26th of foot

Charles Green and our Board of Directors should show the required leadership by refusing to attend the game. On a matter of principle, I would rather we cede the tie than anyone with the remotest support for our club gave a single penny to those cnuts.

He left the Herald for the Express, lasted 4 weeks before accepting the gig as the Record's Chief Sports Writer/Sports Editor. Whilst at the Herald, Souness banned him for 2-3 weeks and catapulted Traynor from the back page to the front page. His writing at the Herald was exceptional. I believe his resignation from the Record is a matter of principle. The current Editor is Allan Rennie, he is a Yahoo and a Lawwell Lamb to boot. Apparently, the Record had the full story on Stokes at the IRA benefit, with pictures. It was cleared for the front page until Rennie intervened and demanded a front page of a shady potential investor in Rangers. The Record was scooped by an Irish newspaper on Stokes. Further, Keevins has been banned from ra Stydome and Lennoxtown for 10 weeks and Rennie refuses to rile and rage against it. He was banned for a pre-season match report that upset Lawwell. Traynor cannot believe Rennie continues to allow a situation that sees a journo unable to ply his trade. The long shadow of 'Thugs and Thieves' continues to cast.

I thought Pat Nevin would have been at Easter Road today?

How appropriate, Ian Small contributes to 'Fans with Laptops'. Ian is entirely comfortable as a 'Lawwell Lamb'.

No, no, and thrice no. Jum Spence speaks on behalf of his master, Stephen Thompson; morning, noon, and night. BBC Scotland awarded him a new, substantialy improved contract last summer. Wee Jum blurted in his excitement that he could for the first time, be fully full-time and give up his job as a lecturer in law at a local polytechnic. Jum's favourite word this year has been, "contrition". We, the Rangers support had not shown enough and Jum was livid, so he was.

Reading Traynor's take on events, I suspect BBC Scotland's Jum Spence might find himself redundant.

Thompson is hopefully just the start. Only Riley, Topping, Doncaster, and Dandy Don Duncan Fraser to go. "Professional differences" is it? I heard it was musical differences, the other four liked diddley-dee melodies; whereas Thompson preferred Deedley-did tones.

Auld Erchie has posted a grenade. Let's see if anyone at BBC Scotland throws themselves on it?

I believe any appeal MUST be based on a point of law. Since the accountant, Dr Heidi Poon found against Rangers, the other two were law experts and found for Rangers. Maybe in HMRC's rarified world, one accountant trumps two legal experts? Further, it will be a new three person committee if an appeal is progressed. Again, it's my belief it will take at least 18 months as there is an 18 month time elapse for a slot. An appeal might not deliver a verdict until 3 years hence. I think someone must calculate both the monetary and opportunity cost of appeal action.

I listened to both BBC Radio Scotland and Radio Snyde over the weekend. Stuart Cosgrove is almost THE voice of BBC Radio Scotland these days, he appears on the airwaves on at least five seperate shows. He hosts/co-hosts four of them. He has several hours each and every weekend to advance his particular polemic. He brought up the FTT on four of these shows, the well rehearsed presentation did not waver. He emphasised the majority verdict, lionised Dr Heidi Poon's contribution, utilised some examples of her judgement, and placed the verdict's year long delay squarely at the door of Mr Red(SDM). Further, the RTC blog was then discussed on each show in lieu of the FTT. He continues to lionise it, it remains seminal in the new journalism of social media superceding the older broadcast and print means. He claims the veracity of the information on the blog was unquestionable, that Rangers supporters regularly participated on it's pages, thus could claim neutrality and objectivity, and reminded those listening that the blog was a worthy winner of the Orwell Prize. At no point did Stuart mention the accurate information had been achieved through access to information that should never have reached the public domain ie it was deliberately leaked to the specific source. Surprisingly, Stuart also forgot to mention the blog disappeared within an hour or so of the verdict. Now, Stuart did apologise, .............. for a specific. He said sorry for previously saying Rangers had gone under with debts of £135million. He accepts the figure is almost a £100million lower in light of the verdict. This 'apology' allowed him to go on and deliver a most subjective appreciation. I propose Cosgrove be appointed the Orwellian Minister for Truth, do I have a seconder? As for Snyde, Jim(ra Tim)Delahunt uncannily mirrored Cosgrove's performance. Right down to the same examples of Dr Heidi Poon's contribution. The usual suspects continue to sing from the same hymn sheet, it's just a different hymn sheet since the demise of the RTC blog.

