Publicity seeking Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill has scored a major own goal after praising ‘Old Firm’ fans at Sunday’s Co-Operative Cup Final.
Despite repeated sectarian chants from Rangers supporters, including one supposedly banned by the SFA, the out of touch minister claimed that the fans ‘contributed to a memorable occasion’ and referred to ‘their positive example inside the ground’.
Speaking to the BBC MacAskill claimed: “This was the showpiece final everyone wanted to see, and it was a great advert for Scottish football.
“Both teams were passionate, committed and it was end to end stuff from kick off to the final whistle.
“The players, management and fans contributed to a memorable occasion, and I urge that their positive example inside the ground is replicated outside it over the course of the evening and beyond.”
The MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh can’t claim ignorance to the chants clearly heard on television and radio throughout the match.
In 1999 he missed Scotland’s 1-0 victory over England at Wembley whilst being held in police custody under suspicion of being drunk and disorderly on the day on the match.
Previously he had once referred to the England football team as “the great Satan” during a party conference speech.
Following Celtic 1-0 Scottish Cup win over Rangers earlier this month the SNP decided to call a summit involving both clubs, the police and football authorities.
After the summit the Justice Minister said: “It was encouraging to see so many positive proposals coming out of the summit but it is vital that we turn words into action.
“That is what this group is all about and this was an extremely productive first meeting. All parties involved have now set out a plan of action to drive forward work to develop these proposals and the Group will report back with recommendations before the start of the new season.”
Celtic director and former Labour MP Brian Wilson rightly viewed the ‘summit’ as an opportunity to make political capital.
He said: “A summit in response to a football match makes great headlines, big headlines, big dramas when there’s an election coming up in a few weeks. I don’t know what the motives precisely were, but I do not believe that it is addressing sectarianism or the ills of Scottish society to hold that sort of event.
“I think that the way Alex Salmond should be judged is: what’s he actually done about sectarianism over the past four years? Has he maintained the initiatives that were there when he came in? I’m not sure that he has.”
Sunday’s events went largely unchallenged but the sports editor of The Times, Tony Evans, found the chanting from the Rangers support a sickening throwback to the darker ages of Scottish football.
On Monday he wrote: “Yesterday they were dipping farther into the past, but the soundtrack of 2011 has even more sinister undercurrents.The “Famine Song” harks back to the Irish potato blight of 1845, which led to mass emigration and the death of one million people.
“Sung to the tune of the Beach Boys’ Sloop John B, it asks of the Roman Catholic population of western Scotland: “The famine is over, why don’t you go home?” This is how things move on in the Old Firm fixture.”
The voters of Edinburgh East and Musselburgh will have the opportunity to question their MSP on the memorable occasion he enjoyed at Hampden before going to the polls on May 5.
Walter Smith warns referee over very dangerous decision
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Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill now there is a joke of a title wouldn’t no justice if it kicked in the haw maws.
Don’t vote for these bigots.
The man is a sack of shit. Needs a boot in the hole. Or as one might say a good MacAsskicking
I have written to Alex Salmond asking what action will be taken against those who engaged in racist and sectarian chants on Sunday . I will post the reply when and if i get one.
Ive Voted for SNP for the last few years but after MacAskilk dealings with Lockerbie and now this ignorance im getting second thoughts.
Strathclyde Police Assistant Chief Constable Campbell Corrigan’s comments are not much better – “the atmosphere at the ground was excellent”.
If he is happy with certain party tunes being sung then what chance have we got getting rid of the bigotry amongst his friends.
My mum thinks the police were probably humming along to the Rangers fans
normally I just think she comes from a worse time and seen some shocking bias at the time, but I know worry she is right about it never having changed. They are just better at hiding it
Tom,
Probably half of his cronies in the force were joining in with the tunes whilst off duty.
In his cuntry they have their own version of the 3 wise monkeys – “Hear No Evil”, “Hear No Evil” & “Hear No Evil”. Twas always thus.
Trouble is most politicians are kiss-asses and wouldn’t say anything out of turn against a substantial part of the population (rightly or wrongly) for fear of losing precious votes.I doubt many huns would be voting SNP in the first place anyway!
Still waiting
Get a grip lads, short memories as I dont remember the Labour Party ever having the balls to take on Rangers or their fans. Im proud to be a Celtic fan and SNP supporter and I view the two as entirely seperate matters.
I don’t think anyone is sticking up for or supporting Labour on this issue.
Most politicians like to bury their heads in the sand and say nothing on this issue.
Congratulating ‘Old Firm fans’ when the poison was loud and clear is another matter.
MacAskill knows the score, he knows what was sung, if he doesn’t know the content of the songs he’s certainly not fit for office.
snp have always been anti catholic and always will be. more fool any of you who vote for that parcel of rogues and bigots if they get in again a 2nd time.
The only reason tfs and the bb were banned is because of outside pressure, namely the Irish government getting involved.
They can sing the sash and Derrys walls till their hearts content as far as I’m concerned, it only paints them into a corner when they make their ludicrous attempts at distancing themselves from the orange order, but how a song like ‘no Pope of Rome’ and it’s content can be totally ignored by the the huns, the media, the police, the sfa, show racism the red card, nil by mouth and the Scottish puppet government beggars belief!!!
The huns, always shamed, but NEVER blaimed!!
Best way to hurt a politician is at the ballet box so lets not forget there bigotry and there ignorance of racism within Scotland when we vote.
Can anyone post email addresses of the decision makers in the SFA etc for us Irish Bhoys and Ghirls so we can complain to the powers that be.
I attended the match on Sunday, with my son, the last OF LCF I attended was 1982, and if you compared the singing 28 years on, only 1 side of the ground has changed.If you dropped the 21,000 R%%%%%s ‘fans’
from 82 to 2011, there’s no difference in their song choices, they’re actually added some more….famine song etc. McArsekill shows he hasn’t a clue what’s happening, so how the hell can he solve anything.
SFA done, and SFA expected to be done.
Sorry ‘blamed’.
I blaim Catholic schools myself!!