Two pieces, amongst many, caught my attention over the weekend.
I commend both, although that does not necessarily mean that I agree with every word in each one. In the latter piece there are a couple of areas where I think the author might not be correct, but these do not affect the thrust of the piece.
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The first is by journalist and blogger Andrew McFadyen. It concerns the future of Catholic education in Milngavie, with potential implications for the rest of the country. You can read it by clicking here.
It appears that East Dunbartonshire Council has rejected the overwhelming views of the parents of pupils at St Joseph’s Primary in Milngavie and instead set the wheels in motion to close a successful, popular and busy school.
This comes despite the offer of concessions by the Archdiocese of Glasgow.
As Mr McFadyen writes:-
Councillors should understand that although the vote went against us our fighting spirit is still intact and this is only the beginning. We are not just angry, we are organised. What happens in East Dunbartonshire is now a test case for Catholic education in Scotland.
St Joseph’s is a popular and successful school. It is strongly supported by parents, the wider community and the Church. There are alternative options on the table. If after all this, East Dunbartonshire Council can still shut us down and bring 150 years of Catholic education in Milngavie to an end, then no Catholic school is safe anywhere.
Mr McFadyen provides a link to the online petition opposing the Council’s decision: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-st-josephs-primary-school/
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The second piece relates to various questions regarding the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund, set up last year in the darkest days for the Ibrox club.
The fans rallied round their team magnificently, raising around 2/3 of a million pounds. However, ever since the fund opened, and once its embarrassing link to the website of professional clown Mr Custard was corrected, there have been various questions about the Fund, coming from a number of sources.
This man is not a representative of the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund.
This came particularly into focus when recently funds from the Fund were used to pay the costs of representation of oldco Rangers before the Nimmo Smith Independent SPL Commission.
Alzipratu has written an update on matters regarding the fund and raised various questions. You can read his piece here.
He also ends his piece with the following aside-
PS: I hope to soon complete a piece on the Rangers Charity Foundation but I leave you, in the meantime, with the rather tantalising information that it is now OSCR’s longest-running investigation (outstripping even Glasgow East Regeneration Agency which involved malpractice and maladministration!). Now why is that?
I wrote last year about the excellent work done by the Rangers Charity Foundation over many years. My focus was upon the change of the Rangers v Milan match which was to be for the RCF into a game where the bulk of the proceeds instead went to the administrators to help keep the company afloat.
Nothing I wrote was intended to diminish the sterling efforts of the staff of the RCF and of its donors in meeting its declared aims.
Alzipratu, as a person in tune with the charitable sector, has pursued this issue and, frankly, I am astonished that the investigation is still, over a year after the event in question, ongoing.
Of course the “Rangers” involvement in this matter was under oldco rather than newco, so it has no direct effect on the new regime. However, as Alzipratu puts it in his preamble to his linked piece, where there are concerns about any particular charity it can lead to a general drop in charitable donations.
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Both pieces are worth a read.
As for me, whilst the Whyte v Green story develops faster than I can write about it, I will have some thoughts, possibly posted later in bite-sized pieces, regarding matters.
Posted by Paul McConville
Random Thoughts Re Scots Law by Paul McConville 
From now on I’ll always like Mondays.
Mrs Thatcher will be having a difficult time explaining to her maker the sinking of the Belgrano and the loss of 323 lives (mostly young naval conscripts).
This ancient cruiser was outside the exclusion zone and steaming away in a short zig zagging pattern. The ship was no danger to the UK task force because of its slow speed and the fact it was being stalked by HMS Conqueror, a nuclear powered submarine. The UK at the time had three other nuclear submarines in the South Atlantic.
Mrs Thatcher gave the command to sink the Belgrano. Just before the sinking, there was a good chance of a cease fire being brokered by Alexander Haig and others. The sinking of the Belgrano ensured that the war ran its course. Of course, with four nuclear submarines the outcome was never in any doubt but Mrs Thatcher needed her blood victory.
Who can forget When Mrs Thatcher was challenged on BBC Nationwide by Diana Gould and caught lying:-
Revisionist history.
An 180* turn and the Belgrano would have been heading for the Islands again.
Argentina invaded, had the chance to withdraw, and didnt.
The blame for the conflict lies solely with them.
typical , I suppose we in ireland deserved everything? DON’T TALK RUBBISH , Your a fool and an idiot
Apparently Thatcher hasnt died at all
she’s just been relegated to the 3rd Division
Bet Charlie has a minute’s silence for the zombie.