Yep, sanctimoneous Davie does not do irony. These last 20 years in both broadcast(Radio Snyde and Sky) and print(the Sun and News of the World) Provan has moralised and has NEVER hesitated to present a penny lecture. Fair enough! However, here's a guy that spent a decade at ra Piggery as a player and another several years on the youth coaching staff; all that time rejoicing in his given nickname, 'PROVO'. Give us that bit about morality again Davie, maybe this time with a straight face?

Stripping the RTC blog of it's Prize. Seriously, how would this work? I take it that the prize will be in three parts : something on a plinth, a certificate, and possibly a cheque. Who was/were the recipient/recipients? We know the site has been vanished into the blue nowhere, is the Orwell Prize awarded for an ephemeral notion? On the theme of notional ephemera, I note BBC Scotland announcing the arrest of a 37 year old from Glasgow in relation to the RTC blog. I suspect this will be a Rangers supporter sounding off on a disappeared site, moderated by the anonymous. The PF's rationale to proceed in protecting the sensitivities of an anonymous ephemeral notion marks the arrival of the Thought Police.

The phrase first entered my head whilst standing in the pouring rain in Cologne watching Jim Denny man-mark Pierre Littbarski. We lost 5-1.

Some 28 years past, I found myself on the Isle of Jura for several weeks. It was a full on professional committment but I managed to smuggle some me time to visit a midge besieged cottage on the north end called, 'Barnhill'. This location was George Orwell's home for 2 years immediately post war and where the old Etonian penned the seminal, '1984'. Eric Blair had watched Europe disolve in the previous two decades into totalitarian states of various political hues. The Spains, Portugals, ....................... Soviet Unions continued to persist with systems that allowed NO opposition. Orwell had voiced opposition with Animal Farm, but his rile and rage continued and through terminal tuberculosis he completed the tome. Nineteen Eighty-Four was a school text in my day, I am sure it remains so today. The main character, Winston Smith and his lover, Julia linger in my memory. The juxtapositions of language and the reality of their true meanings really linger : the Ministry of Peace dealt with war, the Ministry of Plenty dealt with rationing and starvation, the Ministry of Love dealt with torture, and the Ministry of Truth dealt with propaganda. Newspeak and Doublethink are words that still carry currency. During the last year, how many times did you open a newspaper or turn on your radio/TV and be confronted by a journo/talking head talking at the Rangers support by presenting the opening line, 'what Rangers fans should be thinking'? Sometimes it advanced to, 'what Rangers fans should be saying/questioning/doing'? We were being conditioned, particularly by use of language and a favourite of the hardcore haters, 'the new reality'. Rangers supporters were somnolent proles who needed to wake up but were only going to be allowed to smell the coffee if we accepted the prepared new reality. It became obvious that a line was being adhered to, all that chorused did so from the same hymn sheet. The usual suspects moved to lionise the new gospel of the Rangers Tax Case blog. Cosgrove and Spence held it aloft and declared it was the epitome of new cyber journalism, running ahead of the old ways. Heady days hjad arrived, the Fans' Revolution was born with, "Say No to Newco". These last seven months, Spiers, McLaughlin, Gordon, Delahunt, ........ et al have habitually utilised the RTC blog as their preferred crib sheet on all things Rangers. It was proclaimed, "NEUTRAL". I am surprised the Barnhill cottage did not collapse at such seismic irony. The RTC blog was eulogised to the extent it was entered for and won the Orwell Priaze. The judges, Suzanne Moore, Hopi Sen, and Sean Dodson stated, "the RTC blog showed how expertise and incisive writing can expose the hypocrisy the powerful use to protect themselves from the consequences and actions. It is a worthy winner". I wonder what Suzanne, Hopi, and Sean think this morning? The RTC blog has disappeared into the ether, a matter of weeks after receiving the prize and praise. What do the usual suspects think now; particularly since there is no crib to consult? Further, who did the Orwell Prize judges give the prize to, given the identity of the blogger is the big secret? Maybe they handed it to a balaclava clad Big Brother? Of course, Winston Smith was betrayed and the consequence was torture and re-education. by Thinkpol. Over these last several months of tortue and attempted re-education, the usual suspects have held firm to Thinkpol's favoured word, "CONSEQUENCE". It was constantly utilised to whip us into line. There will be further consequence, the first should be Suzanne, Hopi, and Sean withdrawing the prize from something that no longer exists.

