On 27th March 2011, events of major importance happened all around the world.
The Syrian government deployed the army to the country’s main port to help bring the national unrest to an end – that hasn’t worked.
The Libyan government under Colonel Gaddafi was claiming that it was in charge of the country despite the efforts of the Libyan rebels to capture Sirte – that definitely didn’t work.
Scotland lost 2-0 to Brazil – ah well.
The UK census took place – you could have counted on that.
David Cameron was complaining about demonstrations in London the previous day – plus ca change.
Rangers FC was on the way to winning another SPL title – plus ca change parte deux.
David Murray was negotiating to sell his team to the Motherwell born billionaire, Craig Whyte – we all know how that turned out, thanks to the next entry.
And a new blog appeared on the internet…
Yes, it was then that the Rangers Tax Case Blog first saw the light of day.
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The anonymous author described the blog as “born out of the wilful ignorance of the Scottish media on this story.”
He referred to the media “reprinting unbelievable PR fiction related to Rangers as news” and of ignoring the tax story.
RTC said that he would be:
- Explaining what Rangers have been accused of doing
- Exploding many of the myths and falsehoods printed in the Scottish media
- Revealing why HMRC feel so confident about this case
- Discussing the implications of HMRC winning the case on Rangers FC
He made it clear that he was a Celtic fan, but would endeavour to be dispassionate and factual.
As he said, “Hopefully, this blog can help shed some light on the most important issue facing Scottish football currently and can help be a clearing-house to dispel the many myths which will likely grow exponentially as the First Tier Tribunal resumes.”
It was not on the agenda that the blog would achieve millions of hits.
It was not planned that there would be literally thousands of comments on each post.
It was not thought possible that the blog would find itself quoted, sometime with attribution and sometimes not, in the very same mainstream media.
It was not anticipated that the Orwell Prize for Blogging would be awarded to RTC within a year.
Now his work is done, and he plans to move on to pastures new.
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We can debate as many have the cause of this change. Economics seems to be the answer, as newspapers cut staff numbers but look for ever increasing production from them.
The time and resources involved in researching a story can, it seems, no longer be justified, especially if, once the facts are discovered, the story can’t be printed, or where the facts do not stand up at all.
I am not in the press, although as an outsider I was privileged to address the Scottish Press Club, but it looks to me that the Rangers Tax Case has been a huge missed opportunity for the press in Scotland.
Based on nothing other than investigative work and reasoned analysis, RTC has achieved all of the things I listed above, and more.
If a brave reporter, and it would have taken bravery, had run with the story over the last sixteen months, where would that paper be now – what awards and accolades would it have won – might it even had boosted circulation?
The view I have heard from a number of people both inside the media and outside is that the apparent “pro-Rangers” bias in the Scottish media was not the result of some conspiracy – instead it was economics.
The readership which supported Rangers was larger than that which supported Celtic. Printing negative stories about Rangers risked more damage to a paper’s circulation than printing negative stories about Celtic.
The reverse was true as well – positive stories about Rangers were better for readership numbers than positive stories about Celtic.
Ironically the result of this calculation has been that, from what I read on the internet, neither group of fans feel that the media does its job or can be trusted, and therefore the effort seems to have been wasted.
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Over the course of the story RTC has been consistently, along with a handful of others like Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, ahead of the game. He achieved scoops both by his own work, and also, as the site grew, by the “crowd sourcing” which followed.
RTC became a clearing house for ideas and debate, and analysis of Companies House forms, court documentation, legal actions and the minutiae of tax legislation became matters of daily discussion not just in the blog but elsewhere.
Over and above all of that effort, from many committed commenters, came thorough analysis of the dealings of the SFA and SPL. Bearing in mind that one of the declared reasons for the blog was the fear of a stitch up by the football authorities, the light shone upon them has been instrumental in ensuring that the situation of a football club going bust owing over £100 million was not dealt with in private, behind closed doors, by way of a friendly handshake or two, and via the old boys’ network.
The football authorities are still blinking their way into the sunlight, but they know that what they say and do will be analysed and scrutinised in ways which did not happen before.
Looking back in history, could the Jorge Cadete registration fiasco have happened if (a) the internet had existed as it does today and (b) the RTC inspired analysts were looking at events daily, and indeed hour by hour?
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Even more than that achievement, I think RTC deserves to be commended for being responsible for bringing together supporters of all teams and none. Even some brave fans of Rangers ventured onto RTC to make their cases.
For all of the hatred (which is not too strong a word) which emanated from some online supporters of the Ibrox club, RTC was not a partisan site. Ideas and comments were encouraged from all quarters and treated with respect by the vast majority of visitors.
RTC set his house rules early on, and thus managed to avoid having the site descend into “whataboutery”, abuse, name calling, hatred and prejudice, all of which are dangers online.
I know from my own experience here that moderation of comments becomes an onerous task, although never a burden. I am sure RTC would be gratified to wake up in the morning to find a hundred new comments awaiting moderation. He would then wonder how, whilst getting ready for his daily activities, he could squeeze in the moderation over his tea and toast.
To his credit, he never wavered and this too promoted the growth of the site. People knew that, as long as they stayed within house rules, their comments would appear on the site.
Mind you, the filter which trapped the word “hun” was always something I forgot, leading me to wonder why a post had got stuck, till I realised that I had mentioned “hundreds” or “Hungary” or “Delahunt”.
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As well as all of the thoughtful and detailed analysis, there has been tremendous humour too. The commenters whose remarks were guaranteed to provoke a smile, and even laughing out loud, are too many to mention.
If a laugh was needed, you could guarantee a few good ones on every page.
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So, in the words of the Peoples Front of Judaea, or is it the Judaean Peoples’ Front, what has RTC ever done for us?
He has broken news stories about the biggest football story on Britain for years.
He has broken stories about one of the biggest corporate insolvencies in Scotland.
He has exposed efforts to hoodwink the fans of Rangers by past owners of the company, even though the fans of the team refused to accept the truth.
He has built a community across Scotland which has resulted, I know myself, in the creation of friendships, both virtual and face to face, which would not have come about without the site.
A Scottish wide football community has come together to hold the football authorities to account, and armed with the knowledge coming from the site, the fans of many teams have forced their own Boards to pay attention to their views.
He has encouraged other bloggers, like me, to take up the baton in our particular fields.
He has made “succulent lamb” a by-word for the type of media coverage which has failed.
He has made “99% crap” and “internet bampots” into badges of honour.
He has provoked memories of taking a Mouldmaster on the thigh on a freezing cold day on a red blaes pitch (not a Blue Pitch Holdings reference).
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What does the future hold for RTC?
We do not know, as he has maintained his anonymity despite the frantic efforts of some to identify and locate him, or to have his site taken down for all of the “lies” he was telling about Rangers. None of these ploys has worked.
