Celtic?

In Scotland, you don't need much of an excuse to attack faith schools. What has struck me for ages though is that while many bemoan how our kids are apparently living parallel lives, no one really gets to what's at the heart of it. It's not schools, it's football.

Kids are always going to go to different schools. In my town there were three - two non-denominational/Protestant, one Catholic. We didn't like the other non-denom (young people are territorial about these things), but the other school was different. It wasn't that we questioned their religious practices, or deplored the fact that they didn't have as direct a relationship with God as us. It's just they supported Celtic.

Let's not forget the history of the Old Firm. Rangers had a policy of not having Catholic players till as late as 1989, when fans burned their scarves in the streets in protest at the Mo Johnston signing. Celtic were brought into existence in order to give Catholics in Glasgow a chance to play.

Much of any sectarian tension in the West of Scotland would be diffused by the dissipation of this rivalry. If people are serious about societal changes in order to get rid of this scourge, there would be no better cure than merging Rangers and Celtic. Make them play in turquoise or blue and green stripes, move them to Hampden, and rename them Glasgow United.

This is obviously not a serious starter, but I find this just as ridiculous an idea as abolishing faith schools, which I have been on the record defending many times. It is a logical extention though of the arguments of all those people who condemn faith schools for separating people. In fact, meddling with our education system in an ill-informed way is much worse than putting our footballing arrangements on the table.

Comments

[tapnk]

I am not convinced that Celtic should be brought into this debate.They are a superb modern institution that has , if anything , faced down bigotry and brought Scotland into the 21st century.
They also have a superb track record in fostering community relations.

There has been this pernicious trend in the Scottish media to make the trouble Rangers have caused in away european matches and the lack of clear comdemnation of the "Billy boys" from the Rangers board.

This is not an old firm problem , it is not even a scottish society problem, it is a Glasgow rangers football and athletic club problem.
Celtic defeated bigotry many years ago and should not be lowered to the status of the tag "old firm" so that the core of the problem is made into an issue that fails to direct the blame of unchallenged bigotry to Rangers FC. and only Glasgow Rangers FC.

[joe90]

I remember the cartoon character Billy Pope, from the 'Electric Soup' adult-ish comic - a bead-rattling blue-nose schizoid!

ps
as Rolled-up Trousers insists on being silly, here are a few off-colour jokes -

http://scottishroundup.co.uk/2007/07/15/blog-life-after-john-smeaton/>Blog Life After John Smeaton
Scottish Roundup blog
July 15 2007

http://adelaidegreenporridgecafe.blogspot.com/2007/07/glasgow-bomber.html>Glasgow Bomber
Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe blog
14 July 2007

They'll be groaning in the streets of Raith tonight!

[Osama]

tapnk, I tend to agree about the collateral damage aspect of it. But it isn't more irrelevant than the idea that Catholic schools should go as a solution to the problem.