I believe the earliest slot for hearing an appeal would be 18 months hence. Further, there is at least an 18 month backlog of cases waiting a slot. Thus, it could be dependent upon priority; however a possible 3 year wait is unacceptable to all parties. The costs are already in excess of £5million, HMRC refused an offer from Rangers of £10million two years past, and those parties providing evidence for the revenue have already been presented as the united colours of beneton. It has cost too much, will not pass muster of public scrutiny, and we have ran out of pastel shades. The window of opportunity has closed.

How about : 'The Road to Saville is Depraved by Torbet Intentions'.

Interestingly, last evening on Radio Snyde; a caller came on and nailed Spiers as a liar and hoped Murray and Rangers would pursue him legally. He was not cut-off, nor dismissed. Jim ra Tim Delahunt(the objective Host of ra Show) said, "Mr Spiers can look after himself". Statement of fact or hung out to dry? Looking at Spiers body language at the beginning of Scotland Tonight, I suspect he knows he has overstepped the mark and is worried at the CONSEQUENCE of this deliberate loss of discipline.

I listened to Jim(ra Tim)Delahunt and Walker tonight, they are aggresively defending the need for the SPL to pursue Rangers over disclosure. Despite a Rangers supporting caller pointing out the continuing conflict of interest of Harper McLeod, they eulogised the probity of the appointed committee ie refused to deal with the point. Remember, two years ago during the several months of Dougiegate; Delahunt's mantra every programme was, "Celtic supporters deserve full disclosure". Funnily enough, Jim ra Tim has as yet not uttered the same phrase reference Rangers supporters over yesterday's verdict.

Agreed. The Cluedo references are also utilised by Phil McStupidname today. I will not bore the forum with Phil's expected tiresome and tedious macinations; however, I will mention the title of his piece, 'The Body at the bottom of the Stairs'. Is it just me, or does anyone else notice the frequency that Thomson, Phil, McNally, ........... etc utilise Ibrox Disaster references in their spiteful pieces? Thomson's latest terminology for Rangers supporters is 'Daleks'(cannot deal with stairs), as the group they appear to have all the compassion associated with Daleks.

The Firing Squad has already been assembled and they are willing to volley into a charred corpse twisting in the wind. Why let Rangers winning the BIG Tax case appeal get in the way of the proposed fun(sorry, ah mean sporting integrity).

Agreed. Five members of HMRC staff are currently suspended pending disciplinary investigation. This is directly linked to deliberate leaking of information to specific sources in both broadcast and print media. Gordon Brewer was continually interupting Davidson's point on this matter.

Tom English is advising the three man SPL case committee, Chaired by Lord Nimmo; to look at the 85 pages of Dr Heidi Poon's contribution today. She found Rangers guilty and English strongly urges emphasis on her contribution on side contracts.

Tom English is hot foot and breathless from BBC Radio Scotland's live coverage of tonight's defeat of ra Yahoos in Lisbon. Iain Davidson has just revealed that all evidence in the BIG tax case had been completed in day 11, and that it was reasonable to expect today's judgement in November'11.

Neil Patey.