D'Artagnan

It was not agony, because even agony allows for a moments reprieve. It was worse than that. It was an endless physical and mental torture which allowed for no period of respite whatsoever for its victims. There was no escape for it consumed you to your very core. In the pit of the stomach was sense of sickness, caused by worry, anguish and uncontrollable anger. The mind fared no better however, starved of sleep, a consequence of restless nights; frenzied by a continuous stream of misinformation and speculation, it raced continuously searching, forlornly, for a foothold or an anchor of hope or encouragement. None were to be forthcoming. It was not an â??isolated caseâ? but rather a pandemic to those of us of blue persuasion. Rangers were indeed in crisis, and a crisis very much of our own making. Had it remained a â??self inflicted injuryâ? then, ironically, perhaps our subsequent recovery would have taken far longer. But the life lesson for today is that bigotry, hatred and jealously appear to go hand in hand with opportunity. In Scotland, in particular they appear to make very strange bed fellows. Fundamental principles, which have underpinned our society since time in immemorial, were asked to take a â??pit stopâ? in the clamour to condemn Rangers. We are no longer a society which proudly boasts â??Innocent until proven guiltyâ? but shamefully, a society which operates on a mantra of â??Guilty until proven innocentâ?. And boy does it â??operateâ?. If an authority, footballing body or otherwise, usurps the laws of the land, and resort to blackmail and extortion to invoke a ruling which the laws of the land have declared â??unlawfulâ? can they really claim any right to exercise â??authorityâ? ? http://www.telegraph...d-unlawful.html Mr Regan, are you so small minded, so full of your own self importance, so lacking in impartiality, so far removed from a sense of justice that you resort to such such appalling behaviour just to get one over on Rangers ? My goodness what will UEFA think ? Well hopefully we will know soon â?? because I have asked them. But your schemes, your hatred, your Machiavellian exploits have not had the desired effect. The sick have risen from their beds, and they are now aware of the hatred towards our club, whether that be footballing authorities or the press, or those who covet what they can never have - all you have done is exposed the depths of your jealousy hatred and bigotry. You have enlightened the unenlightened, which only serves to make us so much stronger. Look to the horizons. And look closely, and with fear and trepidation. The clouds you see are not just an impending thunderstorm, but an army on the march. A King is coming to reclaim his throne, backed by an army whose loyalty and faithfulness are without equal. Anywhere. The King is dead ? Long live the King. Rangers are coming. And we will not forget those who, prematurely and erroneously, chose to dance on our grave.

None of them - Murdo Fraser excluded can claim any credit Bearger - in fact when you look at Westminster's Early Day Motion 913 - a certain one should be ashamed of himself. The only Unionist politicians who appear to have done anything to help Rangers are those from Ulster. This post was a collective criticism of the failings of our country to stem and respond to a hatred - a presumption of guilt before trial which even those in authority failed to take cognisance of. The only reason I make reference to the aspirations of self governance is that the considerable failings at a number of "safety checkpoints" suggest to me, we are still too immature to consider self governance.

â??Scotland might surprise youâ? â?? according to the Scottish Tourist Board promotional advert. It would certainly surprise you, had you flown into any of our countryâ??s airports and been greeted by the billboard which welcomed visitors with the claim â??Scotland - probably the best small country in the worldâ? Because any visitor would be more than surprised at the manifestation of hatred towards one of Scotlandâ??s oldest and most respected institutions â?? Rangers Football Club. Furthermore temporary guests to our shores would be even more surprised to learn that this outward pouring of hatred, venom, poison and bile, often from behind the safety of a keyboard, was neither condemned nor challenged by Scotland â??moral guardians of societyâ? â?? the press. But the surprises will just keep on coming for our visitors. They will learn of the journalist who saw fit to support Scotlandâ??s Hate Crime Bill http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-14800819 and yet, surprisingly, described the festering festival of hatred conducted by a hate-filled mob against Rangers FC as follows : â??A voracious, voluble, impassioned type of democracy has won the day.â? Scotland may surprise you with her shameless levels of hypocrisy. And such visitors would be right to ask what kind of â??democracyâ? is Scotland where football authorities usurp the fundamental presumption of innocence, who seek to impose draconian and excessive punishments on the untried, and who ignore the rulings of Scotlandâ??s courts to inflict unlawful transfer embargos on the aforementioned Rangers FC. Small wonder then that â??Scotland might surprise youâ? And they would be surprised by the lack of contrition shown by those who declared the innocent â??guiltyâ? before trial, yet were subsequently vindicated of the allegations against them. They would be even more surprised that the guilty have gone unpunished, remain in their respective posts and still weave their web of chaos with regard to our national game. But they wont be surprised that the hate filled mob reneged on their promises to sell out Saturdays or support their own clubs. For this was never about devotion but hatred motivated by petty jealousy and bigotry, among other things. Scotlandâ??s visitors will be further surprised to learn the only tale of devotion was that shown by the supporters of Rangers FC, despite their club being castigated to the lowest tier of Scottish football. Perhaps what would surprise them most however, is that this country, so capable of such unbridled and unchallenged hatred, and which is more than willing to turn a blind eye to injustice against her own, has aspirations of self-governance. It would not surprise me if our departing visitors were to commit an act of graffiti on that billboard as they leave our shoresâ?¦ â??Scotland â?? probably the best small-minded country in the worldâ?

I was at the camp site next door to that - Ardgartan I think it is called. Lovely spot.

Well in all fairness Frankie it is one of the wettest ares in Scotland....still nothing to stop you donning the dreaded kagoule ! Were you at the Camp site perchance ?

Its funny how the time affects perspective. Many years ago I sat atop the Cobbler mountain in the Arrochar Alps. It's not even a Munro by Scottish hill climbing standards, standing at 2900 feet, 100 feet short of Munro status. Ben Arthur, to afford it its more anglicised name, is nonetheless one of the most exhilarating climbs in Scotland, due to would be conquerors having to pass through what is known as the â??eye of the needleâ? - a hole in a rock near the top which leads onto a ledge overlooking a sheer drop onto Glen Croe, which provides access to the summit. