How consumed by hate you must be to even attack the traffic lights simply because they share a colour with Celtic.

Do these people also squash frogs and stamp on green frute pastals?

Sad, sad, sad people.

And if your after Roman Catholicism then its the yellow on the traffic light you should be after, theres no green in the Vatican flag.

what about the grass on which football is played?

Presumably Larkhall ahs CCTV. Cathc them and die them and their clothes green every Saturday

People over here ask me if I miss the Old Country. Sometimes I get misty-eyed, but mostly I thank God that I escaped the incomprehensible stupidity of sectarian bigotry.

#3 - I couldn't agree with you more.

interesting choice of words gibheid. maybe you should thank an non-denominational/secular power.

A pox on Scotland's culture and certainly no place for it in football, having said that, it's only a small percentage of the population that promotes this hatred and bile and it's the same the world over. Not so many over here...but they are here.

It is so embarrassing to be a Rangers fan nowadays - times have changed but we have failed to evolve - I am genuinely shamed to be associated with my friends in Larkhall. I don't want to ever type this again. C'mon fellow Bears have some pride.

may i remind these larkhall neds what is the colour of the bottle that your tonic comes in.

We need to bury this story - we Larkhall Bears are being made to look like primary school kids - let's grow up!

If only they had spent another £20 on the repair costs eh...

The Zeta game having failed to produce the desired storyline for the Scottish media this old story now has to be dredged up again.

The sectarianism that divides the West Coast was quashed here on the East decades ago. Though you might hear a few anti-Catholic rants now and again, it never got the stranglehold here that it did out in the Wild West. Frankly, you have to look at Rangers affiliates like the Orange Lodge, and the Establishment for the reason that anti-Catholic nonsense still survives! A Catholic still can't inherit the "British Throne", can they? Sectarianism is legally enshrined in certain aspects of the country! You'll never get rid of it while anomalies are allowed to exist!

#11, dredged uop again? Are you a Rangers Fan? This is exactely the kind of story that should run time and again untill the entire country is so enraged it finally bacomes a thing of the past. I am NOT only levelling that at Rangers fans there are plenty fans of other clubs mine included that think in completely outdated and ridiculous ways. The OF are the biggest offenders over all with Rangers way out in front of Celtic too, but until people like you who would ignore the problem. Or, people like many, many of the Rangers and Celtic fans on these threads, stop pointing the fingers at each other and start to scrutinise their own beliefs and behaviour this will not cease.
Ignorance breeds stupidity is I belive the most apt expression here...

Whenever David Murray becomes the new Tory chairman (as reported in this newspaper) he can instruct his MSP's to table a bill proposing that traffic signals have the green colour changed to blue.

Ignorance is bliss unless it's in Larkhall.Truly appalling and having been bred in East Kilbride close to this anti-Catholic cesspit, unbelievably for those who live in the civilised world this story is just the tip of a rather distateful iceberg.Interesting to feel from afar the growing lack of acceptance nowadays for this bigotry and I salute Rangers FC and their decent supporters for finally acknowledging that bigotry is wrong and should be ceased.It's a long journey,however they all start with a small step.God Bless and Hail Hail.

Sorry, but what's this doing in the sport section?
Is the Scotsman suggesting a new sport?
This should be in the news. The fact that there are Rangers supporters in Larkhall, and there are broken or missing green lights....don't tell me they're adding one plus one to get three?
This is just another example of the press stirring things up.
Very distasteful.

Green light spells danger for traffic signals as bigots hit out at their least favourite colour
-------------------------------------------------------
Attacking GREEN traffic lights .....

WOW
very intellectual,
very educated,
very yobbish,
very destructive,
very costly,
very dangerous,
Very Scottish.

Happy Smash Green Lights Day

GC

If there are no functioning traffic lights in Larkhall,does that mean the populace of this lovely town are now,not only stuck in the 18th century,but at the lights too?
poor misguided souls....

The people doing this (probably Bucky fueled Neds) are obviously not likely to be next in line for MENSA membership but I wonder why this is automatically described in terms of religious bigotry in the context of a society where very few young people ever go to church nowadays rather than as being down to football rivalry taken to ridiculous extremes? There are other parts of the world where this sort of thing could also happen solely on that sort of basis.

Even funnier than the story are the outraged commentators who seem to take it seriously. (Unless they are trying to add to the humourous vein).

However I think (sadly) the majority of these posters do consider it to be a bit of gospel.

Yes Scotland has a problem with religious bigots but it is lot closer to these posters than Larkhall.

This is news, bigoted Larkies acting up? They never had reputations as rocket scientists! Generation upon generation of hate-filled, small-minded morons!

I believe that the problem is so bad in Larkhall that even the ice cream van has the Sash as its chime...lol

Maybe they were too short to reach higher than the green light

I'm inclined to think it was just a traditional welcome party that thought the traffic lights were from another planet (lets face it,Larkhall is the only place in Scotland where people still point at aeroplanes!) and after the "TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER2 stuff,acted true to type and gave them a right guid kicking!

I think this should give the green light to baton-wielding Strathclyde Police to (metaphorically) smash in a few sectarian skulls in Larkhall and elsewhere. Shame on South Lanarkshire for living in the Stone Age. You bring Scotland down , down , down.

These knuckle draggers should be dealt with in a nice simple way.

Identify them and give them an injection that ensures they can never conceive.

We simply don't have space in the UK for halfwits, lets start to clean-up the gene pool.

The grille should be round Larkhall

Idiots!

Years ago I drove through Larkhall on a Friday night - don't ask why - and all I can remember was a hall with a racket coming from it. A flute band. The door was wide open and the tubes stood there in their 'uniform', baiting all drivers who went past.

Larkha' - twinned with BFN !

I recall hearing stories in the 70s regarding the refusal of some Rangers fans to accept grass in their gardens - they went down the road of flagstones I believe. I lacked the wherewithal at the time to verify, or otherwise, these stories, but this article lends some credence to them. Are there any Celtic fans out there who leave the house only when it's 100% overcast?

Wonderful how all these open minded people are so quick to demonise the people of Larkhall. Seems like it's THEIR prejudices which are exposed by this non-story.

Let's look at the one FACT rather than baseless OPINION in this pathetic article.

A spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council said: "The council's traffic signal contractor [Siemens] has experienced problems with vandalism throughout the county and, as the green light is the lowest, this tends to be targeted the most.

"The contractor offered to carry out a trial of a new product that protects the light with a wire grille. The council agreed to this and the trial product will be tested on new traffic signals in Hamilton, Larkhall and Lanark. If the trial proves a success we would consider using the grilles at all new installations.

"At all the junctions which form part of the Larkhall streetscape works, the new traffic signals will have the wire grille in place."

Of course we wouldn't want to let facts get in the way of another attempt to stir up Scotland's so-called secret shame now would we? And of course it wouldn't be like the Scottish media to try to link bigotry to a completely unrelated incident - Artur Boruc anyone?

Hhahahahahahah! You have to laugh, if you dont you cry.

At ned level, Scotland is the most idiotic nation on Earth.

#11 Nail squarely on the head. As a matter of interest would there be any bigotry in Larkhall if all of the children were attending the same school......

"Larkhall is well known as a place for Rangers fans, but also for loyalist, unionist, and masonic pockets. "

So masons are anti-catholic?? Well not so but the Church of Rome is certainly anti-masonic. Two of the most recent Masters in my lodge, in the West of Scotland, are Catholic.

The famous Daniel O'Connell "Irish Catholic lawyer and politician, Daniel O'Connell, called "The Liberator", was a Member of Parliament in 1928 and Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1841 and a FREEMASON"

Perhaps your reporter and not the people of Larkhall need to grow up

A tired old apochryphal story about bad old Larkhall.

I don't know the town well, but know that the famous proddy McStay family come from there - shurely shome mistake!?

I could tell you many stories about Coatbridge and Croy (which I do know well) from the other side of the coin which, if covered by the press, would make your hair curl.

But it's all because of the proddy establishment of the country (#12). Oh, aye, the establishment that includes the likes of Des Browne, Jack McConnell, John Reid, Brian Wilson etc, etc, etc

#34 - Can you share a bus, beach, school, water fountain with 'kaffers' now?

Wow enlightenment from the worlds last bastion of institutional racism. Sorry but we dont need lectures from a Yarpie.....

Another day and yet more sensationalist crap masquerading as journalism as the tims in the media continue their one-sided portrayal of sectarianism in Scotland.

Following on from the Irish RC Cardinal O'Brien 's ridiculous and provocative attempts to twist the crime stats to suggest that RC's were somehow more prone to being attacked-when any rudimentary statistical analysis indicated that the opposite was true-how can forget his "punch a pape" comments. Thereafter we have a daily witch-hunt being conducted against Rangers' fans and the unionist community in Scotland.

Not going to condone vandalism of "green traffic lights " in Larkhall- but c',mon hardly crime of the century -moreover I await to see reports of the protestant churches and orange halls that have been attacked in other parts of the central belt-but then again that doesn't suit the agenda at play does it!

"In March, we held an education project involving every Primary 7 pupil in the town, and they got the chance to mix with children of different faiths."

Hey, maybe if those in power in Scotland had the proverbials to face up to reality (and face down the RC Church) we could have this EVERY day, i.e. non-denominational state schools for all! Cheaper, better, fairer, happier schools all round.

In suspect that in Larkhall, like ALL scottish state primary schools the kids already mix with kids of all faiths - including Roman Catholics - except those schooled in THEIR CHOSEN ISOLATION thanks to state-sponsored apartheid. Choice is one thing, but the parents or RC Church should pay for isolation, not the tax payer. I don't hear George Foulkes and Co. attacking the status of RC schools, just 'elitist private' ones - hypocrisy?

If there's anything needing to change in Scotland and UK it is state-funded, 'institutional', religious segregation. Instead of repeating the same old lies and distortions let's get to the real source of division - the politicians in Cardinal O'Brien and Co.'s cassocks.

If anything, this story is one of the most malicious sectarian articles printed in an openly available newspaper.
A self righteous NBM spokesman putting a self serving spin on criminal behaviour to slander people for no other reason than their religion, an anonymous policeman whose "colleagues" know who's doing the damage but havn't caught anyone (no wonder they're anonymous).
All we need is James MacMillan to introduce his sheep into the story and we can have a musical.
The "Scotsman" serving all the community.

I suppose these sorts could realistially claim diminished responsibility since they've been brainwashed and moulded to hate from the moment they took their first breath.

#12 legaly enshrined, do you mean the schools that non-RC teachers cannot teach in?

The Queen is head of the CoE and as such how can she be RC, tel me you want the next pope to be a Jew/Muslim or Protestant.

Your infantile rant merely exposes YOUR prejudice.

Of course Celtic fans and Catholics would never hold such narrow views, well uunless it was a blue and orange ford advert on their beloved green and grey hoops. How long did that last and how much wailing and gnashing of teeth did they go through to get rid of it?

"People in glass houses should not throw stones"

Actually, in sunny Viewpark both the green and amber lights are routinely smashed.

Does this indicate a. that the local neds are taller or b. atheist gangs are roaming the streets?

Or perhaps Nil By Mouth are taking direct action

#43 No they wait till they are 7 at commuinion and make them brides of christ etc. then start the indoctination and brainwashing, like hitler and stalin did with their respective philosiphies.

Oh no just realised you meant the other side, oooops.

South Lanarkshire Council are a major contributor to the council and always have been, i wonder what you would find if you scratched the surface there?
Then again religion, Opium of the masses and all that.......bunch of junkies

Instead of fitting grills, booby trap the green lights which will provide a permanent solution to the problem.

#48

Charming, what next?

Let me guess .....

The reason these lights were smashed is because whoever did it went to a non-denom school and their "friends" went to a Catholic school - seperated at 5 and went through life wondering why others were "different" - thereby creating a division in society .......

Actually no - they're just animals; bigots from cradle to grave.

Schools don't teach bigotry - parents do.

# 48 - "Instead of fitting grills, booby trap the green lights which will provide a permanent solution to the problem."

Or to put it another way, a Final Solution?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_solution

Well this story from Larkhall is no surprise...

It made me think back to when the Rangers FC Social Club next to the Copland Road Stand ( South ) was rehabed after partly destroyed by fire. Late 70's ???

Balfour Kilpatrick Elecrical were the electrical contractor.
On nearing completion the general walkabout with officials of Rangers FC ( David Hope ?) on inspection took place more than once..

Now before going any further this is certainly no windup.. True, fact...

During one of these walkabouts the foreman was taken to the side and told certain work had to be changed before acceptance of the completed electrical installation..
Normally a snag list would be ( normal ) issued.

The foreman was shocked to be told that changes had to be made to for example the exit signs .

Of course exit signs are green and the Rangers director with others from Rangers FC demanded a change to blue as this was Rangers FC..

They wished anything that had green colour to be changed to blue.. This is true and not a windup I have to say again.

I have to say and rightly so that they didn't get their wish ..

Well the egg benedict, green straws, pepperami, 1690 season books, 1690 xmas dinners and the traffic light scenerio shouldn't surprise anyone..

Anyone ever visit Walter Smiths pub over in Partick?
( I don't know if he is still the owner? )
Den of aniquity..
Ally McCoist, Durant, Derek Johnstone ... A pity that people like them (well known for their orange dirges) are supposed to be education the dead heads amongst the Rangers following..

What an astonishing volume of reaction so quickly! A few green lights are broken, and we get this about a whole community! What would happen if they had instead tried to drive a car filled with explosives into check-in queues at an airport in order to make their point? A lot of people saying 'we must not be divided'? Special meetings with the first minister? More grants? Special provisions for different coloured lights in their area (to help 'celebrate diversity')?

an unamed police officer-suggests made up story IMO with regards his opinion
the council have refuted the story
run along nothing to see here.
OH and by the way-re the British throne-lest we forget this is still a protestant country-like it or lump it.
How many non catholics have been pope?
what "British" side has the record for most arrests in european matches in recent years-according to the Home office?kinda sours the award they got to make up for losing a uefa final a tad.
Hope you guys are practising your football only songs for falkirk LOL

#38 Ralph: Yes off-course, its the Rainbow Nation after all. I see you have a real problem with black people and their right to use public transport. Well, fortunately SA never had that problem, as was evident from the referendum in the early 90's.

All I said, was at NED level Scotland was the most idiotic country on Earth. And it is. You see them in their tracksuits pushing prams, spitting in the street, hands in pockets speaking a dialect only comprehensible by those of the same ilk. And now they are attacking green traffic lights? Wonderful, absolutely wonderful behaviour. How long till they begin trashing shops in search of Walkers salt n vinegar crisps to burn in the streets?

Its utterly deplorable. And for the record, lets just say that the vandalism has noting to do with secterianism, lets just call it vandalism. It is still NED culture behaviour at its Scottish best. If only we could rid Scotland of this minority mindset, but alas, we cannot. The NED is part and parcel of Scotland.

# 52 - You my friend are a bigoted liar. And that is a "True, fact..."

puskas,puskas,puskas

you are telling a pile of porkies-no suprise there of course.
The news of the screws was reported to the PCC for the false reporting if you care to dig out the facts.
Answer me this why do celtic see fit to fly a GREEN championship flag-the standard one is blue.
OOps silly me-its not a one sided problem after all.

I would be worried about the orange light backlash....

Good ol' NBM, that bastion of anti sectarianism in Scotland...great to see them comment on a statement that confirms by smashing a green traffic light, as it is the lowest ( an occurrence that appears to be prevelant across the country), just as well there are no 7 foot giants in Larkhall, or what would the Aberdeen fans think.

As for the imbicile who thinks that being an RC precludes you from being on the thrown, well it must have passed me by, as a paid up memeber of The CoS, I cannot be crowned either unless I become Anglican, simple really!!

#54

"OH and by the way-re the British throne-lest we forget this is still a protestant country-like it or lump it."

By name only - certainly not by practice. Anyway with the influx of Poles - soon there will be more Catholics in England than Anglicans. Not that I care - but it shows up your "Protestant Country" theory as a load of bull.

"what "British" side has the record for most arrests in european matches in recent years"

Why are you only mentioning "in recent years?" Is that so we don't take into account the Rangers riots in Liverpool, Ireland, Birmingham and "lest-we-forget" smashing up the Nou Camp in 72 - only to name a few?

"kinda sours the award they got to make up for losing a uefa final a tad"

The only sour thing I detect here is your attitude and it is clear you still can't accept the award Celtic fans got in Seville nor that the fact Celtic got to a European final. Only a distant dream for some, I know ....

"Hope you guys are practising your football only songs for falkirk"

Oh the irony .....

Larkhall – the town that gave scientists the first indication there might be black holes in the Universe.

Actually, this is a funny story – pathetic, but funny. But even funnier are the uneducated trolls like the soul singer from sunny Govan on this thread trying to deny it or deflect the blame for it.

Scotland's shame? Scotland's embarrassment, surely?

I remember reading about how rugby league fans in Lancashire fell out about how a factory chimney (which was a bit of a local landmark) should be painted. Not even which colours, as both teams involved wore read and white, but the pattern. What terrible bigots they are down there, eh?

Scotland's real sectarian shame is in its Alabama stlye apartheid schooling.

As for manifestations of sectarian crime, people should search out some of Professor Steve Bruce's research on the subject. Some of it has been published in this paper.

To summarise his work he says it is vastly over reported and very often misreported. Moreover, when you do the math it is in fact A. the reality is much less than the perception (fed by the mhedia) and B. comes from both sides of the sectarian divide (although you might not think so given the coverage).

51 Captain C

You have just applied Godwins Law and must now take a break of 2 hours from this forum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_Law

Yeah Mr Pink - blame the schools. - see #50 above.

BTW - why do you never find this sort of bigotry in England for example - where there are Catholic schools aplenty?

Secondly - this label of "Apartheid Schools" or "Sectarian Schools" ... why do you and many like you use these descriptions about Catholic schools and NEVER about Church of England schools?

Perhaps we all know the answer.

# 62 "On my first leave home I was standing at a bus stop in my village and a gallus wee 3-4 year old walked up and asked me if I was a F***** B******. I didn't know him from Adam but you dispair at what must pass for conversation within the wee fellas home environment."

Look, I can do that to.

On a church exchange trip to Croy, I was approached outside the local chapel by a teenage girl in a Celtic strip. Without warning, she said - "F--- off ya proddy b-----" The two year old in the buggy she was pushing, wearing a RoI top, then informed me that I was an "Orange c----" Meanwhile the local mobile phone mast has been ripped down because it serves the Orange network and Walkers cheese and onion crisps have been banned from the local newsagents because of their blue bags.

See how easy it is to make up these lies.

Del

Who says I dont aplly these descriptions to other 'faith' ie sectarianm schools? How do you know? Have you mystical powers that allow you to know what others think?

Or, are you applying your limited knowledge and vast prejudices to cover anyone who has a different opinion from you. Thats not allowed is it.

Do some non bigoted research and address the real sectarian issues. And dont get a job as a fireman in case you get attacked for representing the state.

Some posters above appear to be saying that there should not be any RC schools in Scotland. Shouldn't a parent have the right to send their child to whatever school they want to? Should the same restrictions be applied to Muslim or Jewish children?
I am not religious and my children attend non-denominational schools. So, my point is one of freedom of choice.

Seems some people still live in Robbie Coltranes old television show "Mason Boyne"

"my son William and this is my daughter Orangina"
"i will never play a game called golf because you have to go on something called the green"
"limeade ,NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It seems funny that in pockets of Scotland there still exisits this mentality when in Northern Ireland (where i visited for work recently) things have changed for the better,its still not perfect but it's getting there and will continue to do so.

As with every country in the World there is some kind of discrimanation and stupidity but this really takes the biscuit.
My solution,a good kick up the backside of the kids/teenagers that are doing this and castration/sterility programs for their parents.LOL

Ah, what a vibrant modern nation....

As for Mr Pink, and sectarian crime, go and have your medication.
Anyway, we all know this wouldn't happen if Scotkland was independent.

Neds find lowest traffic light easiest to reach shocker.

People really did kick up a fuss when Boots the chemist had some of their staff wear orange-coloured sashes as part of a company scheme though. Have they no sense of a wider perspective?

And I see the old myth that there is no controversy about faith schools in England is threatening to rear its ugly head. Perhaps the people propagating it would like to explain why, for example, one of the main teachers' unions in England (the NAS/UWT) called for the abolition of faith schools? Concerns about faith schools down south often focus on Muslim schools because that is where the main religious/ethnic tensions lie - and of course there has also been concern expressed about proposed State Muslim schools in Scotland.

What an absolute non story. Petty vandalism - not nice, but an everyday event all over Scotland. The sectarian element is completely made up. There is not one shred of evidence in the article to back up their sectarian slant. The Scotsman doesn't have any orange in the title, so it's quite clearly an anti protestant publication.

My statement has as much credibility as the headline.

For the poster who claimed RC were discriminated against because they couldn't become the monarch of Great Britain. Any catholic is perfectly entitled to become King or Queen as long as they are prepared to become head of the Church of England.

Northern Ireland is the most genuinely Christian part of the UK. The history, "traditions" and corruption of that faith in many of its inhabitants is quite simply a reflection of satans attack against that. The same is true to a lesser extent about the west of scotland. The unreasoning and irrational hatreds that you see are not natural or normal behaviour but have been stoked up generation by generation of insults and persecution. Not surprisingly the situation has also been exploited by evil criminals. Football is incidental. Only forgiveness and willingness to serve the community as a whole will move and in fact has moved things forward.

Has Britain ever had a Catholic Prime Minister?

"Some posters above appear to be saying that there should not be any RC schools in Scotland. Shouldn't a parent have the right to send their child to whatever school they want to? Should the same restrictions be applied to Muslim or Jewish children?
I am not religious and my children attend non-denominational schools. So, my point is one of freedom of choice."

I believe its publicly funded faith schools they object to. If the Roman Catholic church was to fully fund RC schools then there is no problem.

The state should provide non denominational schools. If a parent wants to send their child to a faith school it should be at their own expense

You'll be telling me next that the primary schools in Larkhall don't teach their kids how to cross the road as it would mean talking to them about The Green Cross Code. I'm sure the words would burn the mouths of the teachers as they said it.

Is Superman a proddy then - kryptonite is green and he hates it.

I'm sure it's not a problem as many of the contributors on this have said it isn't one so that should be the end of it. Let's just brush it under the carpet. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.

#73

Aye they can choose who to employ in them and choose who attends when they choose to pay for them themselves and are no longer subsidised by the public purse.

Reember Bishop Deivne said they were an enabler to sectarianism but it was a price worth paying. Sam Galbraith said they were the root cause of sectarianism. Most surveys show the majority of scots see no need for them and that includes surveys of only the RC commuinity.

Yet again another piece of one sided journalism in Scotland - Where will it end?

What is the average cost of replacing traffic lights in the county in regrads to the figures quoted for this village?
Although all the sources named disagree, this p*** poor 'journalist' still goes ahead with their anti protestant story and brings other organisations to the fore including Subway and a chemist (who have changed their clours - NOT) but even the world wide organisation of the Masonic Lodge who have absolutely no single religios affiliation whatsoever.

For you information, the RC church is not on the outskirts of the town either but then again, why try to make a useless story like this factual in any way?

Self hatred journalist pieces like this only fuel the fires in a country which needs little assitance in my opinion.

No surprise that there lots of comments on this item. What readers abroad make of it all I shudder to think. Problem is that the neds of Larkhall are not likley to be reading the comments or even the paper version of the Scotsman.

No 56, No 57...

Captain C .......... Figgy.

Your choice of words directed to myself for being truthful is shocking.. Please tell me why I should lie.

Figgy ......... Again I shall ask you the same question.

I will add this rider for you personally.

Regards the league flag and colour. Would you like to review what you have said.
Advisable before showing signs of stupidity.

#79

Oh dear here we go, poor downtrodden oppressed us. Go on tell us that the PM cannot be RC. Though you wonder why IDS and Gordon Kennedy even ran for that office if they could not hold it.

As ofr the Gvmnt, Ruth Kelly is a memer of Octopus Dei, John Reid, Gorbals Mick the house speaker and no doubt many more.

Thanks for exposing your paranoia it brought a smile to my face.

Had they not considered that the green light is at the bottom, and the teenage midgets that are carrying out all the vandalism probably can't reach any higher!

No 64.....

Hardly.. LOL.

Remind me how the people in Northern Ireland who protested at B&Q's corporate colours of orange were portrayed. Or those who protested about shop staff wearing union flag badges in support of GB Olympic fundraising.

Were they knuckledragging bigots, or is it only Scottish protestants who deserve that treatment?

#85. Chucky, I actually think all of us have anecdotal stories on both sides. Doesnt make it right, but I genuinely think these stories should discussed in the proper manner against a serious subject, and not this Scotsman story which frankly just shows the depths that newspapers will go to, to try and stoke up "interest" in this serious and immotive subject. Frankly I find the fact that the Scotsman have reported it more offensive than any of the comments on here.
There are plenty of serious incidents more worthy of this sdiscussion than this utter joke of a story.
All in my own humble opinion of course

#79 bhoy in tha hood: Your question is daft.

Has the Vatican ever had a Muslim pope?

Has Scotland ever had a Pakistani First Minister?

Need I go on?

I dont know what is worse this newspaper printing this and saying it is bigotry or the intelligence of the 87 posters above who all jumped the sectarian easily offended bus so readily.

It is mindless vandalism from our ned youth culture and as the green light is the easiest to reach of course it is the one they will break.

Some of you above have real problems, however not as bad as the journalist who printed this nonsense.

This whole story is based on the ALLEGED words of an ANONYMOUS police officer who said that his colleagues 'BELIEVED sectarianism was behind the smashing of the lights'.