So, the CEO of The Rangers is a racist and a liar. Oh, and his favourite catchphrase is “No Surrender!”.
Charlie, you really need to quit while you’re ahead.
And there’s me thinking that these were essential to the role. 😉
It’s a winning combination: racist, liar, bigot with money-grubbing big ‘ands. Well at least he has never been disqualified as a director(!!?)
Titanic 100% protestant built………..Iceberg 100% Catholic built……lol
MontI, Always wondered why the Harland & Wolfe order were so proud of the Titanic. The “Unsinkable” sank on it’s first fekin major outing!!!.
Reminds me of something else that’s sinking. 🙂
Because it was the most advanced piece of engineering on the planet in its day.
Its loss was due to other factors.
SICK INADEQUATE LOWLIFE ILLITERATE LYING BIGOT
WHATS FUNNY ABOUT PEOPLE DROWNING? ( INCLUDING MANY CATHOLICS )
anyone who doesn’t share your views is a bigot JOG ON YA FOOL
YOU DON’T GIVE A FLYING F*** ABOUT ANYONE ON THAT ARE YOU FROM BELFAST ? WELL I AM AND H&W WAS A SECTARIAN PIT WHERE IF YOU WHERE A CATHOLIC YOU WERE THROWN INTO THE WATER OR MUCH MUCH WORSE TYPICAL BIGOT WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
Tiocfaidh ar la
Charlie says that it’s unfortunate that Show Racism the Red Card opposes his racist remark lol.
The Rangers Board is in meltdown and Charlie is history. Even Ally is getting lippy with Charlie. The clock is ticking…
I will leave final judgements to the only one who knows.
I do acknowledge that several events during the reign of many prime ministers have been at least subject to question. I acknowledge that many lives, and innocent or not, a life is a life, have been cruelly taken in the name of good governance and strong leadership. I also acknowledge that the apparent suffering, deprivation and injustices that litter history in the name of what is best for the country are for ever an abhorrence. I acknowledge that governments have more commonly favoured the self interests of the greedy than the benefit of the masses. I also acknowledge that Mrs. Thatcher is at least to the fore when assessing these iniquities. I believe her appeal to St. Francis of Assisi can legitimately be regarded as one of the most hypocritical statements of all time given her future activities.
BUT, some of the remarks made about her on this site today are nothing short of heinous. I detested what Mrs. Thatcher stood for and abhorred the consequences of her policies but I can not forget that she is a human being and as such deserving of respect no matter how much I opposed her methodology. No one deserves the invective expressed by some. I have to confess, I feel thoroughly ashamed that some of my fellow human beings who frequently and vehemently profess to be dignified could make comments such as have been posted here. They would do well to remember that decency only demands we bury her and not that she be praised. However, not to lay her peacefully to rest but instead to demonize her, is merely to demean themselves.
I am usually found on here hiding behind the parapet awaiting a lull in the canon fire in order to slip into some safe house. On this occasion I am quite unashamedly willing to face the onslaught as I hope my principles mean more to me than my hatred.
There is nothing dignified about maintaining silence whilst the haves rewrite history to suit their continuing agendas. The have-nots may not have much, but we have an opinion. We are entitled to that, as are all, and if we feel release at the death of a perceived megalomaniac, and feel the need to rail against the false truths being perpetrated by a Murdoch compliant media by utilising the free-est public medium available to us then, as hoi polloi, that is our right.
Just as it is yours to remain silent. In your dignified defence of a human being you are adding to the myth that she is had earned those rights through some superlative endeavour.
In my opinion she was a tyrant and a thief, a murderer, a rapist of communities and a denegrator of the 96 people who lost their lives at a football match that her stazi-like security forces were supposed to protect.
So, in every sense of the word she was an evil witch. Thousands died, at home, as a result of her policies. Many were driven to alcoholism, such was the futility of their lives after she destroyed whole industries, Their offspring ensnared in drugs as their homelife disintegrated around them. There was no need to destroy those communities but she did it because she had no compassion. Why should we show her compassion? Does that somehow make us more human than her? Even in death she taunts the poor with the idea of a state funeral. Perhaps you never fully witnessed the awful legacy she left behind on the lower Clyde, or Lanarkshire, or Tyneside, or Merseyside, or Wearside or….well you get the Idea. I’m sure the disabled will be happy to contribute to her funeral costs, or those with an extra bedroom, in a zero-point let (do you know what that is) who are now taking food from their childrens mouths as the need to keep the roof over their heads.