The list of people who have been identified, wrongly, as RTC is long and honourable. Indeed I have even been suggested as being the author of it. However, RTC has the power of brevity which I sorely lack, and he is a Celtic supporter, whilst I follow Albion Rovers. J
Lawyers, professors, accountants, journalists, bloggers and Peter Lawwell himself have all been “accused” of writing it.
Maybe if the fans of Rangers had paid attention to what was being read and discussed on RTC, rather than engaging in campaigns of abuse against the author, or presumed author, then things at Ibrox might have progressed differently, although maybe not.
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All it remains for me to say is thank you RTC for a fantastic blog, and the creation of something infinitely bigger and greater than you could possibly have intended when you started.
We now await your book, which will soar to the top of the best seller list, and rightly so.
Maybe once your book succeeds, you will have the money to buy The Rangers FC….
To end, in the words of the dolphins as they left the earth just prior to its demolition to make way for a hyperspace bypass “So Long and Thanks For All The Fish”!
Posted by Paul McConville
(We are all RTC)
Random Thoughts Re Scots Law by Paul McConville 
Thank you Paul for your kind words.
This post both made me laugh and shed a tear.
Your own contribution to this story should never be forgotten or down-played.
As for comment moderation, the blog currently has 3,433 posts awaiting moderation. This might not be the place to apologise to the authors, but it got quite out of control and I just could not read them all- and these were just first-time posters or established posters who had fallen foul of a mild rule transgression.
I hope that Albion Rovers find themselves in the SPL sometime soon.
No need for any apology. I got stuck in moderation a number of times as first time poster but this never stopped me reading, enjoying and learning from the blog and the replies.
A fantastic job and a real wake up call to the tabloid hacks – if they ever wake up.
Can we take it we now in the 5 days countdown to FTT…?
So this is the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?
hope so….
music for the moment
were driving the bus now and forever lol well done to you ,good luck and health to you and every1 round you .
Where have you disappeared to? After the EBT verdict you’ve,wiped your website and went under the media radr. What’s gone wrong,can’t face the warranted criticism that you undoubtably deserve,showing exactlthat you are indeed spineless and that you have not got the backbone to justify your pointless blogs all these months. Running like a scalded cat.
The comments on that blog referencing religion, child abuse and cancer were truly shocking – nothing whatsoever to do with a tax case. For all that I detest Charles Green, I can see how he arrived at his statement regarding the general motivation behind the events of the past few weeks. As someone unfamiliar with Scotland’s imported problems, he must feel like he’s entered the twilight zone. It is telling that Rangers Tax Case is ending before the culmination of the Rangers tax case. That Rangers have been demoted to the bottom of Scottish football seems to have accomplished some kind of end in itself for RTC, whilst there’s still no final judicial conclusion. Transparent and sad,
*The Rangers (Sevco 2012) were not demoted.
The rest of the stuff you write is even more rubbish!
You’re nothing if not analytical.
Green has willingly entered and embraced the twilight zone and he will suffer for it. Even Leggo has condemned his use of the bigotry card to sell seats.
So anyone associated with Rangers, challenging bigotry, is using it to sell seats? Uh, no.
@ roual yes thats right thats hoe yous but bums on seats ,its not over till its tesco your delutional its a disorder brought on with 15 year of cheating ,you dont it duke but youy have a mental disorder
I’m at a loss as to what your “motivation” is for such a post. If you had consistently read RTC’s blog you would have seen that any posts relating to the subjects you mention were quickly slapped down by other posters as well as being deleted by RTC’s “moderation”.
Living in England this past quarter century I assure you that people here are very aware of the what you call “Scotland’s imported problems”. I, and many others, prefer to call them Scotland’s Shame. Charles Green, as a “football man” of long-standing, would have been familiar with the backdrop to the Celtic/Rangers rivalry before deciding to enter the fray, however he has, with his recent comments, quickly become part of the problem rather than part fo the solution.
There is no need for a “judicial conclusion” regarding the Rangers tax case – Rangers are in liquidation. HMRC put them there. That’s a conclusion.
There are some loose ends to tie up, such as the SFA and SPL still looking to gerrymander some sort of lifeline, the use of What Was Rangers trademarks and brand seemingly contrary to insolvency rules, the deal struck between Green & Duff & Dufferer relating to buying £120m of assets for £5.5m, but the purpose of the RTC blog was to bring into the full glare of publicity the financial issues at What Was Rangers and the, at best, lazy journalism (c. CQN), at worst, downright collusion, between Scotland’s mainstream news sources and What Was Rangers, under Murray, Whyte and now Green. C4 and multiple BBC documentaries, stories referencing RTC have appeared in all the national dailies, heck even radio football chat-shows have been cancelled because “internet blogs are better informed” are better informed than so-called “professional” pundits.
No-one can say that’s not “job done”.
Thank you for your comments. Yes there were a great many posts regarding cancer, religion and child abuse. The blog sadly became a vehicle for these. Some may have been removed, but then we can only comment on the ones which remained. Nothing to do with football, tax or sporting integrity.
Unfortunately the side product of being a site open to all (free registration) meant that there were always going to be numpties trying to hijack the site.
RTC posted repeatedly that that site only had one rule – No Religion – and that words such as “hun” would automatically put posts into the limbo of moderation.
You will also be heartened to know that in response to offers of some financial contribution to his time running the Rangers Tax Case blog, that RTC has asked that any contributions be given to http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/ so if there were posts of an unsavoury nature he/she has certainly made amends there.
As for your repeated claims of references to child abuse, there is only one group of people I know that post regularly on that subject, Rangers fans. Those IMO would be the fans least interested in football tax and sporting integrity. Thanks for bringing their posts to our attention, thankfully their team is fast approaching liquidation.
Surely it doesnt matter who made the majority of sectarian comments. Surely its irrelevant. Why would you bother to make the distinction. Welcome to Scotland, eh?
I don’t think either myself or RaoulDuke66 made any reference to who made the majority of sectarian comments. Struggling to see your point.
If you read your own post, you’ll see that you did. Shame on you.
Nope. Still not seeing it. Unless you mean my reference to “Hun” as somehow being sectarian. I actually meant to say “even words such as “hun” would automatically put posts into the limbo of moderation”, but that should not imply the word “hun” is a sectarian slur. It’s not, speaking as 1/2 German, I am clear on that. Those looking for some sort of whataboutery claim it as such, but there is no link between that word and religion . My point was that RTC went out of his/her way to try and protect the sensibilities of the easily offended, even though literally “hvndreds” of posts ended in moderation. If my use of this word offends anyone on this site I will desist from using it immediately, and offer my apologies as that was not the intent.
Hi Jockybhoy
You wrote:
“I’m at a loss as to what your “motivation” is for such a post.”
Just another embittered small minded little man, trying to hit back and get rid of the rage and frustration he feels at the humiliation of his beloved Rangers.
Aha. Right. Got it. Thanks, I wondering. See the rpoblem with living down South, visitng my mum in Edinburgh and only going to Glasgow for Cletic games is that I don’t meet as many embittered small minded little men, trying to hit back and get rid of the rage and frustration they feel at the humiliation of their beloved Rangers.