There is now legislation on the statute books which can attribute 'religious aggravation' to a crime and the question inevitably begs itself whether it has been invoked in this context. HAS IT?

Yet, the only relevant direct quote - from South Lanarkshire Council - denies that there is any truth in the story.

Similarly, the story regarding Subway is full of quotes like 'there is speculation that' and 'are rumoured to be considering', but nothing concrete.

Yet again we see the old tactic of portraying the so-called 'anti-sectarianism' organisation NBM as judge and jury on issues like this. Time after time NBM has shown itself to have a clear agenda that attacks almost exclusively Rangers fans/Protestants.

One could be excused for drawing the conclusion that it suits the interests of certain people in Scotland to play up this problem while targeting one group only and offering no practical solutions - only platitudes. The anti-sectarianism industry continues apace!

#79 the last prime minister was married to one, and she was the personification of ugliness, similar to your religion who keep on brush brushing Paedophilia under the carpet, ugly.
I'm writing pants on here, as so mush what has been written is utter pants.

# 85 Mr Ar La - Well you've convinced me. PS I was only kidding when I said I made up that story. It really happened, honest..

# 87 - "Please tell me why I should lie"

er, because that's what people on internet forums do to justify their points of view and prejudices when they have no real evidence.

No99.. Captain C..

I was the foreman....

OK, Larkhall, like many places in Lanarkshire and Fife still has citizens living in the late 17th century, but I've always found it a reasonably civilised wee town.

Try living in Cumnock though!! Bigotry, sectarianism and a shallow genes pool - desperate.

# 100 "I was the foreman...."

Well it must be true then. Your overwhelming evidence has blown me away.

#83

Do catholics in Scotland not contribute to the financial infrastructure of the country? Should they not have a say in how and where some of that money should be spent in regards to their children's education?

From my own perspective, I can't help but get the overwhelming feeling of morally superior 'protestanism' by some of the above posts. I grew up in South Africa where anyone not white South African was constantly referred to as "those people", as if they had no right being there. The terminology and mind set feels disturbingly similar when Scottish catholics are discussed.

#104

Growing up in South Africa you should recognise apartheid. Separate doors, separate toilets, separate entrances and thats in the schools where the church has allowed some integration.

Yes they do contribute and so do I and just baout everyone else in this country.

Hoever I cannot teach certain subjects or be head of and RC school, an RC child will get in ahead of a non-RC. Many areas are paying for two buildings when one wil do.

No103 Captain C

Nothing but the truth from me Captain...

No101 James
Thanks for that James. The Neaderthal one showed his ignorance.
No57's last sentence says it all and I can agree with it.... " silly him... LOL

Bhoy in Tha Hood

When was the last protestant Lord Provost in Glasgow?

The sooner we have a secular education system like France all the better. I am sick to the back teeth with this sectarian nonsense and especially so called Broadsheets like the Scotsman and the Gaurdian printing non stories to stir up trouble.
You have to question the brain power of Martyn McClaughlin who wrote this and his own views on sectarianism as it seems especially biased to me.

My children and my wife are catholic and even she has noticed this bating of the protestant population and of Rangers supporters by certain sections.
When the Cardinal made the punch a pape comment she nearly fell out her chair, she had never heard so much nonsense in all of her life.

People here need to get on with living their lives with their protestant, catholic wives, family and friends like they always do and ignore non stories like this.

#104 - "From my own perspective, I can't help but get the overwhelming feeling of morally superior 'protestanism' by some of the above posts. I grew up in South Africa where anyone not white South African was constantly referred to as "those people", as if they had no right being there. The terminology and mind set feels disturbingly similar when Scottish catholics are discussed."

Larkhall is described on this thread as as a "cesspit" " stuck in the 18th century" (or even the Stone Age) full of "knuckledraggers", "neanderthals", "morons" and animals.

The only "morally superior" language being used here is to demonise an entire town made up of people of all religions and beliefs, who are unfortunate enough to suffer the same sort of anti-social behaviour that blights communities all ovewr Britian.

77. felix299
""...For the poster who claimed RC were discriminated against because they couldn't become the monarch of Great Britain. Any catholic is perfectly entitled to become King or Queen as long as they are prepared to become head of the Church of England...""

I'm sorry my friend but you are mistaken:

Act of Settlement, 1701

""...And it was thereby further enacted, that all and every person and persons that then were, or afterwards should be reconciled to, or shall hold communion with the see or Church of Rome, or should profess the popish religion, or marry a papist, should be excluded, and are by that Act made for ever incapable to inherit, possess, or enjoy the Crown and government of this realm, and Ireland, and the dominions thereunto belonging, or any part of the same, or to have, use, or exercise any regal power, authority, or jurisdiction within the same: and in all and every such case and cases the people of these realms shall be and are thereby absolved of their allegiance: and that the said Crown and government shall from time to time descend to and be enjoyed by such person or persons, being Protestants, as should have inherited and enjoyed the same, in case the said person or persons, so reconciled, holding communion, professing or marrying, as aforesaid, were naturally dead:
...""
http://www.worldfreeinternet.net/parliament/settlement.htm

puskas

Something in your story seems slightly untrue. Firstly, could you tell me who ther main contractor was?
Who were the official gentlemen from Rangers who were appalled at the green and white exit signs?
Why was the foreman spark leading the clients round on the handover?

Nothing to do with the thought that young kids are vandalising the green lights because this colour is the lowest down on the set?

#40 - please never equate Unionists to Rangers fans. Bit different, don't you think?

Make the West Coast Independent of Scotlad and get on with the rest of it.

No56 Captain C

Taking a step back to No56 and the abnoxious comment from the aforementioned about calling me a bigot...

Please why do you assume that regards myself.

#109 Currants? You sir are one of the main problems.

#105

My opinion is that there is a mindset that is not simply against the acceptance of catholic schools, or against the amount of public funding spent on catholic schools, but against the very idea of cathloic schools themsleves. Oppression is too heavy a word to be bandied about in a society where opinions are allowed to be expressed with ease, such as on this form. But abolition of single faith schools is not too far from the written word of some of the posters.

And yes, I do recognise Apartheid. As inherintly evil as that system was/is, let's not forget that it was practised and sanctioned by a British government in the not too distant past.

I want ot re-itirate, I am not religious and I personally want my children to mix in as much a culturally diverse community as possible, but htat is my personal choice. If a parent wants their child to be brought up in the ethical teachings of a particular faith, then that door should not be closed to them.

Captain C who are you kiddin?.

55. Media 1, cape town
""...I see you have a real problem with black people and their right to use public transport. Well, fortunately SA never had that problem, as was evident from the referendum in the early 90's...""

Yes I know what you mean, a mate of mine went out to settle in Jo'burg back in the 70's and none of his black servants ever reported any problems with discrinination or racism to him.

#110

don't disagree with you on the account of Larkhall. I've never been there, but there are good and bad everywhere. For an entire area to be labelled in such a way is plainly insulting.

Can someone from the Scotsman please explain why this story is accessed via the "Sports" section of the website ? Is stone throwing at traffic lights the latest sports craze to hit Scotland ? Or could they have a more sinister agenda in deliberately trying to stoke up the less savoury aspects of Old Firm rivalry ?

#57 don't be so ridiculous. The league flag is always in a saltire design with the clubs coulours. Don't add to this infantile bilge by spouting untruths.

Still waiting puskas.

# 116

"Taking a step back to No56 and the abnoxious comment from the aforementioned about calling me a bigot..."

Not pleasant being labelled a bigot without any evidence is it?

Maybe you should consider that before you start throwing around unsubstantiated lies about "egg benedict, green straws, pepperami, 1690 season books, 1690 xmas dinners", Walter Smith's pub and ex Rangers players.

No113 Jack The Ripper.

A number of Rangers officials. David Hope was spokeman to myself. Previously mentioned that.

As the foreman in charge of the contract quite simply that resposibility fell upon myself. I took the can if any major problems.
Balfour Kilpatrick had others on walkabout.

The request was blown out of the water by higher personell.

The main contractor I cannot remember from 30 years + A guess would be Balfour Beatty..

Balfour Kilpatrick I'm sure would have instructed change if they could have, because in general all these years ago they favoured Rangers FC..
May still have the box at Ibrox but wouldn't know for sure.

Of course their may just be something about me you have missed over the months.

For the attention of the "apartheid schooling" brigade.

I have asked thes questions and never had even had close to a satisfctory answer:

Why, the world over, are Catholic schools only a problem in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Are you against Muslim schools, Jewish Schools?

Are you beginning to get the picture? You might try and shift the blame to conceal your own hatred and infantile bigotry, but there are many of us you have never fooled, many for whom the penny is dropping, and many that are now being forced to confront the issue even if they previously condoned or ignored it (Rangers fooball Club, the Scottish media for example).

'Best Small Country in the World' aye, right.

I've known of people who refused to get Orange network mobile phones out of some misguided principle.

No 128 Captain C...

You consider that evidence in myself being a bigot.

So you've got a problem... maybe you should have a closer look at yourself in your assumption.

Is it possible you have missed something about myself that means I cannot possibly be a bigot ....

Over the months I have made submissions on this board you obviously have ... LOL.

Thanks for that puskas. Could you now tell me why an electrician was told to replace information signs?
BTW these signs have been in place at Ibrox since they were introduced under the factories act in the 60's.

I was eight years old and my family less than one year settled in Scotland (my mother's birthplace) when I was first called "a f***** b******".

Perhaps the 10-year-old who called me it thought I was a member of a 19th century Irish revolutionary movement. lol!

Mind, you, it's possible. I never cease to be astounded at the "knowledge" that your regular contributors on this site have of Catholicism, Catholic history, Catholic philosophy, the lineage of every pope and anything to do with the Republic of Ireland. Do they ever think about anything else, one is obliged to wonder?

I see Steve Bruce has rated a mention, the only Scottish academic of note who denies that there is sectarianism in Scotland. Good luck with your Canute-like efforts, Stevie.
And dry your feet! lol!

And Nil By Mouth has been described as an anti-Protestant organisation. Wow! Is that why it claimed the word "h**", a word used by the supporters of every football club in Scotland (and not a few in England) to describe Rangers fans, was sectarian? What utter nonsense.

A bit like this whole issue, in fact. Bigotry in Larkhall? Whatever next!

Mmmmm there's lots of pious people out there today, for sure that kind of behavior is a joke but, I believe some out there actually like that kind of behavior going on, then they can give it the big one on the web!! As for the usual moans about Catholics & the Monarch, you have to an Anglican to be head of State. Those of us who are Presbyterians and of course the other protestant denominations are also excluded, However for some people, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story!

"britain is not allowed to have a catholic prime minister" (139)

Untrue.

#120

I do not want to close it to them, I just don't want to be paying twice for something.

If the state provides schools for EVERY faith then we have equality.

So what about the restrictive employment practices, no gays, no sngle mums, no protestants, etc.

"Steve Bruce has rated a mention, the only Scottish academic of note who denies that there is sectarianism in Scotland" (136)

No he doesn't. What he does say (supported by his and his team's research) is that the extent of sectarianism in Scotland has been greatly exaggerated in some quarters:

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/comment.cfm?id=171622005

This story could be another case in point.

Just for the sake of sh!t stirring, is it true that paramedics at Ibrox are the only ones in the UK not to wear green and that the turf is actually duck-egg blue? ;-)

btw I recently visited Celtic Park and on display at the foot of the main stairwell was a replica of the first Cetic team strip. It had more blue in it than green!

#139

LIES.

Are you telling us that IDS and Charles Kennedy were never going to get the job when leaders of their respective parties.

People like you are a danger to society and a stumbling block to progress.

"Why, the world over, are Catholic schools only a problem in Scotland and Northern Ireland?" (132)

Not so. There has been controversy about them in Canada, for example. As already mentioned, there are also concerns about faith schools in England. There has been controversy over madrassas (Muslim schools) in Singapore....

#132 Grry M

More propaganda.

Faith based schools were partialy blamed for riots in Bradford.

Sweden, yes that most tolerant of nations, is looking at phasing out faith based schools.

How did you come by this extensive knowledge of how faith schools are percieved worldwide?

Yes I am against ALL state funded faith based schools not just RC ones.

140 you only have to go back 30-40 years when 100% of any decent jobs were reserved for protestants.Things are changing thankfully but some people? can't seem to handle it.This is from a proddy who could see the discrimination and abhorred it.

#136 Pat the Hat

Prof Steve Bruce does not deny that sectarianism is a problem in Scotland. He merely argues that it is of far lesser importance than certain politicians and journalists would have us believe. His views are backed up with a degree of statistical analysis which is conspicuously absent in nearly everything we hear and read on this topic courtesy of the Scottish media. After all, it is far simpler to spread lies about Celtic goalkeepers being cautioned for crossing themselves which then rapidly become accepted as 'fact'.

One wonders how much attention this particular journalist would ever give to stories in which RC youths have attacked the Fire Brigade on the basis that they were 'agents of the Crown'. I suspect not very much.

To contend that NBM does not have an anti-Rangers/Protestant agenda on the basis that they frown upon use of the word 'hun' is frankly ludicrous and typical of the level of debate we have come to expect from certain quarters.

No135 Jack The Ripper..

How informant you are..

Now we are getting close and I shall try again.

My company was asked by Rangers to change the signs. Through Rangers ignorance of the regulations that was why they failed.
As the Electrical Foreman on this particular contract the initial move for change came through myself...
No further Info other than the following .. Foreman's initials H.M. and assistant ? M...

Also maybe you have unintentionally missed the gist of the comment from myself..
This was the rehab after this social club had been badly damaged by fire. The original new build was around the 1970 mark.

A wee hint I visited it quite often.. Best Show I seen was by the great Matt Monroe..

Can I say your last sentence answers the plot.

#148
I can go back further than 30 or 40 years and what you are alleging is nothing but lies and slander.

puskas, why did the Rangers bigots want different coloured signs in the social club to the ones inside Ibrox?
Another point is, how does not wanting something in the colours of your greatest sporting rivals become sectarian and bigoted?

Puskas
Where does the pepperami come into it?

Methinks Martyn McLaughlin has an agenda here and is writing with his green tinted specs on.

With regards to the point in his article from an unnamed academic (why unnamed, one could ask) regarding the masonic pocket in Larkhall.

I am a member of the masonic lodge and I can inform any readers that the lodge is open to all persons as long as they are of good standing, this means any person of ANY religion can become a member.

Unlike the Knights of St Columba and the Hibernians, guess what, only persons of a certain religion can join these organisations.

I would suggest that Mr McLaughlin has thrown in the bit about the Masonic Lodge in order to to stir things up, nothing more and nothing less.

Finally, the idiots carrying out these vandalisms are the very same persons who would be committing other forms of anti social behaviour ie housebreakings, other forms of vandalisms, assaults and any number of other offences on any other night of the week.

All communities have these idiots.

PS
It is also convenient the policeman quoted is also unnamed as per the academic, Mr McLaughlin is being mischevious here.

"In March, we held an education project involving every Primary 7 pupil in the town, and they got the chance to mix with children of different faiths. It's had a huge positive impact, and they are the generation who will become the educators."

==================

I have a great idea which would give these kids a chance to mix from P1...

138. Alba gu brath, Iceland
I don't think I agree with you.
Only a non-catholic or someone with no catholic connections can be crowned in England.
A presbiterian would simply be appointed as head of the Anglican church should that situation ever arise.

What interested me was the situation where Princess Diana might have married a Roman Catholic or even a Muslim after her divorce from Prince Charles.

In that case would Princes Wills and Harry still have been eligible to 'defend the one true faith' had their mother eg converted to catholicism or Islam?

Puskas, I work closely with guys who were main players in the rebuild of celtic park, I also worked on the rebuild of wembley, there are various stories that are very similar to the nonsense that you have posted. I have put them down to building site humour.

#161,

The British monarch has to be "in communion with the Church of England" (of which he or she is Supreme Governor). That would rule out all kinds of people - Baptists, Methodists, Sikhs, atheists.... Was anyone here thinking of applying for the job? :o)

Rorie,

The Roman Catholic Church is anti Freemasonry. The Masons are not anti-Catholic. Are you possibly getting your lodges mixed up?

Please read your comment #163 again please. It made me laugh but I don't think it was meant to.

rorie 163.

You must have some eyesight to be able to see every single Rangers fan at Ibrox on matchdays!!

BTW the colour green has huge significance in the Orange Order. Please go away and educate yourself before spouting nonsense.

If only all of the aforementioned wasn't true. Unfortunately Chuckie's experience is all to familiar.

The reality of today's Scotland is that my Catholic parents in law, and thoroughly decent folk they are too, are being driven out of their home of fifty years by a bunch of sectarian kids swinging their billy sticks (just like at the orange walk). They don't target the other protestant families in the street. Where did they learn to be like that? At home, father to son stuff. They don't learn it at school, church on telly or from video games.

I'm ashamed to be a protestant!

Of course the assumption that it is a sectarian act is still not proven. It could simply be a Man United fan that is too short to reach the red one.

Are there any instances of retaliation by tall Larkhall Catholics smashing the orange lenses of traffic lights or is this solely a Protestant thing?

No154 Jack The Ripper..

Full of questions that only a bigot could answer I assume.

Maybe your preferred name could be Perry Mason or Columbo..

Regards the Social club .. It happened.

Maybe they thought their decor was more suited to the blue of Rangers in what was a beautiful Club.

You know that answer to your last sentence yourself.
If not a Rangers Fan and you just wished to be enlightened. I suggest you ask the more bigoted in the blue corner..

No 155 Wayne.

Near 50,000 seats ... Cheers ..

I read a story recently about a wee Lakhall boy who lost one of his fingers in an accident. His father said he was a tough wee guy and would manage fine with his remaining five.

157. Smokie, Arbroath

"Larkhall is well known as a place for Rangers fans, but also for loyalist, unionist, and masonic pockets. There's under 2,000 Catholics in the town, and their church, St Mary's, is on the outskirts."

Am I correct in saying that many masonic lodges have had roman catholics elected as master of the lodge and that the highest orders in freemasonry are very roman catholic in their rituals.

I know that Jock Stein and many famous Celtic players have been freemasons.

That Lodge Shalom in Glasgow is a jewish masonic lodge which at one time had a Sikh as the master.

The only religious bar in lodges of freemasons is against agnostics or athiests?

As for 'pockets' what evidence can he produce that religious or political vues are some how ghettoised in Larkhall?

I might ask what side of this particular sectarian divide MARTYN MCLAUGHLIN regards himself as being on, and how he viewed Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport's famous decision back in the pre-Thatcher era to paint Glasgow buses green white and gold?

Remember, just before they became Strathclyde Transport and painted everything orange?

Boberto and other fantasists here is the extract from the Act of Settlement you have been missing

"And it was thereby further enacted, that all and every person and persons that then were, or afterwards should be reconciled to, or shall hold communion with the see or Church of Rome, or should profess the popish religion, or marry a papist, should be excluded, and are by that Act made for ever incapable to inherit, possess, or enjoy the Crown and government of this realm, and Ireland, and the dominions thereunto belonging, or any part of the same, or to have, use, or exercise any regal power, authority, or jurisdiction within the same: and in all and every such case and cases the people of these realms shall be and are thereby absolved of their allegiance: and that the said Crown and government shall from time to time descend to and be enjoyed by such person or persons, being Protestants, as should have inherited and enjoyed the same, in case the said person or persons, so reconciled, holding communion, professing or marrying, as aforesaid, were naturally dead. "

"Manchester City's aversion to all things Manchester United has led to the club banning red company cars. (The Guardian)"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_trans...

Evil bigots! ;o)

Personally, I think that the most shocking thing about this story is that the council actually paid out £16,800 of taxpayers money before anyone even thought to put mesh over the lights to stop them being smashed! Surely if a bit of common sense had been applied, most of this money could have been saved. It's hardly rocket science. They must be REALLY thick!

162. rorie, alloa
Jock Stein and half the Lisbon Lions were/are active freemasons.

163. rorie, alloa
Go back to parkhead and visit the cabinets at the foot of the stairwell.

There you'll see a display of Celtic strips through their history, apparently they believe they're a grand old team to play for.

Celtic's first ever strips were blue with green.

#56
Aye, he's obviously telling lies about the Pepperami, the green straws, the eggs Benedict and the 1690 menu. Take a trip to reality via the honesty roundabout.

# Green flag. Eh, so whit? Green exit signs are that colour as to help people clearly see the way out in the event of an emergency. They are not blue because they wouldn't stand out as much. Simple to all but a moron. A green flag is nothing to do with it. You are comparing apples with, dare I say it before some of you start pounding the pavements, oranges.

No164 Perry Mason.. Alias Jack The Ripper..

Your drift cannot hide the truth being told.

It cannot work as what I say did happen.

Whatever happened elsewhere cannot hide the facts I tell you. If you try hard to be in denial thats your problem.
Look as an E. Engineer that worked throughout the country and Europe I can honestly say I never ever came across anything quite like what I reported on this thread..

I find that many folk like you are in a state of shock on what is transpiring within not only Scotland but Europe.
The fight against sectarianism, bigotry within our country has to start with the little things that on many occasions encourage the idiots.

All that has been mentioned regards Ibrox is fact and Rangers FC have to take more responsibility when pondering to ridiculous complaints. Green straws etc etc..

I gave you a wee hint early on regards why I'm no bigot.. Maybe although boring you will find the answer in previous posts.. You couldn't make this up.. The answer is out their Jack. Nup! certainly no Perry Mason...

I was just telling my garden boy and the maids about this story. They cant believe it!

183 Puskas

Tell me do you believe the green straws eggs benedict, pepperami, sash grass stories....

#181

Don't talk mince.

This is the first Celtic strip.
http://www.scottishleague.net/archive/archive158.htm

After this, Celtic played in green and white vertical stripes.

No blue to be seen.

Btw, I wear blue a lot. I can differentiate between football colours and colours for... everything else in the world.

No 184. Media 1...

Neither could I.

186. Yerofeev, Brussels
Take yourself into Celtic Park, beside the manikin of Brother Walfrid, there in a glass case for all to see is Celtic's blue and green strip, the jersey is white with green collar the shorts navy blue and the socks are green.

185 - If you truly are in SA then I doubt very much that your maids cant beleive it.

Tosser!

musn't let facts get in the way of a good story. South Lanarkshire council are quoted in the article saying green lights are the most vandalised because they are nearest the ground. I see NBM have nothing to say about that

There's no source to the Subway rumour and they quote that they've only changed colours in the past to meet local planning laws.

this is a poisonous little article

RE: RC Schools

non RC-teachers are allowed to work in RC schools. They do not need a priest reference. They do, however, need a reference from a catholic. given that it is a RC school this seems to be a reasonable stipulation to employment.

teachers who are RC do require a priest reference. This is so they can teach RE - and to put the RC-kids through their catholic paces. again, seems reasonable.

No restriction is placed on non-RC children from attending the RC-schools. Parents can request the children be taken out of RE if they feel its required, however, RE classes do not focus on RC'ism rather on the whole spectrum of religious. This of course is not a hard and fast rule, it depends on the teacher's quality.

non-RC children are allowed to not attend the morning mass.

ASIDE: One day on my way home to Bellshill, on train, after Rangers were victorious a group of fans joined the train for their journey home. Not long the chants/dirges/songs started. I was shocked at the level of hatred embedded in the songs towards catholics. You all know what the songs are and what they say. I was fairly disgusted. Not only did they pick on a guy wearing a boston celtic sportshirt (not sure which sport, think its basketball could be wrong) but encouraged their young children that they had with them to join in.

Nothing makes you sadder to see young children being a part of something to vile.

Anyways to further compound matters, they all jumped off the train at.....you guessed it, Bellshill :(

livilion

The way you phrased it, I thought you were suggesting the jersey was blue and green.

You may well be right re the navy blue shorts. Along with the name of the Club (rather than becoming another Harp, or Hibernian) this may reflect another attempt to establish Celtic as an Irish *and* Scottish club.

Regardless, it's got little or no relevance on why Celtic supporters have no problem wearing blue items of clothing to games.

Puskas, Parkhead was only passed after being blessed by priests, the signage in the food outlets were changed because they were blue and white, the engineering brick used to form the turnstyles were orginally to be built in brick called staffordshire blues, later changed to class 1 reds, anyone not celtic minded were urged to work on other jobs. The pitch at wembley has a scotland top under the penalty spot, the roof has st andrews flags painted under the pannelling, there is a lion rampant laid beneath the paving at the main entrance. These are various construction site stories that I have heard, all, like yours, taken with a large pinch of salt.
I am all for the end to any supposed sectarian antics in my country, I am an athiest so find it all rather tedious, I would be happier in a secular society and be rid of all the religious zealots who run my country and infect the mind of the insecure, the type who tell people what to think and how to live their lives from the day they are born.

As for your green straws story, it was claimed we ripped up our season tickets when we were given green an white straws to drink our coke. We were using smartcards for 3 years before the story broke!

189 Hugh Hefner: Ek is hier. Ek belowe jou! Maar dit maak nie saak nie wat jy dink nie.

As I said, they couldnt believe it. They cannot comprehend such idiotic behaviour. Lets be honest, Scottish neds are the world champions of neds.

Gordon Smith, Chief Executive of the SFA, has just released this statement:

"There is absolutely no proof whatsoever that Rangers fans were involved in any of these incidents or that sectarianism was the reason behind this vandalism. If it turns out to be the case that sectarianism was the catalyst for this vandalism then it is only right and proper that the Police also investigate Celtic fans in South Lanarkshire with a view towards prosecution as there is no doubt in my mind that if the bottom light on the set of traffic lights was blue then there would be a similar, if not greater, problem with vandalism"

End of statement.