So in my less than human condition, i am glad i am athiest for Im sure this is unchristian also, may the evil witch rot forever in her own personal hell. Sadly, as an atheist, I know this will not be the case.
Gav
For me opinion is not in question and you have my full support for the every accusation you make. It is rather about terminology and mentality. I believe that letting her drift into oblivion which for me was already well on its way till all the tirades began, is the most fulfilling. But, I guess, each to his own, which, of course, is a prime principle of this.
“this site” – apologies!
Pensionerbhoy
The comments on Thatcher are perhaps fitting.
After all there is no such thing as humanity, sorry, society.
Thatcher helped destroy a sense of shared humanity and community in the name of dog-eat-dog individualism and economic freedom.
The proselytised a free-market ideology that excluded the concept of humanity and the culture whereby people feel happy to mock the dead without feeling pity is one of the lasting legacies of her own life.
Some may see it as karma.
RC
“Thatcher helped destroy a sense of shared humanity and community in the name of dog-eat-dog individualism and economic freedom.”
I would agree from personal experience that these words probably sum up her “contribution”. But, no matter what, I believe we only reduce ourselves to that same inhuman level when we demean ourselves with degrading language. Criticism can still be self respectful. But like I said to Gav above, “each to his own, which, of course, is a prime principle of this.”
Sorry, typo,
“She proselytised a free-market ideology that excluded the concept of humanity and the culture whereby people feel happy to mock the dead without feeling pity is one of the lasting legacies of her own life.”
“I don’t have a rule for Charles Green. If in August the board are unhappy with my outward comments or unhappy with things Charles Green said that were inappropriate, they will terminate my contract, or the shareholders will vote against me being re-elected as a director.”
“I have said many, many times. There will be a shareholders meeting in August. If the board don’t like what I am doing, if the shareholders don’t like what I’m doing they’ll have a vote and I’ll be gone.
“I’ll be down the road and that’s fine. There won’t be any tears in my eyes other than the tear of leaving Rangers. If I can’t deliver, if I don’t perform, I should be sacked.
“That’s what I believe is right for the chief executive and that’s the same set of rules for every employee.”
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What would the ramifications be if Green received a vote of no confidence?
I would presume that he could then leave with a barrow load of cash. However, who really owns the assets? That is ‘the $64,000 Question’
(or 5.5 million quid to be precise).
Charlie’s big gob is gonna cause a shit storm between now and August. The SFA should step in now and do everybody a favour; he has got to go sooner rather than later.
It has reached a stage, as a Celtic fan, I’m sick of listening to him engineer his exit, he is now pathetic. The next stage of the ‘journey’ for TRFC must surely be to find a new chief executive.
Given his attempts at comedy; Green should become a full time stand-up comic, come to think of it; Charlie would make the perfect straight man for a bumbling googly eye fall guy.
The above duo will soon be appearing in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; 33 Stenhouse Road to be precise.
To reduce the above over crowding problem in Scottish prisons; I would issue offenders with a free season ticket for Ibrox. Serious offenders should be made to attend every away match. Front row seats have already been reserved for serial offenders Green and Whyte.
The Scottish Office could kill two birds with one stone; overflowing football stadiums where the ‘inmates’ are already tagged, well you would need something to tell them apart from the ‘genuine Rangers fans’.
I am confused.
“If Lionel Messi was a Rangers player and he was recorded saying, ‘I don’t want to play for Rangers, get me a contract, I’ll go and sign for another club, give it to me don’t go through the club,’ I’d sack Lionel Messi,” Green said.
Allan McGregor, Kyle Lafferty , Sone Aluko , Steven Naismith , Steven Whittaker and Jamie didn’t want to play for T’Rangers. Hopefully Chico wins the right to a transfer of their contracts from Oldco to Sevco to that other Sevco so he can then sack them!
Jamie Ness
In Charlie’s world, investigating other employment avenues brings The Rangers into disrepute, whilst being a racist, a liar, a thief and a bigot is acceptable, even endearing attributes. The Rangers is a morally corrupt institution.
Has East Dumbarton given reasons as to why they are ignoring public opinion and closing this school?
If there is a valid reason, then all well and good. But if not, then something needs to be done.
Well done the arrogant female local councillor who voted against keeping the school open.
She can say goodbye to her expenses come the next election. LOL
As for “Ra Peeple’s” latest shambles, I put that all down to nothing more than sheer ignorance of the laws.
It will be interesting however, to see what action, if any the various authorities now take.