Thankf….
………ully
Hi RaoulD
The first part of your post is a scurrilous attempt at ‘guilt by association’ for which you should be ashamed of yourself
You wrote:
“For all that I detest Charles Green, I can see how he arrived at his statement regarding the general motivation behind the events of the past few weeks.”
Alternatively he may be following a time honored tradition which is: if all else fails play the ‘Orange Card.’
Used most famously by Lord Randolph Churchill in 1886.
The leading Conservative politician, Lord Randolph Churchill, wrote to a friend in February: ‘I decided some time ago that if the Grand Old Man went for Home Rule, the Orange card would be the one to play.’
And play that card he did. Churchill was billed as the principal speaker at a ‘Monster Meeting of Conservatives and Orangemen’ in Belfast’s Ulster Hall on 22nd February.
When he put in at Larne, Churchill proclaimed to cheering supporters: ‘Ulster will fight, and Ulster will be right.’
Then, after enjoying loyal airs played by the Ballymacarrett Brass Band and the Britannic Flute Band, the audience in the Ulster Hall listened to Churchill for one and a half hours with rapt attention:
‘On you it primarily rests whether Ireland shall remain an integral portion of this great empire sharing in its glory…or whether, on the other hand, Ireland shall become the focus and the centre of foreign intrigue and deadly conspiracy.’
(BBC – A Short History of Ireland)
Again, your (collective) lengthy posts about the orange order, flute bands, the history of ireland etc don’t interest me in the slightest, as a FOOTBALL fan. The same goes for any child abuse and cancer references. Sad and shameful. Welcome to Scotland.
Well said Paul.
If RTC was to buy The Rangers FC – that would be hilarious !!!!!!
Maybe he has already!
If I wanted to buy something on the cheap, what better way to get the price down than ‘rumours’ of dodgy gear.
I once posted that RTC was actually Jabba. On reflection, I may have got it wrong. Maybe RTC was Charlie!
Forget Piegate Mick. We’ve stumbled on GreenGate now.
@walliams how you good to see you back in cyber space greengate now theres a thought lol
Surely his book will raise more than two quid… 😉 !
Hi riw1
You wrote:
“Surely his book will raise more than two quid…”
Reminds me of a remark made by a friend:
“Well if it is a wife swapping party F***** will have to give fifty quid along with his woman to get anyone to take her”
All good clean fun.
A happy consequence of the rtc blog is the introduction to other blogs that follow the same principles of truth, honesty and integrity.
Your blog has made an outstanding contribution too Paul.
Thank you and keep on keeping on.
Was a fantastic blog, great insight with a fantastic array of well read and good intentioned at times witty contributors. Now I fear I will no longer be lost in the myriad of follow on comments forgetting the time peering into the false light of the laptop screen. RTC deserves all the plaudits a very brave blog to maintain and stay unknown… farewell and thanks.
A happy consequence of the rtc blog is the introduction to other blogs that follow the same principles of truth, honesty and integrity.
Your blog has made an outstanding contribution too Paul. Superb analysis, patience and no little humour.
Thank you and keep on keeping on.
Well said paul, by shining a light in a dark place he has disturbed a few rats, hopefully justice is all that awaits those who are so arrogant they think they can get away with anything..
Thanks to the rtc you educated a nation on business the media and behind the scence of sport good luck to you in your next quest
The end of a space open to all to express their opinions no matter what what their colour is to be truly lamented. One only has to visit forums such as FF or RM to find the totally onesided bigotry of those who will neither hear nor consider any opinion which does not coincide with their own. All those who dare to stray from the straight and narrow are immediately damned to the fires of banishment.
I hope, Paul, that you will be carrying on your blog for as long as possible, giving those who disagree with the “official” line produced by the Sun and Record the right to express their opinions. The web is much decried these days for its negative aspects such as child pornography but in the case of the Rangers scandal it has shown how it can be an important tool in the fight for good;
Thank you RTC for you sterling efforts and best wishes for your future endeavours.
Paul, have have done some astonishing detailed work (albeit lengthy 😉 ) that has either built upon the posts on RTC or started enquiry in its own right.
Chapeau sir!
Keep seeking the truth!
@tbk it’s down to us now there’s still lots of twists in the tale .
RTC will be missed, but maybe ah’ll get some work done noo!
Then again, maybe no’.
It’s not over till its tesco lol
There’s not much more to add, that others have already commented on, other than to again say thank you for an excellent blog! It has kept all of us updated in the far flung corners of the world (especially here in darkest Dresden)! I look forward to the book, and indeed, it’s rise to best seller status……and of course, a picture of the author!
Ad honorem, ad litem 😉
Well said paul, RTC was the shining light in the darkness. He/She and his/her many fine posters, exposed the MSM and Football authorities for what they are, Corrupt. Thanks RTC
One thing for sure – the RTC started something which I don’t think can be stopped.
And the latest news is:
Rangers chief Charles Green asked by SFA to explain ‘bigotry’ comment
The dodo dailies are, quite frankly, no longer the mainstream media in terms of factual quality and up to date news. In fact, thanks to the RTC they (the dodo dailies) no longer are the only show in town. They are no longer the show at all with their spite and bile they are chocking themselves to death and die they will in the very near future. Anyone who thinks that the dodo dailies will always be around just need to consider that old dodo football club that used to be around in the SPL. Ranger’s i think their name was. No one ever considered they would die a death and yet their they are . . .dead as a dodo bird. So well done RTC and Paul, your services to the common people have been revolutionary and praiseworthy. You made me proud to be a real multicultural, socially inclusive, all embracing, fact finding Scot.
And the humour of this from SFL chief executive David Longmuir who has told Rangers to forget about taking a three-year stroll through the lower leagues and to prepare themselves for the long haul.
Gers chairman Malcolm Murray suggested SPL clubs will soon be begging them to make a return to the top-flight and said: “I don’t think it will be as long as people say.”
But Longmuir is convinced the idea being floated that the Ibrox club could be fast-tracked back to the summit is fanciful and insists their SFL sabbatical could involve a prolonged stay.
After watching Ally McCoist’s side edge out Brechin during extra time in the Ramsdens Cup, the Hampden chief believes there’s plenty of hurdles coming their way.
He said: “They could be with us a lot longer than three years, judging by what I saw. They’ll need to make sure they’re up to the challenge our clubs are going to set them.”
Well said that man and a dozen pies to be awarded immediately.
@ecojon cant wait till falkirk get them in next round is it on alba falkirks always been my second team lol
Has Charlie handed over the cash yet?
Sorry to deviate.
RTC deserves all the plaudits it gets for exposing greed and arrogance on a nine figure scale. When will the MSM (except the Beeb), take Murray and his cohorts to task? The silence is defeaning.
RTC and this blog, along with many others, have helped all of us understand what has taken place and what the football ‘authorities’ have been doing and would have tried to get away with, if not for the might of the internet bampots. Tim Berners-Lee, we salute you sir!