So green traffic light lenses are "attacked" because of sectarianism then, are they?

Clearly it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the green lens is at the bottom of the traffic light stack and is therefore the only one that is reasonably easy to reach.

Talk about jumping to conclusions or what!

Don't know what you are all so excited about--THE HOOTSMON also publishes crap about our new government, midwinter, foulkrs e.t.c.

191. JamieC, Bellshill
Given the well documented proclivities of some catholic priests, which 'RC paces' exactly do these priests put their young bhoys through?

195. Media 1, cape tiwn
World champions of neds, and that's without the uzzis and AK47s that their rivals for the title could call upon?

I'm hardly surprised at those continually saying that the green light was attacked because it is the bottom light. So, vandals these days can't even fire a boulder up as high as the amber light or the red light. What's the world coming to?

201, livilion, livingston,

"Given the well documented proclivities of some catholic priests, which 'RC paces' exactly do these priests put their young bhoys through?"

I was talking about teachers putting them through the paces, not priests putting them through the paces.

What you were referring to is obviously disgusting, and I would say it that goes without saying but it seems recent events over the world invloving the catholic church suggest otherwise.

#201

Livilion. A Rangers employee was banged up for abusing young children. Don't hear much about that from people like yourself or the morally righteous doughballs on Follow Follow with the smear campaigns.

That they can continue this in the run up to the funeral of Jean Stein, without even a hint of condemnation from their club, is no surprise.

It's a well-known fact that paedophiles have targeted professions/associations where they will be in a position of trust over young people, such as the Scouts, teaching, the NHS, the Boys Brigade. It was only the other week I read of some Minister being caught downloading child pornography on his PC. The fact is, it is not only Catholic priests who have indulged in these terrible acts but I suspect that matters not to those who wish to score cheap points (thinking very little of those who were abused) by singing their sick wee ditties at football games.

You know, I never carry a tape measure around with me, so I don't know this for sure, but here in Ireland, the green and amber lights are only inches apart.

Obviously in Larkhall the green and amber lights are several feet apart, hence these "neds" as they have been called, all of them a uniform 5'0', can't reach the others.

Maybe if Scotland was independent like Ireland, you'd attain a higher standard of living and in a few years have teenagers taller than leprechauns.

#202 livion: Leave Brixton out of this mate. This is about people who attack traffic lights....You couldnt make this up could you?

An affluent 1st world nation, where ALL children have the right to an education, yet still they attack traffic lights with religious hatred in mind, or with just vandalism in mind. Either way, World Champions indeed

I have some questions:

Why does not liking the colour green make you a bigot?
Why is the act of vandalising something green sectarian?

Are catholicism, the colour green (and presumably Celtic Football Club, since this is in the sports section) now indistinguishable?

Scotland's real secret shame is the lack of ANY sensible journalism anywhere in the printed press. Why do people actually believe this nonsense?

# 33 Thanks for the clarification. I hope everybody has read it.
Most of the "bigots" I knew growing up in Glasgow were Catholics. Being from Fife I supported Dunfermline and didn't get involved in this old Firm fanaticism but I do remember when a neighbour who was a Celtic fan - Patrick G. - got slashed near Parkhead coming from an old firm game. Boy were we relieved when we found out he'd been slashed by other Celtic fans.( Come to think of it aren't we all relieved that Mugabe is not white. ) Does anyone agree with me that all this name calling is a bit one sided. In 1967 I was delighted when Celtic won the European Cup but I did notice the feeling wasn't shared by a lot of guys at my school. It is nothing to get excited about. In those days Jock Stein would often visit a friend of his Cyril H. who was Glasgow Newspaper sports editor and lived just up the street from me. Oh dear he was a Protestant just like the founder of the IRA.
The message is if you like Ireland better than Scotland you are free to move there but stop calling real Scots - Bigots -at the drop of a hat and look at your own negative nationalism.

A crap story, written by a crap journalist, for readers with a crappy brain.

Anyone who believes this bollox, needs their head examined! Then again, the serially offended Sellik fan just make up any old crap and pass it off as true.

Another anti Rangers story without foundation I'm afraid..........

#205 yerofeev

The catholic church has a major problem with its clergy worldwide, there is hardly a day goes by without a report of sexual abuse by a member of the church and generally one who has been moved to another parish by the cardinal because of reports of him commiting the act previously. In america it is known as the catholic disease, with the catholic church declaring itself bankrupt in various states because of compensation claims against it. You pointing out that these sexual deviants are in all aspects of society shows the same attitude towards the problem as your church. The problem must be brought out into the open with the church being brought to task on their culpability of sweeping the problem under the carpet and refusing to talk about it or report these reptiles to the police.

A good case for Defra going to Larkhall and having a cull of those infected with "flute in mouth disease"?

This staement has just been released by the SFA

The SFA would like to make it perfectly clear to the watching world, that Rangers FC, their fans and everyone connected to the club, are 100% to blame for any sectarian behaviour in Scotland. They were also the chief instigators in 1969 when the troubles started in Northern Ireland and should be charged with war crimes accordingly.

We also have witness statements, blaming the same club for the rthnic cleansing in Rwanda, Ethiopia and other impoverished African nations.

It has also come to light, that Celtic supporters are having their lives blighted and feel serially offended on a daily basis, because of missing traffic lights, songs being sung from 200 miles away and and being told not to sing songs in support of terrorism in Ireland.

We in the SFA utterly condemn Rangers FC, their fans and all connected to the club, and urge all decent minded Journalists, to make up as much nonsense about the club as they can, and go to print as soon as possible.

PS We also believe the club have been involved in serious crimes against children, ugh err ehm, forget that last comment, sweep sweep, brush brush, cover up etc.

A one club witch hunt continues!

Have to say, what a lot of nonsense this story is.

I have worked with many people from Larkhall and yes most of them are bigoted. I have also worked with people from Croy and Coatbridge and again most of them are bigoted.

I was watching an Old Firm game in London one day in the mid ninieties and it finished a 1-1 draw. As I was walking out of the pub their was a scout hall with multi coloured pennants. Two celtic fans one irish on scottish, jumped over the fence and set fire to the Red White and blue pennants. Childish, neddish, thuggish...disgraceful behaviour. Is it newsworthy? Not really. Why give the underclass any coverage. They should just be jailed for petty crimes. End Of.

How sad are the serially offended? They are so paranoid, they actually believe this nonsense.

Get a life you sad dumplings!

Incidentally, when I worked with the Larkhall folk, I never mentioned I was a catholic...when they found out I was....all except one of them changed their attitude towards me.

The one who didnt was a protestant but was good friends with and next door neighbour to Paul McStay.

Education not bigotry.

Tim,

Are we to take from your post that Celtic icon Paul McStay lived in Larkhall ?!!!

Hands up! Apart from the serially offended, who actually thinks this story is true?

100% bollox from start to finish, and just another excuse from a newspaper which is fast growing an anti Rangers reputation.

I can see next weeks headlines already.

"Larkhall residents paint cabbages Orange in shop"

Then another 900 posts will be printed on this website and all the MOPE's (most offended people ever) will get offended until the next crap appears.

Hod that headline, "Spartak Moscow remove green grass to annoy Sellik fans"

207. Media 1, cape town
""..You couldnt make this up could you?..""
I think that is the point, some hack with too much time on his hands finds some traffic light have been broken by 14 year old kids in Larkhall...

Hmm, Larkhall? cariacatured for years as an orange enclave on account of a railing painting incident many moons ago.

Green traffic lights broken?
We know, put them together with 'orange' Larkhall and bingo the feeble minded have something to waggle their gums over.

In fact Larkhall is so anti-catholic and so anti-Celtic that both Celtic captain Paul McStay and his brother both chose to buy homes there.

I really do question your agenda pal.

Any story which casts any negative light on Scotland and you are there twisting the knife.

For the record, Friends of mine have left South Africa and gone to live in Londonderry where for all the former paramilitary's criminal activities there is less crime and there is less chance of his womenfolk being mugged or raped.

Back in RSA he said it was so common that it almost wasn't regarded as pass remarkable.

Certainly nowhere like the young kids in South Lanarkshire with nothing to occupy their time other than to get into mischief.

James just looked out the window and saw a green pig fly past!

Yes James, this story is more to do with anti social neds, than having a pop at the big bad Rangers fan isn't it?

Amazing how someone saying the story is crap, riles all the Mope's such as your goodself. You revel in being offended James, do you not?

By the way, have we met before Jim?

#180 You seem to have chosen your pseudonym rather well. In the words of our own Robert Burns..... to see ourselves as others see us! What must the world think of us?

The disgrace is that you and many like you (on both sides of the divide) are too thick to understand the stupidity of what is happening in our country.

"Emergency services broke into a house in Bunnetville today in a last ditch attempt to calm down a man who had become dangerously incensed over a story he read in The Scotsman newspaper.

Paramedics administered valium and mogadon to the man, known only as Tescotom, after being called by neighbours who were concerned by the sounds of screaming and breaking glass emanating from his home.

As he was led to a secure unit kicking and screaming, he was heard to shout, "Anyone who believes this bollox, needs their head examined! Then again, the serially offended Sellik fan just make up any old crap and pass it off as true.

Another anti Rangers story without foundation I'm afraid.........."

It transpired that the man in question had completely missed the point of the article he was reading. He is unable to tell the difference between anti-social youths living in Larkhall, Lanarkshire, and Rangers FC.

One of the police officers who attended the scene, but does not wish to be named, said, "It's an easy mistake to make."

Henrik Larsson is the King of Kings."

#221 Livion:

I dont twist the knife. Scotland is my homeland, Edinburgh is my city and there isnt many cities on the planet better...IN MY OPINION that is (Maybe London, New York and Vienna)

Anyway, Scotland as we know is affluent, Scotland is beautiful and she is certainly one of the most visited nations in the world. Scotland is famous, she is renowned the world over for her whiskey, her bag pipes, her tartan, her kilts and her inventiveness.

So Livion, lets be honest. I love Scotland, its the ned culture I detest. I would scrap the dole in a second if I could, these hangers on are a disgrace. Attacking traffic lights! For goodness sake. And this is people who had the opportunity of an education, one can only imagine how bad they would be in a less privaledged society.

Many nations have neds, but ours are the world champions.

ban religion in scotland problem solved

Another made up story. " A policeman who does not wish to be named". We want policemen that do their jobs and catch vandals and charge them thus providing proof of the crime. I am sure the workers from Irvine that are about to lose their jobs would prefer a bit of press time!

Tescotom has got the Mope's using insults and slurs, it's the Sellik way you see.

Only the Spud thick would believe such a story!

The serially offended will now look for their next story, where they can rejoice in feeling neglected and abused.

What next from the Mope's?

Can we all put our heads together and think of aspects of Scottish life, which send Mope's into overdrive.

Traffic Lights,

Songs from 200 miles away,

Orange walks in towns nowhere near the offended,

Ach I can't be bothered, the list is endless!

They have traffic lights in Springfield and more than a few bigots but no cartoon could match the anticts of Larkhall. Bart Simpson(Southern babtist) gets his corrective lines each day. Usually, Principal Skinner attempts wit toamue Wullie the Janny in his tedious task to wipe the chalked up spam.The usual repetitious banalities. Why don't these sniggering weans on the electronic blog, who rant to each other just swap their E mails like fag cards or konkers(health and safety allowing) Perhaps there is more to it. The tedium to scroll through the toss from the usual suspects drains energy, lowers motivation and adds to the all too enervating lack of vitality in Scotlland. Is such a ploy to stir up apathy towards the lumpen whackos a deliberate tactic on the part of bag carriers for our political elite?

You have got to be joking, what a sad state of affair that the top Scottish newspaper is reduced to printing this non story. Are good journalists hard to find nowadays?

225. Media 1, cape town
To use your favourite phrase, lets be honest,
""..Lets be honest, Scottish neds are the world champions of neds..""

No they absolutely are not!!

Damaging street furniture is what unattended children do if they have no adult supervision.

Larkhall eg has never had kids involved in guncrime.

Dennis the Menace and Oor Wullie with their catapults smashing Mr Smith's greenhouse window or knocking off PC Murdoch's police helmet have been a source of amusement for generations.

They are not in the same league as US homies where the police helicopters have armour plating to prevent the 'kids' shooting them out of the sky.

They are not in the same league as the SA kids who if you get on the wrong side of them will cut off your arms at the elbows place a car tyre around your neck filled with petrol and set you alight.

They are not in the same league as the feral streetkids of South America who would slit your throat if you inadvertantly wandered into one of their favelas where even the police are afraid to go.
http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/stories/s862635.htm

Ned culture is it you detest, maybe you are just an unreconstructed snob?