It appears Charlie is beginning to understand the nature of his most loyal and paying customers, his and Ally’s recent outbursts appealing to the ‘no-one likes us’ mentality. They have shot themselves in the foot with both barrels, as the fans with that mentality are far smaller in number than Charlie realises, certainly not enough to raise the millions in profits Charlie and his investors are after, through flotation. It may be that Charlie ends up with a massive liability and headache and virtually no asset to strip. The thought of him with a costly millstone round his neck of his own making is poetry.
Keep on blogging!
@plughole good point the money might not be there as why did d&ps not hand over the licence? rtc outed it spread it around the world now its time for us to finsh it for him hes handing it over to the rest of us now so keep reading and commenting (its not over till its tesco)
Paul…you ask why it needed an anonymous online blogger to raise this story.You suggest it was just “economics”…that newspapers could not afford the time/manpower.
I can’t be the only one whose eyebrows are raised at that suggestion!!!
We all know that if there was a Celtic Tax Case that there would be no need for any blogger..the mainstream press would have found ample resources!!
A big thank you to all the “internet bampots” for ensuring this story saw the light of day and for ensuring a proper outcome.
we are mental were crazy were of our fin head lol
Not all clubs are in dire financial straits or money -grabbing b*stards. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19048415?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=sportsound
Well done Ross County.
Well Charlie Green will be please of that news for his £30 million proposed AIM Flotation as I could never see how it could be successful in the declining market that is Scottish Football according to Mr Green and his adherents. Seems a strange way to boost interest from potential investors.
Somewhere at the back of my head I wonder if an AIM flotation doesn’t require 3 years audited accounts or not.
Another little hurdle possibly?
Paul you are a legend and I hope to meet you one day…
Maybe Mick can come too and bring some pies..
Biggest Rangers story of today…….. Goian is staying, Wooooohoooooo!!!!
http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4463268/Dorin-pledges-future-to-Ibrox.html
Unforunately too many sectarian comments for my taste. Anyone know when the tax tribunal is due to report and how we can follow outcome?
Tax Tribunal results are posted here:-
http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKFTT/TC/2012/
Cheers! Anyone know what English teams have been doing exactly the same? Test case?
Apparently 8 current/former PL clubs.
Wonder how many of them will be called a cancer/child abusers etc on English blogs. Hopefully the same sectarian agenda doesn’t exist amongst English football fans. Only in the best small sectarian country in the World.
DiddyCsweep – we’re agreed Scotland is sectarian. That’s a start. It has been proven by the statistics that the Scottish Government didn’t destroy that it is overwhelmingly the Catholic minority that bears the brunt. We can agreed on that also I assume?
@jimbhoy spinich potato and chillie chicken pie keep yous health ,
celtic scotland of the medication thanks to the bloggers (rtc its not over till jabbas down the bru )
music for the moment
Paul
As RTC pointed out your contribution to this journey has been immense
You have been there to guide all of us through the legal aspects, in terms that us non-legal numpties can absorb and understand
It must not be forgotten, that you did all of this in spite of a totally unjustified smear campaign carried out by the more rabid supporters of RFC (IA), and some of the MSM against yourself
There is still a long way to go, and I hope you will stay around to keep all of us right
@campsiejoe well said joe were not numpties any more the rtc and pauls blog has opened our minds and made them bigger, its triggered a new found confidence in us all and gave us all bigger iq,s am left at the end of it quoting in greek thanks to ecojon ,as a tribute to them we should lead healthy lives so were are around to tell our grand children about them ,every1 is left feeling higher educated and feeling more confident and last but not least left laughing at msm types like jabba and chick lol
Good post, Paul. Simply, without RTC we wouldn’t have got to where we are now. By the standards of blogdom, the RTC blog was notably open and rarely sank to name-calling (a standard you and your commenters have maintained, Paul). A truly all-club replacement for fans of Scottish football may be hard to deliver. Although the multiple offences of Rangers over the last years gave a unifying theme to the RTC blog, that focus meant that it did (as the great (wo)man him/herself hinted) have an increasing feel of a pro-Celtic bias. The input from fans of Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hamilton, Partick Thistle, and many others was often the most interesting part, and something I will certainly miss. (Self-disclosure – despite once being described by a commenter on RTC as a “Rangers spokesperson”, I am in fact a life-long Celtic fan. And yes, that comment has left me scarred for life…:-) )
(@RaoulDuke66 – Was tempted to ignore you altogether, which might have been the right answer but, for the record… over the last several months, I read every post on RTC, often within minutes of them being posted. Religion made a very occasional appearance, generally being slapped down pretty much immediately either by the blog self-policing or by RTC him/herself – you’ll recall a recent RTC comment post explicitly post-dated to sit at the end of one thread as a permanent reminder that religion was not a welcome topic on the blog. Of the other two topics you mention, I saw them come up only once each:
– One in a libellous reference to what the late Jock Stein might or might not have known about some alleged events
– One in the comments on RTC’s farewell where, in response to a question on where donations could be sent, RTC proposed Cancer Research UK as the charity of his/her choice.
There are many people who commented on RTC, and who comment on here, whose opinions I respect and value, not that I always agree with them. They all share the characteristic of a respect for facts. You could reflect on that.)
Exactly my point. I actually had to google the word Kincora after reading RTC. Sick and shocking. Only today there were yet more comments on cancer. Awful.
You seem to be quite obsessional in your posts in what seems a rather unhealthy way.
raoul your scotlands cancer the whole country hates the watp its a stoneage mentality the whole of scotland hates yous and for the first time ever is letting it be known your suffering a delutional disorder brought on with 15years of cheating and 500 years of hate its over for yous scotland has had enogh its ozymandias put that in google delutional disorder as well yous are all suffering from a mental disorder ,scotlands shame no other word to discribe it ,the whole country wants tesco not sevco giruy
Oops. Yet ANOTHER cancer reference, eh Mick? Who exactly do you mean by ‘yous’? Welcome to Scotland.
Hahha. Good one. Sorry, yeah I fell for it. Cancer of sectarianism = references to “cancer”. Brilliant. How dumb do I feel.
You should maybe write to former first minister Jack McConnell, Scottish Police Federation & their Staff Association Chairman Les Gray, George Galloway , The Archbishop of Glasgow, The Belfast Telegraph, UN envoys in Iraq, and everyone who has (IMO rightly) referred to sectariansim as a cancer in modern society. Maybe rather than treat sectarianism “as” a cancer in modern society, treat it or cut it out, we should leave it for a bit… see if it gets better…?
Yet ANOTHER post about sectarianism and cancer, eh jockybhoy? Again, for the hard of thinking, these things have nothing to do with football or sporting integrity. You and Mick need to stop equating them. Scotland’s shame is RTC and this blog being riddled with posts by people like yourselves. If you have political agendas then go and speak to your MP rather than voicing them on football blogs. That was my first post on this blog and you continue to prove my point. Shocking and sad. Welcome to Scotland.
Hehe, I’ll keep on keeping on RaoulDuke66 – just to mark your card, this post is “about” sectarianism and uses references to “cancer” as an analogy. If you can’t grasp that simple fact, youshould probably stop reading now.
We don’t have the cancer of sectarianism down here England, despite having all the same drivers that Scotland has. Curious that. It’s Scotland where it has been accepted, even, I’d suggest, tacitly approved. You claim this discussion is not relevant to a football blog (this is actually Scottish Law Thoughts and the issue of sectarianism has featured here previously, notably on issues relating to the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012, huh, Offensive Behaviour at Football but I’ll let that one go), however I contend it more certainly is… After all it is The Rangers new owner that raised the subject of “bigotry” on television, the sectarian singing at last year’s was branded by Scottish Justice Minister as a “great advert for Scottish football” and Celtic players such as Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn received bullets in the mail, along with Celtic manager Neil Lennon who was on the receiving end of much more.
The Troubles across the water may have been the carcinogen that has exacerbated what has seemingly beein in our Scottish DNA for centruies, but “we” seem to have embraced this with relish.
How would you, RaoulDuke66, refer to something rotten, corrupting, potentially fatal to a host, something seemingly in its genes?
I lost my father to cancer – he was a life-long academic, a microbologist, and along with colleagues he helped develop gene-mapping software in an effort to help isolate potentially harmful abnormal genes hidden within the DNA that would prove harmful to their host. Identification of the corrupted genes and their removal, or at least treatment, is the only way in which the host can be saved. Otherwise you are treating a symptom, the root cause remains. The liquidation of a particular football club has not and will not change the root cause of the problem, Scottish society needs to do that, but the opportunity to change the symptom that seems to attach itself to that club (old or new) seems to me an opportunity worth taking.
A more apt description of sectarianism than as a cancer that continues to blight my home country I cannot think of. The floor is yours, I do hope you can contribute something to this debate…
Proves RD66’s point really. Your agenda is regarding sectarianism, bullets in the post, singing silly songs, and other ancillary nonsense – nothing to do with ensuring fairness pursuant to tax avoidance. No doubt exactly what Charles Green was referring to.
OK good DiddyCsweep. We’re agreed that Celtic fans, players and staff have, as a result of sectarian attitudes amongst section of Scottish society, had bombs and bullets sent in the post, have been the targets of bigoted & illegal songs, assaults and other ancillary lawbreaking. If that was what Charles Green was referring to I applaud him to the highest rafter and will most certainly buy him a pint next time I see him. That’s what you’re telling me right?
I agree that the points raised are not of themselves relating to tax avoidance, however it is certainly relevant to the Rangers Tax Case site which, if you ever read it, stated it was also about shining the light on those responsible for maintaining and imposing the rules of finance and law and those charged with investigating if that wasn’t happening. Blogs such as this one, RTC, CQN, Pie & Bovril, Kerrydale Street, Scotzine and many many others have stopped the carve up happening. Fan-tastic – in both senses of the word…
PArting thought….And they would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those pesky blogs…
“We’re agreed that Celtic fans, players and staff have, as a result of sectarian attitudes amongst section of Scottish society, had bombs and bullets sent in the post, have been the targets of bigoted & illegal songs, assaults and other ancillary lawbreaking.”
Okay jockybhoy, I’ll briefly indulge your agenda to make FOOTBALL blogs all about your sectarian rubbish. We’re agreed that the Celtic manager has had bullets sent to him in the post. He also had parts sent to him which, when combined with other parts, could make a viable explosive device. I have no personal knowledge of the motivation behind either of those things but I would guess they’re a combination of sectarianism, football-driven idiocy and the associations he keeps in NI. Regardless, they’re certainly offences I’d attempt to charge as aggravated. Bigoted and illegal songs? I frankly have no idea of/interest in the words, so for the most part I can’t comment. There’s one particularly nasty one of which I do know. Ancillary law breaking? Glasgow sheriff court is the busiest in Europe. And that’s the point. The dribbling idiots who do all of these things are just that. It has nothing to do with Rangers fans, Rangers, tax structuring or the SPL’s/SFA’s policies towards insolvency events.
“If that was what Charles Green was referring to I applaud him to the highest rafter and will most certainly buy him a pint next time I see him. That’s what you’re telling me right?”
I suspect what he was saying was that the obsessive sectarian nonsense was part of the motivation behind the treatment dished out to Rangers (whether or not such motivation filtered through to the actual result) – i.e. a certain section of society wants things to happen to Rangers outside of dealing with the insolvency event and player ineligibility, even to the detriment of their own clubs. How confused must he be by this? The IRA graffiti all over the city, which the city council seems intent on leaving there, won’t have escaped his attention either. Shameful.
“it was also about shining the light on those responsible for maintaining and imposing the rules of finance and law and those charged with investigating if that wasn’t happening”
Pity it didn’t do that. Panel still to report. We’ll need to look elsewhere for that investigation. A greater pity that it was peppered with the sectarian, child abuse and cancer nonsense.
DiddyCsweep August 2, 2012 at 12:50 am
Firstly, THIS ISN’T A FOOTBALL BLOG – It’s Scottish Law Thoughts….
My sectarian rubbish? Huh. RaoulDuke66 posted only two hours after Paul posted his lead article and tried to brand RTC’s site as sectarian and all the other stuff when the exact opposite is true.
I, as a regular reader of that site took issue with his statements and countered them. This idea that I am leading some sort of sectarian campaign is obfuscation and misrepresentation at its most blatant. It would be like complaining that Martin Luther King was running a racism campaign – the exact opposite is true (I am not for a second comparing myself to MLK of course, only the perverseness of the situation).
“We’re agreed that the Celtic manager has had bullets sent to him in the post” – along with Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn – both Northern Irish players who play club FOOTBALL at Celtic. Why were these lads also targeted if not for the fact they play club fitba at Celtic? Did they share “the associations” you claim Lennon “keeps in NI”? Or are you trying to introduce some element of Lennon “bringing this on himself”?
“He also had parts sent to him which, when combined with other parts, could make a viable explosive device.” Factually correct, but those convicted of the crime believed some of their bombs to be viable, so that was their aim. As to the background to it, newspaper reports described them as “are ardent Glasgow Rangers supporters” and they were convicted of conspiring to assault their intended victims – which included the late advocate Paul McBride or MSP Trish Godman. Did Trish and Paul share Lennon’s alledged associations in NI? Or was it their assocation with Celtic FOOTBALL Club that made them targets in the eyes of these “ardent Glasgow Rangers supporters”?
As for the “bigoted and illegal songs” – there has been acres written in the press about the SNP and Scottish Justice Minister’s attempts to bring in legislation about offensive singing/behaviour, yet when it suited their agenda, tens of thousands of Rangers fans singing exactly those songs at a Scottish Cup Final were praised by politicians and this disseminated through an unquestioning media. This is the type of thing RTC was set up to expose. So you are 180 degrees incorrect – all these things absolutely have to do with Rangers fans and What Was Rangers.
Going back to Green’s comments about “bigotry”, are you seriously telling me, Rangers, the Scottish establishment team, Scotland’s best supported team (sic), the team that is Scotland’s second biggest institution after the Church of Scotland (according to its former owner), part of the fabric of Scottish society, is suffering because of sectarianism? Who by? Scotland’s 16% Catholic minority? Or are you saying the rest of Scottish football might be motivated by punishing Rangers for their “obsessive sectarian nonsense”? If this was the case, then this is bang in the middle of RTC’s remit of exposing collusion at the top which results in other teams detriment and rangers benefit. Why were Rangers & their fans allowed to act in these ways without sanction in Scotland (UEFA did charge them on a number of occasions). The fact that other teams are, according to you, so sick of Rangers’ “obsessive sectarian nonsense” that they are willing to take a financial hit because of it is a fantastic story and should be covered in the press surely?
The IRA graffiti in Glasgow? Sorry bud, I can’t say I’ve noticed it, but I don’t live in the city, I commute up from London for games and see little of Glasgow other than walking from the centre to Celtic Park via the Gallowgate and back again. I don’t venture further afield because I’m wearing Celtic colours and well, you know how that affects some people…
RTC absolutely did “shine the light on those responsible for maintaining and imposing the rules of finance and law and those charged with investigating if that wasn’t happening” – for example the case of the dual contracts, and the fact these break the rules of FOOTBALL in Scotland and on the continent is, stop me if I’m boring you, absolutely what RTC was set up to do. This is only a by-product of the tax case but is fundamental to fairplay in FOOTBALL football.
Interesting to me that Rangers former manager Souness, someone who has bought Rangers players for top dollar prices, was apparently still the recipient of an EBT years after leaving the club – I say this only as an aside, but might it be something that the authorities both in TAX and in FOOTBALL?
The apparent collusion between the footballing authorities and Sevco in breaking all manner of rules regarding SPL, SFA and SFL membership is also, whilst not “tax”, definitely in relevant to the RTC blog.
You say The panel is still to report. Sure, but only on the Big tax Case – the Wee Tax Case, which Rangers under Murray did accept previously, is still unpaid though right? And it wasn’t even just that, it was the VAT, NI and PAYE that Rangers owed HMRC under Whyte that gave the taxman the weight to block the CVA, prompting liquidation – these are ALL unpaid taxes right? Taxes that weren’t paid by Rangers, right? Can we agree they are all in RTC’s target area? We can’t look elsewhere for those BECAUSE RANGERS WON’T EXIST BEYOND A FEW DAYS.
“A greater pity that it was peppered with the sectarian, child abuse and cancer nonsense” yeah, as with this site. It’s a shame that others (such as RD66) brought those on here, and it’s a shame that you agreed with his doing so in your post at 11.15 yesterday, but hey, I’m glad I could help set the record straight.
🙂
Here’s a wee prediction for ya…. So let’s assume dual contracts proven and the world sees Rangers as abusing the rules of football domestically and in Europe… Let’s also assume the SFA/UEFA bend the rules and effectively sweep this under the carpet as they will do with maybe some trophy wind annulled.
When convenient, the present “The Rangers FC” supporters will condemn that toxic period to the old Rangers in a “that wasn’t us” stylee but under the ‘having your PIE and eating it rules’ the history will have never been broken and Rangers are the same as they were still the same club again when convenient….
Withhold All Tax Payments….(WATP)
music for the moment
lets look at the weekends game
RTC I salute you. Seems a good point to draw a line. Once the trophies have been stripped its also over for me. What a story though eh? 😉
the cyber fight lives on john its not over till its tesco
No Mick trophies being stripped is my end game mate. This story has become an obsession and its time to move on for me;)
for any 1 who missed peter tuning in to alba
when flicking throw the weekends game look what a found a video with the fans shouting well jump on the heads of glasgow celtic ,this is the main reason we have to keep the keyboards clatterering and push for tesco these people are a threat to ouer kids in town or on buses listen to the video sick and sinister and evil ,and these are the people the sfa are stopping at nothing to creat a team for
Nice.. This must be the follow on for ‘Bouncy bouncy!’
@jim it has no place in scotland there sick and evil green and sally and there cloned team should be thrown out they have learned nothing its sinister as ever and it is a threat to our kids
next stop tesco please ding ding
the cloned version is as evil as the original and is as sinister as ever evil to the core ,those songs are chilling and for this reason the sfa have to revoke the licence there as sick as ever
A trip to the darkside is unusually illuminating today. Seems that Charlie wasn’t meaning religious bigotry when he used the ‘bigotry’ word.
They must be really worried if they have to resort to using that defence.
To be fair there actually are some decent footballing posts about the Rangers/Brechin game from a Rangers prospective and they are refreshingly free of bigotry of any kind.
I suppose Charlie’s defence at the SFA will be: ‘I’m a furriner I didn’t know that it meant religious bigotry.’
Well let’s hope the SFA have the wit to ask what kind of ‘bigotry’ he was alluding to? And of course there are his other comments and hopefully some of his earlier comments might also be used to set the scene.
Ah theink Green has obviously picked-up something very nasty in his twilight flitting between safe-houses.
no other team in the uk is as chilling as that its beyond repair and should be thrown out the league
I always hoped that Rangers football (only) fans would help to bleed out their own poisonous cyst and further wished that a new incarnation would be the best place to see that progress. I read a blog on here a few weeks ago that suggested the opposite may apply and the hard core could be the majority who now follow the club with all that has come before. As it seems fuelled by the indignant ramblings of their leaders.
Where is it going to end and how much are the SFA and SFL prepared to endure.. I also heard 2 or 3 songs in the first half I watched that i would have hoped the SFA/SFL observer in the stand would have reported in a crowd of 4-5k, maybe this doesn’t apply any more, maybe the SFL hasn’t seen this bile ’til now..
@jim if your a descent rangers fan and mention to the orc types to behave they would beat you there mantalitiy is sick the only way to stop it is to not give them a licence they say people that question them are liberals and are mad and they are right sick and sinister it the only way to discribe them
There is no greater feeling, that even in the face of adversity, of knowing you are right. it allows you to swat all the low digs and side swipes away, like crushing an annoying little fly.
Paul and RTC, hold your cyber heads high. you have done what the scottish football authorities have wasted time and money trying to do for years. you have brought fans from all clubs, all divisions together to engage in debate about making scottish football better, and 99% of the time the comments have been constructive.
I look forward to one (or two) last hurrahs from RTC when the FTT findings are published as I need someone with the know how to lay it out in simple terms for a bampot like myself.
Paul,
I have been there at the start as mainly a lurker, but occasional poster.
Apart from RTCs blogs and comments, the truly remarkable aspect of the site was the wealth of expertise, analysis and insight which it produced.
I don’t think I have missed any of your blogs and have been awestruck by the way you have taken a subject and broken it down to its essential parts in a masterpiece of forensic analysis.
Sometimes I dip my toe in the sickening, festering cauldron that is FF and thank god that I am on the same side as you.
I hope that you will still be around, sir, to don more chapeaux.
Yes, now no question that Green is dangerous. More broadly, we’re at a dangerous point in the story – it would be easy for some Rangers fans, abetted by the words of their leaders and some cheerleaders in the press (yes, Provan, I’m talking about you) to develop a persecution complex. We need to be clear that we are happy to await the outcome of the (now 5) outstanding enquiries (AT, FTT, SPL on dual contracts, SFA on McCoist’s “who are these men”, SFA on Green’s “bigotry”) and we’ll assess what happens then. Badly need to avoid premature calls for punishment when accused not yet found guilty (in the last four at least).
Good Afternoon.
A young journalist, Alistair Cooke I think, was setting out in the early days of a career when his then editor gave him sone advice….. or perhaps it was an instruction rather than advice.
The tenor of the message was “Bring me the news! I don’t care if it is late- just make sure it is right!”
The author then went on to explain that throughout a career in journalism, the mantra of getting it “right” was always the Golden Rule which had to be followed without deviation or distortion.
Deviation and Distortion are good words. Good– in the sense that Scottish sports journalism, in my opinion, starts each and every morning, and has started each and every morning for some time, in the shadow of deviation and distortion and with a natural instinct to deviate and distort.
Or to put it another way, sports journalism in Scotland has become, by accident or design, an amplifier for whomsoever wishes to broadcast their message to the sports nation on any given day. The Broadcaster can be a journalist, or an editor in search of sales, a player wanting a move, an agent wanting a client to move or secure a new contract, a manager, a chairman, a football authority or just about anyone else who has access to, and the ear of, a hack who can get things into print.
Whether the broadcast contains the truth, or any analysis of the message concerned, has until recently fallen by the wayside. The press scramble to carry the message has become paramount. Get there first, carry the exclusive, give us the sensation and the headline– that is what seems to dictate the ideology of the modern sportswriter in Scotland, with no one carrying or caring about the mantra ” Bring me the news! I don’t care if it is late– just make sure it is right!”.
Before going further, let me add that this is not always the fault of the written press or any particular journalist– even though it is easy to blame individuals who write on a daily basis and who broadcast into our homes and cars almost nightly.
I have a friend who holds a very senior position in broadcasting in London– a global position. He is a scot– a native Glaswegian– and without wishing or meaning any insult to journalistic colleagues who remain in Scotland ( he originally trained here and returns for visits regularly ), he describes the press pack in Scotland ( with a few exceptions ) as a “Gang with sharp elbows” who are always scrambling and climbing over one another to get to the story or a story which no one else has!
That is the culture. That is the rule of the playground. Being First with something appears to be more important than being accurate– and as a result we find many many examples of a news story coming into print by way of an interview with absolutely no attempt to test or question the views of, or the information provided by, the interviewee.
If you watch any political interview on BBC Breakfast, you will find that guests are repeatedly ask about their policy and a counter argument or differing interpretation is put to them– sometimes making them most uncomfortable or sometimes forcing an answer which in itself becomes a news story later in the day!
Not so in Scotland– or at least in the land of the Sports Press– where over a number of years there has grown the impression that the press will carry a statement or interview but will simply not ask any difficult questions.
Take the famous interview of many years ago where Walter Smith ridiculed Chic Young for asking certain questions. Young was belittled but just laughed and shrugged it off Take Jim Mclean physically assaulting John Barnes at the BBC. yes he was sued and had to apologise– but did he really feel free to just banjo the BBC man?
Take Jim Traynor telling the story about a former Ibrox chairman calling a young reporter to warn him that he- and his organisation– would be watching what he wrote in future and passing on the message that the said chairman knew where he lived, where he went to school, who his family were and so on. What are we to make of such an attitude towards the press?
As examples of the press being first with the story at the expense of getting it write– Hugh Keevins famously told us that Artur Jorge would be the next manager of Celtic only to be horribly wrong. Years later I recall watching a broadcast from outside Celtic Park, where Chic Young exclusively revealed that he expected Owen Coyle to be the new manager of Celtic within a 24 hour period.
Kenny Dalglish, became so disenchanted with the press that he conducted press conferences in the slightly hostile ( to certain press men anyway ) enviroment of Bairds bar in the Gallowgate– resulting in some dreadful journailism concerning Dalglish’s diction, with personal attacks on his social skills and so on. I disagreed with the idea of a press conference in Bairds at the time and I still do now, but some of the writing at the time was absolutely shameful.
It is against this background that I personally come to examine the value of both RTC and the blog that has been given that name.
These pages are not so much an internet phenomenon as a journalistic one.
There are hundreds of thousands of blogs which have never reached the reading figures that have amassed on these pages. I believe that is because the author made it plain that he had information on one very specialised and precise topic– The Rangers Tax Case.
Further, the information that he or she had, was completely contrary to the message being spouted through the Mainstream Press by those who were engaged in that very tax case.
In short, this blog arose because the press were being used and allowed themselves to be so used– possibly by design, or desire but probably out of sheer bad habit and by this time– custom.
Going back to many many moons ago, If David Murray came out and stated categorically that Rangers PLC or MIH had taken detailed legal advice on the tax issue and had nothing to worry about re any tax liability– then that is precisely what was reported– without question– without dare I say it– deviation or distortion. Without hesitation or pause for thought– or enquiry!
No counter argument, no alternative view point seemed to reach the headlines– unless and until it was forced.
To be fair– over a series of years Graham Spiers tried to question Murray and indeed Rangers ( although please note these habits and practices were not exclusive to matter a la Rangers ) about accounts, finances and indeed the policy on sectarianism. Equally over the years, with no offence to Graham, his voice became weaker and the qustioning seemed to wain.
The RTC blog became what it became because in many respects the public had had enough of lickspittle journalism– especially when large sections of that public knew that much of what was in the printed press was just not true– and that same section of the public could work out the consequences of the truth far quicker than the daily journalists could.
No one could have forseen the impact that Craig Whyte– and the reaction to Craig Whyte– would have on the Scottish Press.
When Whyte’s existence was first reported, that race to be first I spoke of earlier took off like Usain Bolt– the only problem was the runner was blind and headed in completely the wrong direction.
Who can recall Whyte being described as the owner of Braehead? The Motherwell Born Billionaire with the wealth off the radar? Who can forget Roddy Forsyth’s much later lament at the absence of proper financial journalists who could actually look into such things?
“Bring me the news! I don’t care if its late– just make sure it is right!”– aye well not in Scotland unless someone sends in some real proper financial journalists eh?
Well those “journalists” were not in fact needed, because their place was taken by ” The internet bampots”– a motly crew of punters who could check things on Company House websites, google earth, court records and other such places which were as good as foreign countries to your average Scottish Sports Journalist– at least that seems to be the cry!
I recall a period on these pages where contributor after contributor came up with piece after piece of information which countered the Gospel as spouted by sections of the press. The professionally placed spin was disseminated, dismantled, examined, disected and corrected on here— with the result that the very same press turned their attention to these pages and pronounced that the contributors were without integrity, had their own agenda, were wannabees and followed no professional code.
Names such as “Phil the chancer” were bandied about the net,”Internet Bampotery” became a publicly known phrase and a degree of ridicule was heaped upon anyone who dared to write or bring information to the fore outwith the MSM.
But then– slowly but surely– as others continued to decry as nonsense the comments of the “Bampots”– things began to change.
As more and more was revealed– and remember there has still been no written decision or detail of evidence released by the FTT—some of the mainstream press changed course and in their race to be first ran headlong into that most starnge of things– The Truth!
A Sunday Newspaper broke with the story re Dual Contracts– previously fabled as the stuff of nonesence on both Radio Clyde and Radio Scotland– and suddenly the MSM had the whole story and the whole truth all along!
Suddenly there were questions to answer. Tom English ran two interviews that contained some searching questions of Mr Whyte– not devastating questions– presumably Whyte would have refused to answer them– but questions none the less!
Jim Spence gained greater and greater airtime with his knowledge of the views of clubs and fans from the lower divisions of Scottish Football and was able to counter the certainty that “Rangers” in any shape or form would be subjected to the actual laws of the game! Suddenly on air you had debate between commentators rather than just a broadcast which brooked no or little deviation or distortion of the MSM reported point of view.
Mark Daly and Panorama really took the news mainstream on certain issues– those same issues which were common currency on here way long before they were ever accepted as non myths by the MSM.
The point I am making is this. The RTC blog is not, and never should be, a football forum. Yes its subject matter is football related, but it should not be the meeting place to exchange views on Celtic ( there are a predominance of Celtic fans on here ), Rangers , Hearts, Aberdeen or anyone else. There are loads of very good fans forums for that sort of thing/
This was– possibly still is— the place where the football fan can log on, come on and simply say ” Hey– that is not true” or ” I have information on this” or ” there is another side to that story” because there is no such room for that in the MSM other than the comment columns at the bottom of the page– and they are bediviled by the partisan and the prejudiced in the main.
Further, the contributors to these pages ( the writer excluded lol ) brought knowledge and skills which with respect to the MSM they could not immediately source from their own knowledge.
Accountancy skills, forensic analysis, system analysis, banking knowledge, legal expertise, marketing knowledge, insolvency processes and trends, court reporting and record access. Whilst the blog never became ( thankfully ) the sole domain of the professional, it did house a multi disciplined bevvy of information.. and indeed opinion and debate…. the like of which is not – or was not– openly fostered on phone ins or newspapers!
At no time did the blog as a whole seek to preach– it encouraged debate and information sharing, and in so doing it outpaced the MSM in the all important race to be first with the news or the story– but with the desire for the truth remaining in tact and ever present.
This blog has changed a number of things in terms of reporting the events that it concerned itself with– but I hate to say it– I do not agree with RTC’s most recent post on the issue of wrapping it all up.
My reason is that I am not at all sure that the changes that we have seen are in fact permanent– and for the blog to carry a lasting legacy the cahnges do have to be permanet in my opinion.
The FTT decision is not yet out. When it does come out it will contain many many details which may well raise many further questions. The detail will be poured over, and is capable of not only interpretation but also manipulation and spin.
Remember that the FTT is only a tax tribunal, and the detail of evidence may well give rise to all sorts of other questions that are more suited to another forum and involve rules and regulations which are outwith the competancy of the FTT. We will not know until the fat lady has sung so to speak.
For now, I echo the sentiments expressed by others who state that we have a lot to thank RTC for– and an awful lot to thank so many others for as well– others who brought their knowledge, expertise, time and effort to make the RTC blog a deserving Orwell prize winner.
But the fat lady has not sung– and unless she sings to an audience, and in a language which her audience can understand and have explained without distortion and deviation, she might as well not sing at all– because no one will hear her and her message.
No this blog must stay open– so that when the FTT reports, the decision can be analysed, explained, discussed and clarified.
That RTC has chosen or saw fit to retain anonymity is understandable– some things are not necessary to throw into the public domain, but the readers of these pages– and I genuinely do not know how many there are— have come to expect truthful analysis and explanation of both fact and statements of opinion and will no longer accept without question bland unverified and unchecked statements from the MSM.
Craig Whyte never owned Braehead, had numerous companies with names similar to extremely successful ones as a matter of practice, had different dates of birth on compnay forms, was never a Billionaire, was disqualified from being a company Director…… and helped destroy Rangers PLC.
David Murray oversaw the running of an unlawful tax scheme, witheld full details of players contracts from the SFA & SPL, ran up huge debts at Ibrox and with the Bank of Scotland.
Various others were complicit and were party to the actions of these men, actions which were not openly reported in the MSM, actions which deceived and fooled the footballing authorities in Scotland and Europe, actions which were not disclosed and covered up by some of the most influential people involved in Scottish Football.
The MSM failed in many respects to report or investigate these matters timeously when they came to the fore, and were slow to accept the fact that RTC and others on here were not fooled by the press proclaimed pronouncements of Murray and Whyte on all or any this, and that they wanted to make the truth public.
” Bring me the news! I don’t care if it’s late- just make sure that it is right!”
There is much more news to come in my opinion– so who do you trust to “Make sure that it is right”?
If the reounding answer is not the MSM……. then the job is not yet done
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan
fantastic long post
Hi Mick
Have to agree with you. I thought that everything worthwhile had already been said. But as a summing up that post is truly exceptional.
Well done BRTH.
A little bit of history:
ATTILA THE HUN (406-453)
Attila the Hun was an infamous, vicious barbarian King who attacked the Roman Empire and was so fierce he was named “THE SCOURGE OF GOD”!
Attila was born in 406 and in 434, at the age of 28, Attila succeeded his uncle as leader of the Huns. Attila at first ruled with his brother, Bleda, but murdered Bleda in 445 to take complete control.
Attila the Hun died unexpectedly in 453 at the age of 47, on his wedding night, allegedly MURDERED by his bride, a Burgundian Princess. Though some historians say from a nose bleed. And others that he may have died of something like a hemorrhoid in his esophagus caused by heavy drinking.
All in all, not a totally inappropriate nickname.
For Noel Fitz who asked me a few years who the Huns were.
will miss your truth,honesty and integrity unlike the rest of the scottish media.Wish you well with your book.
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So many word to acknowledge the fact that you got it spectacularly wrong. You were driven by a fuel that kicked in when you opened you eyes in the morning and probably kept you awake these past couple of nights.
I have to say that I would loved to have been in the room when you were made aware of the decision.
Goodnight and goodbye