I have always thought that we need to tackle this head on,and for me that would involve dividing all football grounds into sections.Anybody misbehaves in your section and everybody in that section is removed.Unfair ? Yes it certainly is ,but would you like to explain to 400 other guys why they are being thrown out because of you? I guarantee he wont do it again! Of course he might not do anything again.Its a bit extreme I agree,but it would definitely be understood by the single brain cell life forms that are all to often called football fans, when they are in fact just morons.
225

I know what you mean but a minor point which should be corrected is,the majority of Scots live around or below the Council for Europe's definition of poverty.Against the poorest countries we do compare of course.Thats not quite the rosy picture you have painted,but I agree that I did understand what you meant despite what you said. (duidelijk)
Your inclusion of London surprises me,and I would also point out that WHISKEY does not come from SCOTLAND.
Whisky (Scottish Gaelic: uisge-beatha}, or whiskey (Irish: uisce beatha), Any bottle produced in Scotland carries a registered trade mark WHISKY and anything bearing the name WHISKEY was produced outside Scotland.I take your point (again) however.

WE do have a problem with sectarianism in Scotland and we need to eradicate it asap.

On a day when Madeline McCann's family are in the headlines, 450 people are losing jobs in Irvine and many young Scottish soldiers are injured in a helicopter crash, the local rags still insist on printing made up bollox about imaginery bigots and Rangers fans.

Hands up again, who actually believes this tosh!

#231 Livion: You may be right, there does appear to be quite a large amount of lower class problems.

It is quite shocking really, will the poor ever grow up?

As a Scot living South of the Border religious prejudice was the attitude in the town of my birth that disgusted me most of all.
A protestant by birth I returned North of the Border at each school holiday and had to mremember which part of the town was in or look closely at the person I was talking to to see wheteher yhere was a preponderance of blue or green.
Schools in the area were Catholic or protestant and all knew who went where the result was strife with gangs based upon that religion.
They were and are FAITH BASED schools and they FOSTER religious hatred. They are discriminatory and yet are allowed to continue as such.
This government is now promoting faith based schools. The religious differences between catholic and protestant are small compared with Muslim/Hindu/Christian etc just what religious hatred is now going to be engendered - pinching green traffic light glass will pale into insignificance. I fear for the future of the nation and its people.
All persons have a 'right' to their religious belief without fear or hindrance in their own home and with the proviso they do not impose their beliefs or ways upon others.

# 205

Every word is true and I wrote it to smoke some people of the woodwork for a good argument .
The fact is that the problems in Ireland were in the main political and not religious. Secondly in this anti-white PC world we live in, if Smith was still governing Zimbabwe as it disintegrated and did the things Mugabe does , there would be a world-wide outcry and not the current whimpering as people over there suffer.

Now don't be offended but I get Tom Collins, Joan Collins and "your "Collins mixed up. But please accept my apology for going down this street.

Anyway we have touched on the crux of the matter.
I wasn't talking about Jock Stein having Protestant pals - I don't know or even care what the religion of his sports writer/editor was in any case. The point was that certainly at that time in the 1960's there were many Rangers fans who didn't know this but may have been outraged had they done so - which I am sure you will agree is crazy. Anyway out of interest do you know any Catholics who support Rangers. I certainly know many Protestants who support Celtic.
My contribution was a bit confusing and disjointed but no offence is meant.

By the way I believe Jock Stein was the greatest manager Scotland ever had -even if he almost ran me over on Sunday afternoons whilst I was playing football in the street . He would swerve round the corner almost on two wheels in his Ford Zephyr ( it might have been a Zodiac - please don't bite my head off). As I don't want to mention specific names the boy who was slashed and the sports writer are among of the following surnames. Clark, Park, Grant, Smith , Horn, Warden or Graham

And for our English viewers. -
There was a documentary about the World Cup in 2006 shown on German TV the other day . Mobs of English fans were taunting German hells Angels in Frankfurt chanting ' I 'd rather be a P*** than a K****" so please can we disband the lynch Mob picking on larkhall. This pro

While I condemn the mindless neds that are doing this for whatever nefareous reason, I think it's a bit of a leap to call stealing green lights as anti-Catholic.

People seem to be seeing sectarianism everywhere - so no wonder it seems like the world's most pressing problem.

PS Couldn't it be Celtic fans stealing the lights because they are green? What Rangers fan would want to steal a green light?

234. Media 1, cape town
Why don't you go round to Soweto and ask them why they choose to remain poor and don't grow up?

Labour has run Scotland for 50 years and rely on a poor underclass to retain this favoured position, as 'protection from the bosses' as they would have it.

In the same way that as under Thatcher tory councils sought to move catchment areas to include more affluent property owners and sold council housing at givaway prices to bulk their vote, so the Labour councils have kept poor social housing provision underfunded to maintain their core vote.

218...sorry NOTB...I thought it was common knowledge that the McStays were born and raised in Larkhall and both Paul and Willie still live not far from their hometown.

Truthslueth wrote

Schools in the area were Catholic or protestant and all knew who went where the result was strife with gangs based upon that religion.

I'm not sure where you come from mate, but in my experience only one section of society have their own religious school system.

One which has been condemned for discrimination by the teaching unions and other respectable organisations.

A system where religious apartheid is promoted and cherished.

How many Larkhall Residents does it take to change a light bulb?

#239 Livion: Soweto poor? Are you for real?

Maybe you mean Thembiza.

Anyway, as we have already established, these poor ones have done little to improve their lives, so let them continue to attack traffic lights, push prams, spit on the street and behave like morons.

Why should we care?

I remember an orange Larkhall guy (who happened to like riddles, jokes and wind ups) asking me the following>

Why is a mouse?

When I replied I don't know. He answered...

"Because it cannae fly"

Its either something in the water or it's the education system out there.

He was a nice guy btw...until he found out I was a Catholic then he just blanked me and avoided me at all costs. But I excuse is sudden change in behaviour because he was young and also he had a lot of older Larkhall people around him...who I reckon caused some peer pressure.

Ahhh life...

244. Media 1, cape town
If you do not know the answer to that question then you have been in away from Scotland too long.

Not many real Scots would have a problem answering why should we care that kids are growing up in poverty without hope?

242. Tescotom
Well mate neither can I understand where you come from, or perhaps you never got beyond your front door or have spent your life in a seminary.
I suppose you with your clearly limited intelligence would need Catholic or Protestant in the title of the school - use your eyes and brains.

#247 Livion: No, I have not been away too long. I am there every 6 months. However, I tend to avoid the neds, they really are quite a disgusting lot are'nt they?

pity the press cant see fit to devote as much time to knife crime in this country-the real problem.
perhaps one day in our mixed schools we can all learn that killing each other is wrong-especially in "gods"name.
That is assuming all faiths have no other agenda of course.

Truthslueth

Very intelligent response that was! I appear with my limited intelligence to have struck a raw nerve with my comments.

So come on Mastermind, show me where these Protestant schools are? Show me any other school of denomination, that is not RC?

You may wish to show me facts and figures to back up your point. It's very simple, just type In "Protestant Schools in Scotland" into Google and copy and paste the answers.

Or you can spout bollox all day long and make a complete erse of yourself, what's it to be?

One more time, only RC's have religious apartheid schooling systems in Scotland, where even Bishop Devine, called these abomnations "divisive"

Show me where these Protestant schools are mastermind!

Not bigoted in the slightest?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1261648.stm

Apartheid - pure and simple

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20060226/...

The court in Scotland's view

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4787496.stm

The most interesting thing about this non article is the large number of comments it attracted

That place is a biggoted dump, like most of Scotland. Scotland thinks it is not biggoted and that the other side is to blame like poster #215.

Scotland is renowned around the world for its bigotry,

Chucky

I believe that employers should look for staff on the grounds of suitability to a particular job and if they are the correct person for a specific role. However the RC church thinks differently I'm afraid.

Non Catholics are openly discriminated against, and with full backing from the Scottish executive. I'm sure a reasonable and equal rights campaigner such as yourself, would agree that non Catholic teaching staff should be employed in positions within Catholic schools... right?

So why are they not then?

Tell me one RC school in Scotland, where non Catholics are in a managerial position? Is this just by chance there are none? or is there a more sinister reason?

According to the teaching union in Scotland the EIS, the reasons are purely sectarian. Now are they lying or anti Catholic?

Catholic schools are breeding grounds for hate and resentment, and all supported by numerous politicians, scared to incur the wrath of the so called Catholic vote.

That's Scotland's real sectarian shame in my opinion!

184. Media 1

"I was just telling my garden boy and the maids about this story. They cant believe it!"

My butler was equally perplexed.

Chucky, I see no one has answered your question. This may help.

During my teenage years (early 1960s) I had two very good friends who went to a large state school on the southside of Glasgow. They told me that the local CoS minister, a very well-known man whose name now escapes me, was in the school at least once a week. This was certainly much more often than I saw any of our local priests in my own school.

The canard that Scottish state schools do not have a Protestant ethos flies in the face of the facts as I know them, mate. I could be wrong, of course, but it's up to those who attended them to confirm the fact one way or the other.

#263 I was in a catholic school, yes there is problems but far less in comparison to other schools IMO. The main plus in a catholic school is the education, it is accepted by most that the teaching is well above that of other schools, yes there is bigotry etc, it would be naive to say there is not, but what do you expect, it happens everywhere, in scrapping RC schools, you would end up with even worse scholls all because of your bigotted opinion, yes you are actaully a bigot for going against RC schools, your reasons posted are a cover up for your bigotry.. see how it works ..?

Should we bring down RC schools, because your s***** other scholls are not producing, so bring other scholls into the gutter? Well as long as there are catholics, than our lord we wont have this,,,,,

Jim 258 wrote

Never having attended a non-denominational school in Scotland, I don't know the answer to that question.

I have heard that historically they had close links with the Church of Scotland, which I don't see any problem with.

Jim

You should have tried a non denom school, where the teaching staff came from a variety of backgrounds and religion. This obviously gives the pupils are full insight into other religions and cultures.

However I'm afraid the school you attended, was probably inhabited by Roman Catholic teachers only and mostly the pupils of the same persuasion.

You find it acceptable to discriminate against the majority of Scots because they share another religion as yourself.

Next you will be trotting out the old line about RC schools achieving higher exam marks than non RC educational establishments.

Go on I dare you!

You know what the drill is Jim?

Pat the Hat

I remember COS ministers attending my school about once a month.. so what?

Do these schools discriminate against anyone?

Do these schools preach only one religion?

Do these schools have better exam results?

Come on Pat, prove these points!

Are RC schools being sued for discrimination?

Did the bishop of Motherwell say they were divisive?

Did the RC church ask for separate gates, toilets and staffrooms in shared campuses?

Scotland's open shame - apartheid schooling.

Binhoker

Your particular school is obviously a lost cause!

So I there is complete proof that these are "bigoted" attacks? How about the notion that the green lights are the easiest to get to? Surely that has crossed the mind of NBM etc who incidently can't wait to jump on anything concerning protestants or Rangers. Didn't have much to say about Hartson singing about the IRA. But hey, that's another story.

As for shops changing their colours. In Besiktas region of Istanbul there is the one and only black and white McDonalds in the world. The reason for this is the rivalry between Galatasaray and Besiktas. The store was being constantly vandalised due to McDonalds being the same colours as Galatasaray.

Chucky

Would you call having poorer exam results working?

Would you call sectarian apartheid working?

Would you call religious bigotry against teaching staff working?

Would you say having separate staffroms and toilets is forward thinking?

Would you say, being taken to court on a regular basis due to intolerance is working?

Keep up the good work chucky!

#272 , Its easy to answer questions. For me its simple, i dont want to be like you, Going around thrying to impose your ideas, no wonder the world is fuked,

268 Tescotom

1 – I don't know, I never went to one. What I do know is that Scottish state schools produce some of the most hate-filled bigots on earth. You are a case in point, as you have illustrated today.

2 – I don't know if they preach any one religion. I imagine that if CoS ministers frequent them, it's not for a cup of tea. But again I do not know.

3 – Do they have better exam results? Absolutely not. Every year I seem to read that Catholic schools produce better exam results than state schools, that discipline is better and that the children have a more rounded education. Maybe it's the Timmy media telling lies. You know what they're like. lol!

But it's why parents of ALL faiths, including Muslims, try to send their children to them. Or hadn't you noticed? In every country in the world, Catholic schools figure at or near the top in all indicators.

Are they being sued? Dunno, mate, I no longer live there, but nothing would surprise me about Scotland. Or secular dominated trade unions.

I believe Bishop Devine did say they were divisive, but not because of what they teach, but because their existence drives lunatics to foamy-mouthed distraction, as you surely prove.

Enough – I have a job to do and a life to live. You should try getting both, saddo.

I would like to correct the poster who claimed that teachers in RC schools did not need approval from a priest and would direct him to the following

This is an extract from South Lanarkshire's application form for teaching in Catholic schools

15. APPROVAL TO TEACH IN ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS The Education [Scotland] Act 1980 requires that the Catholic Church “approve as to religious belief and character” teachers appointed to Roman Catholic schools. Application for approval should be made to the Diocesan Authority within whose boundaries [1] you hope to take up posts, or [2] you are currently living.

Pat name calls when someone shows his hate and bile for what it is. Now watch him squirm out of this one folks..

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/sunday_times/...

1. "Catholic schools are not academically superior to their non-denominational equivalents. Quite the opposite is true."

Allow me to expand on this. We've all been subjected to the lie about RC schools being "academically and morally superior" to their non-denominational equivalents. Supremacist lies and propaganda that Goebbels himself would have been proud of.

I offer you The Top 50 schools in Scotland, Sunday Times, October 19th 2006. ONE Roman Catholic secondary in Scotland makes the top 50.

Number School Location Denomination
1 Jordanhill School Glasgow Non Denominational
2 Williamwood High School Clarkston Non Denominational
3 Cults Academy Aberdeen Non Denominational
4 Mearns Castle High School Newton Mearns Non Denominational
5 Banchory Academy Banchory Non Denominational
6 St Ninians High School Giffnock RC
7 Anderson High School Lerwick Non Denominational
8 Gryffe High School Gryffe Non Denominational
9 Linlithgow Academy Linlithgow Non Denominational
10 Dunblane High School Dunblane Non Denominational
11 Boroughmuir High School Edinburgh Non Denominational
12 The Royal High School Edinburgh Non Denominational
13 Douglas Academy Milngavie Non Denominational
14 James Gillespie's High School Edinburgh Non Denominational
15 North Berwick High School North Berwick Non Denominational
16 Aberdeen Grammar School Aberdeen Non Denominational
17 Bearsden Academy Bearsden Non Denominational
18 Lenzie Academy Lenzie Non Denominational
19 Westhill Academy Westhill Non Denominational
20 Peebles High School Peebles Non Denominational
21 Balfron High School Balfron Non Denominational
22 Breadalbane Academy Aberfeldy Non Denominational
23 Castle Douglas High School Castle Douglas Non Denominational
24 Balerno High School Edinburgh Non Denominational
25 Glen Urquhart High School Drumnadrochit Non Denomi

Continued for Pat the hate filled apologist.

43 Monifieth High School Monifieth Non Denominational
44 Eastwood High School Newton Mearns Non Denominational
45 Webster's High School Angus Non Denominational
46 Boclair Academy Bearsden Non Denominational
47 Oldmacher Academy Aberdeen Non Denominational
48 Greenock Academy Greenock Non Denominational
49 Kirkudbright Academy Kirkudbright Non Denominational
50 Craigmount High School Edinburgh Non Denominational

To those it could concern...
I mentioned earlier of an incident at the Rangers Social Club. The truth hurts. Many in denial that such I thing could happen ... Sorry about that .

Now the wee hint I mentioned earlier I shall widen for the benefit of the few ...

My reply to Pat may answer why I could not be a bigot, and at a guess a few bigot accusers may understand the following. LOL

No 265 Pat the Hat

Hi Pat, Southside of the City .. Middle to late 50's

I can confirm that at Queens Park Higher Grade School the local COS minister would take RI with each class once a week. Exams normally end of year and roughly around May.

The school pupils would assemble once a month, and head up past the Victoria Hospital towards the Langside Monument. The name of COS church going by memory was Langside ???. Maybe someone out their can remember the name.. This church was demolished due to fire many years ago. Early 60's ?

I believe that may help Pat..

Holyrood boy ???

Holyrood, blue ... Queens Park, green/yellow hoops,

LOL ...

Ps Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings ..... At that point of my teaching of the Old Testament it came to a sudden halt.

The wee baldy heided minister was sacked and thrown out the school. The school congregation moved, I believe it was Battlefield West Church..
The minister was a sadist who burnt oot the leather belts wan a week..Nothing unusual I suppose in schools them days but he definately was a criminal...
Of course I carried on with my Bible studies for another 6 years to Staff Sergeant in the Boys Brigade.. 113th for anyone interested.. Queens Park High COS... 10 years in total ..

I suppose thats a big hint for the followers of satan... Now don't jump in true blues ..

You know that may have bored the arses of many but I really enjoyed that..

The majority of ROMAN CATHOLICS in Scotland want to see these schools scrapped.

"In 1992, 47% of catholics were in favour of phasing out separate schools (source: Scottish Election Survey) and in 2001, this number had risen to 59% (source: Scottish Social Attitudes Survey)"

"The majority of people in Scotland want to see these schools scrapped."

"A recent survey by the National Centre for Social Research showed 81% of Scots in favour of ending separate Catholic education with only 13% in favour of retaining it."

"A poll, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, has shocked many of Scotland’s educationists and Church leaders. It showed a rise of 6 per cent to 81 per cent from a decade ago, when three quarters of those polled wanted the schools abolished. "

Come on Pat, let's be having you, as a well known Norwich City fan once said!

Squawk, Squawk Squawk Squawk.

Hey dudes,

Inside the confines of ur Scottish Highlands why not show the world an example of pure Scottish hatred.

Select the Green Traffic Lights and smash them.

Roll on SNP and Ur independence dreaming.

First try and control the hatred and the hooliganism.

Happy SHAT Day

GC

Here Pat, the United Nations are at it too! Thought I'd "regurgitate" their viewpoint for you. No doubt run by anti-Kafflik bigots yon United Nations eh Pat? And those Social Psychologists Pat.....aw masonic bigots aren't they?

6. The Benefits of Abolishing Sectarian Schools

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights takes into account the studies of intolerance done by social psychologists, both reporting that raising children without segregation is the key to combating intolerace:

“66. The human mind is the source of all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief, and should therefore be the main target of any action to curb such behaviour. Education could be the prime means of combating discrimination and intolerance. It could make a decisive contribution to inculcating values pertaining to human rights and the development of tolerant and non-discriminating attitudes and behaviour, thus helping to spread the culture of human rights. The role of the schools in this educational effort is crucial.”
United Nations Commission on Human Rights (1995)12
“Probably the first formal proposal of a set of social-psychological principles for reducing prejudice was Allport's (1954) contact hypothesis (as it has come to be called), which is summarized in a very famous quote:
"Prejudice (unless deeply rooted in the character structure of the individual) may be reduced by equal status contact between majority and minority groups in the pursuit of common goals. The effect is greatly enhanced if this contact is sanctioned by institutional supports (i.e. by law, custom or local atmosphere)"
”
"Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour" by Richard Gross, p468
It does not accord with this mentality that we can promote sectarian schooling and allow segregation of children according to the religious wishes of their parents, this is not in keeping with mature anti-discrim

To those it could concern...
I mentioned earlier of an incident at the Rangers Social Club. The truth hurts. Many in denial that such I thing could happen ... Sorry about that .

Now the wee hint I mentioned earlier I shall widen for the benefit of the few ...

My reply to Pat may answer why I could not be a bigot, and at a guess a few bigot accusers may understand the following. LOL

No 265 Pat the Hat

Hi, Southside of the City .. Middle to late 50's

I can confirm that at Queens Park Higher Grade School the local COS minister would take RI with each class once a week. Exams normally end of year and roughly around May.

The school pupils would assemble once a month, and head up past the Victoria Hospital towards the Langside Monument. The name of COS church going by memory was Langside ???. Maybe someone out their can remember the name.. This church was demolished due to fire many years ago. Early 60's ?

I believe that may help Pat..

Holyrood boy ???

Holyrood, blue ... Queens Park, green/yellow hoops,

LOL ...

Tescotom is off, pushing trollies, where his education led him to...

Truth hurts BinHoker!

I'm sure everyone reading this, will notice a trend from the apartheid supporters in Scotland! When they are shown to be telling porkies, or Goebbels like propoganda, and they are caught out.

They almost to a man, revert to petty name calling.

Water off this wee Prods back I'm afraid.

Now disprove my statistics apartheid supporters?

The reported 4 percentage points increase, (27-31), in the support for independence actually represents a 14.8% increase in support for the concept.

Not a bad result for a party which has only been in (minority) power for three months.
Salmond leaps and Brown bounces not withstanding, if the SNP continue to increase the support for independence by an average of 3% per month, the unionists may have cause to be very, very worried about the outcome of the proposed referendum.

A major reason for seeking independence is to consign the unionist bigoted morons back to the caves to which they belong.

They regard themselves as an underclass, with all the forelock touching, bowing and scraping which accompanies such an attitude.

They also regard other elements of society as being below themselves.

catholics, nationalists, muslims, hindus, left handers, graduates, blue-eyed, atheists, gaelic speakers, jazz loving, anti-war, sandal wearing, guitar playing, poetry reading commies.

All of those represent a threat to their supremacy within the underclass to which they think they belong.

Let us chase these clowns!

Take control

Tis Time!

Bully wee wrote

A major reason for seeking independence is to consign the unionist bigoted morons back to the caves to which they belong.

So anyone who chooses to be a British Unionist is a bigot? Am I correct in thinking that's what you are saying?

Would this be every unionist?

50% of Unionists?

Or a small minority of Unionists?

Why are they morons for having a difdfering view?

Why do Unionists live in caves?

Is this a proven fact, or just your deep seated hatred showing through?

In an Independent Scotland, would Unionists have to put up with hate like you are showing?

Can you show me proof that Unionists believe themselves to be superior?

Show me prrof of Unionists bowing and scraping?

Welcome to Scotland 2007!

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Dueteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First book of Samuel, .... That is where my teaching of the Old testament ended at school... LOL

The wee baldy minister was sacked due to his assaults with the old leather belt. I think he wore wan oot every week.
Nothing unusual about that with teachers in them days with the cape and mortar board...
This COS minister wis mad.

The school assembly moved to Battlefield West Church as I left school..
My biblical teachin carried on in the 113th Boys Brigade.. 10 years service reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant..
I would think anyone who accused me of bigotry should re-assess their views.. If not I couldn't care a dxxx..

I am non-religous but bigotry in this country is worst now than in my youth. In my opinion.
By the way a set of temporary traffic lights not far from my home has been vandalised.
No more than five foot tall ( You have all seen the same type scattered around the country ) .

At both ends of this road repair both green have been broken / smashed.
I shall after what I have read on this thread let others decide the reason.. I certainly don't believe the damage is due to the fact the culprits are all 2' tall.... LOL LOL Lol...

No 288..

In the late 70's was the vote for Independance 38%..??

A genuine question to the board...

Was their a few riders thrown in ??

Faith Schools utter tripe this is a west of Scotland problem I was born and bred in Edinburgh the reason there are Catholic Schools are because Catholics were discriminated against,so what about Spain,Italy what about their schools? I was born a RC all my mates were non Catholics we all went to the games together,I bet there are more Non-Catholics who support Celtic than RCs who support Rangers, Rangers were founded on bigotry,anyway Paul McStay a Celtic legend lives in Larkhall,we will now get green traffic lights smashed now all over the country now that this "newspaper" has highlighted it. Scotland is a bigoted sectarian racist country!!!!!!!!!!!

The people who steal these traffic lights are quite obviously neds, they are poor, they are wild, they are mindless, they are pathetic, they are stupid, they are inferior, they are junkies and very bored.

Shame isnt it? Well, not really. Stuff em, poor b@strds

James-nice to see you have moved
as has been pointed out to you on numerous occassions on these pages over the months ONLY 2 RC termed schools made the top 50 in Scotland.
Source-The Glasgow Herald and Scottish office.
Ignoring facts again when it suits you I see.
Are you still using the employers e-mail?

Some numpty wrote this crap

Rangers were founded on bigotry,anyway Paul McStay a Celtic legend lives in Larkhall,we will now get green traffic lights smashed now all over the country now that this "newspaper" has highlighted it. Scotland is a bigoted sectarian racist country!!!!!!!!!!!

Rangerswere founded on bigotry????

Ladies and Gentlemen, the latest madness to come from Thimmy. Only one club in Glasgow was founded on religious grounds, and it was Celtic.

Founded for Catholics, by Catholics.

No wonder people laugh at Timmy and their crazy little serially offended world.

Anyone prove to me Rangers were founded on bigotry... go on, prove you it?

I await the next bollox from the crazed nuts from the east.

The outstanding behaviour of Celts in Milan follow followed by the appalling conduct of Gers in Pamplona begs a vital question: how can the Dear Green Place sire such different groups?

We live on the same streets; watch the same TV; drink the same beer; eat the same food – and yet Celts are held in affection across Europe, but Gers in almost universal contempt.

Sure, the Clubs themselves have fostered different collective cultures. CFC is built on charity and goodness to feed starving paupers in the east end in the 1880s, it’s charitable legacy lives on to this day. And the Club itself unilaterally and of its own volition attacked the unsavouries and sought to rid CFC of sectarianism.

Conversely, through the majority of it’s existence, RFC has fostered bigotry and badness. Post WW1 it imported anti Catholic vitriol from scvm from Harland & Wolf in Belfast and then carefully nurtured evil for decades.

Supposed anti sectarian ventures have always been belated, tepid, and forced. Witness the video of the Vice Chairman singing anti Catholic anthems on Club premises, and witness the Club selling ORANGE strips: the lure of the bigots’ £ was always too strong for The Rangers FC.

To this day, RFC lack the moral courage to attack bigotry and put it in it’s place. Witness the “RHOU” explanation for Nazi Seig Heil salutes, and the farcical denials and excuses trotted out after scandalous events such as Villareal & Pamplona.

So….the core question remain: what separates Celts from Gers? What makes Celts behave soooooooooooo much better?

Could the answer lie in education? A significant proportion of Celts are educated in Catholic Schools; in Scotland, Ireland, and England.

Conversely, few Gers are educated in Catholic Schools. They generally seek non denominational schools.

Are we now seeing the differences emerging? Whilst Celts are learning how to conduct themselves; decency; kindness……these things are pla

269

Are you arguing that Celtic were founded on bigotry OR that Celtic were founded by Catholics?

Figgy 295

Are you aware that in England & Wales, 17 of the top 21 Primary School were Faith Schools?

Measure: Value add Key stage 1 - Key Stage 2.

Source: The Times Educational Supplement, published Nov 2006.

295 Figgy

can you provide a link to substantiate your story?

James

Have you changed location?

And name for that matter?

Chatanumpty wrote

Are we now seeing the differences emerging? Whilst Celts are learning how to conduct themselves; decency; kindness……these things are plainly absent in the upbringing of the average currant bun.

Here's a little example of the behaviour you obviously refer to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AXJjY4BTLI

Decent, kindness and sheer hatred for all things not Irish and Catholic. In fact they actually sing about killing these very same people.

RC education = hate, ethnic cleansing and poison

Guys

Best school in Scotland?

See BBC Website 20th March 2007:

Inspectors give school top marks

A primary school with a roll of 264 pupils has claimed the title of Scotland's best school.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) awarded St Mark's Primary in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, 11 "excellents" in their report card.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6467...
___________________

So, who was it before tha?

Errr....BBC website again:

Primary school 'best in Scotland'

The school was awarded an unprecedented nine 'excellents'

An East Renfrewshire primary has been named as Scotland's best mainstream school by inspectors.
Our Lady of the Missions in Thornliebank, which has 664 pupils, has broken all records for reports issued by HM Inspectorate of Education.

It has been judged excellent on nine of the 15 yardsticks for assessing how well a school performs.

The childrens' progress in maths and English was singled out, as was the school's relationship with parents.

Inspectors praised the primary school's "climate of equality, fairness and high expectations".

It also won plaudits for its strong identity as a Catholic school, its ethos and its highly-motivated pupils.

____________________________

I guess some of you guys must feel left out!!!

God created man. Man created religion.

But who on earth created Larkkkhall?

That's really good news chatbawnuts.

A wee Cathoilc school has been voted best school in Scotland. And yer point is caller?

Nobody is saying Catholic education is not good at educating children, what we are saying is they discriminate against non RC's. Hope that clears that issue up for you, before you get all offended again.

As for decency, kindess and conducting yourself. Here's a wee snippet of the unwashed behaviour in Blackburn

More banning orders in one game, than any other match in England - ever.

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:aFqiES74wNUJ:monitor...

303

You're gettin awfy awfy confused, Tesco!

Nothing in that wee vid contradicts my statements. I saw 4 Irish guys singin a song in Glasgow! What did you see?

Now, I can show you proper bigotry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpjHdoHba9s&mode=relat...=

That's what we're talkin about, Tesco!!! Proper bigotry.

Wee question for you, Tesco:

How many known Catholics did RFC play in the first team in the 40 years after WW2?

Decency, kindness and a downright hatred of anything non Catholic and non Irish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c617Im4wVPA

James 307

Yep, I watched it right through and was singularly underwhelmed.

306

Errr Retard...the TOP TWO schools!!!

Here Tescotim.

Wheres your youtube equivalent of this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8cffEaZGh0

309

Real bigotry, anything you can do...................

How many RC's did Rangers... who gives a toss, this is 2007 ya dumpling.

We could go on all day with the point scoring chatabigot.

Which ground was closed during 2nd worlds war for supporting fascist Germany?

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are real fascists in action, never mind the kid on nazi salutes etc, this is real venom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWYpmF1j288

* 308

Need to go now bhoys against bhuggery, the stench of rotten flesh coming from the hooped mhanks is overwhelming.

Like the Mark Walters hate video, now that's what I call hatred and bigotry.

297....Good Evening Chatanooga

Interesting concepts you throw up. I agree education is the key to solving the differences. But I disagree that catholic education is more moral than non denominational education.

When I went to catholic school in Glasgow in the seventies and early eighties, it was full of nutters, yobs, neds and their was an undercurrent of violence from pupils and teachers every day I went there. In short, I was disinterested and demotivated to study and left without a qualification...in otherwords a failure of that school.

I have since went on to gain two university degrees, one 1st class with honours and several post grad professional qualifications. I now have more letters after my name than in my name, no thanks to the catholic education system.

Bigotry and behaviour is very much learned at home. Some of it might be learned at school, but in the main its parents who raise kids and parents who define right from wrong to their children.

Most of the protestants who are my close friends were raised in good families and realised right from wrong from an early age.

My theory on why there are more bigots and thugs who follow RFC has several strands.

1. The clubs policy attracted the wrong types of decades including BNP/UDA supporters/members etc

2. There are substantially more protestants and non catholics living in Glasgow and Scotland. So by law of statistics, for every Celtic hooligan there's 4 Rangers hooligans. For every Celtic bigot there's 4 RFC bigots.

This 4:1 ratio, work against RFC even more because they have a smaller number of season ticket holders than CFC. I'd say in the seventies the percentage of bigots following each club was probably the same. Since Celtic have grown the weekly fanbase and football has become a more middle class sport, the Celtic fans who have started going every week have generally been non the die hards but people who bought into Fergus's vision of Celtic

Goodness, boys and girls, some people have a lot of time on their hands.

Now what have we learned today?

Larkhall could be a nice town but it is is full of neds. They seem to get away with it all the time. They live up to the town's reputation as a den of bigotry.

It isn't funny and someone's going to get killed because of it. Again. Nil by Mouth was set up after such a killing. They do a good job, not least by giving the rest of us the confidence to treat sectarian abuse as "just a wee joke".

This stuff has nothing to do with football and not much to do with religion. It's a crime story.

S Lanarkshire Council is in denial and should stop pussyfooting about. The police should arrest the perpetrators of the vandalism and the courts should lock them up for a very long time.

4 Irish guys who sings songs about killing Scottish soldiers etc, you piece of dog dirt.

But it's only a bit of craic.. ehh chatabawbag.

319. Tescotim

Hurry now, cant keep the therapist waiting.

Chata...sorry for such a long reply...but it was a very interesting debate you opened.

Its just a shame that more decent RFC fans can't debate the issues without resorting to counterproductive insults every time.

puskas, East Kilbride

I can confirm that they are none to fond of the colour Green at Rangers Social Clubs.

A couple of years ago I found myself at one in Grangemouth, the occasion was an engagement party, the place had been decorated with congratulatory banners, streamers, balloons and the like.

SOME OF THE BALLOONS WERE GREEN!

Never fear, some ceremonial pins were soon produced and the children encouraged to rid the place of the vile emblems of popery.

I think it came under the heading "defending the Faith"?

ENOUGH ALREADY !!! TAKE SOME TIME OUT AND REFLECT ON THIS TOPIC; SLEEP ON IT. AS THE SONG SAYS - ALL THE COLOURS BLEED INTO ONE.

Tim,

I'm a passionate advocate of faith based education for those parents who seek it for their children.

My wife works in a school, and I'm a School Governor, with specific responsibility for:

>>> Personnel
>>> Finance
>>> Special Needs (recently revised to "Inclusion")

Our school, is an ordinary, small, Catholic Primary School and I'm enormously proud of it.

We achieve well academically, but it is the ethos, and moral dimension where such schools excel.

The saddest thing about various attcaks on Faith Schools is that most are based on stunning ignorance.

I'm told our Teachers MUST be Catholic....but one is Prod & another is Atheist.

I'm told we exclude non Catholic children, but approx 10% of our are non Catholic.

I could go on.......and on...

Chatanooga

To expand on my points earlier...a true example of bigotry...at home v education.

In 1989, when Mo Johnston signed for Rangers feelings in Glasgow were running high. Very high. I worked with a rangers fan (lets call him Billy) and protestant, a great bloke, we got on like a house on fire.

One day Billy came to work and was telling me about his 11 year old son and how fanatical he was about football. He told me though his son came home from school and was singing the Billy Boys...Billy told his son..."Thats not a football song son. If you sing that you'll not be coming to the football with me" The boy never sung the song again all the time I knew Billy.

The point is, his parent told him bigotry was wrong, but at school he was learning bigotry and hatred not because of the education, but because of the types he was mixing with.

As God is my judge, that story is 100% true.

329

Years ago a wee English lassie got a job at GA in Bishopbriggs and they got her a flat in Kirkintilloch.

She travelled up on the Saturday ahead of starting her job the following Monday.

She got off at The Cross and asked for directions to her new address.

Walking along Cowgate, she saw an approaching parade. As she wondered along, kinda bemused, she noticed several of the natives frowning at her....and some spat.

When she got to her house, the lady gave her the key.....and asked about why her green coat was covered in spit.

They say they're a Christian organisation, you know......

would some one not just send a cruise missile into the centre of larkhall and be done with it

337

Similar story...

About 10 years ago I was talkin to a couple of guys at work re schools....education...

Suppose your weans are learnin to pray right now, John...said George.

It's no' like that...said I....though they have learned their Our Father and Hail Mary.

That's p!sh...says George...mine gets nothin like that....though he did know how to sing the Sash backwards by the time he was 4.

Mine: Our Father & Hail Mary
George's: The Sash backwards BEFORE he went to school.

333...Chatanooga

Chat, I'm not saying faith based schools are wrong. In fact as a christian and catholic, I think they are a great thing and provide children with a moral compass. However, I dont subscribe to the idea that non faith based equals breeding ground for bigots.

Bigots are bred by bad and usually bigoted parents or they are products of the environment children find themselves in when growing up - ie Belfast Shankhill Rd or Falls Rd. There is also of course many other factors that contribute to the making of a bigot, being a victim of bigotry can make one bigoted and peer pressure can form a bigot. But in the main I believe that parents make bigots not any given education system.

Larkhall is a beacon of tolerance compared to another wee village close by. I once followed my Junior team to play Stonehouse Viole(n)t. What an eye opener, belting out the sash and the billy boys good style. Put the Copland Road to shame!

Mind you, it was a good day out...first time I'd seen buckfast on a pub's gantry. Maybe it's changed a bit since then.

342 Tim, I entirely agree. 297 was tic.

338

I remember a nun collecting in Glasgow City centre being mugged by hangers on at an Orange Parade.

I also remember one of my mates standing in the old Jungle at Celtic Park and because he was wearing blue trousers, several neds behind us, started spitting on his trousers and giving him verbal abuse. A full blown fight nearly broke out and stewards intervened, moving us to the Celtic End.

Again absolutely true...witnessed with my own eyes.

It disgusted me to see celtic fans probably catholics behaving like that.

343...

Keenan. I am sure Tom Forsyth hailed form Stonehouse and might have even played for the violet...though he probably thought they were called Stonehouse Violent.

344

What was the question again?

342

I entirely agree. 297 was just my wee bit of t.i.c. fun.

345

Certainly Celts...though cant imagine they were Caths.

Returning to Buchanan St Bus Station when I was about 20, at around 6pm, a wee guy (about 16) ran past me, hotly pursued by numerous Celts.

They cornered him, and gave him a kickin as others watched....dazed...frightened.

I stopped them and they were making for starting on me....til I brought out my wee + from under my shirt.

Sad. True.

Spartak game is on live on Setanta 4.30 next wed...I am so glad I have my own business and work from home.

350

Maybe not practising caths...but I reckon were educated in cath schools.

Chatanooga

Daily Huddle is on CTV in ten minutes...It's Ally Begg's last show...watch if you haven't already. Some funny tributes and he gets quite emotional at the end.

Tim,

You'll notice I've had a minor name change.

Looks like the Moddies took exception to my comments re the photos on Tesco's PC.

All the Tescopaedo stuff has been removed, and I got the chop as Chatanooga.

Bizarrely....his paedo quip - that started the filth - remains. I guess that must be OK....I notice Tescotom did a runner soon after my Tescopaedo retorts. Maybe a wee bit too close to the truth.

353

the one wi Murdo?

352

Agreed.

351

Kick off at 5pm....I'm glad my boss is a Tim!!!!

Chata...funny but I changed my name because Tim Malloy was chopped. I think it's based on the number of reports they get.

Its sad that people like Billy 40 a day and many others can come here and spout senseless bigoted evil and get away with it and yet someone who wants to expose the truth gets chopped. Who says the media isn't bias?

355...No, with Jim Craig...(Big Cairney is wearing a David Attenborough suit)

357

This incident happened in The Jungle near the Celtic End...my mate was wearing royal blue trousers not jeans. It was 1985.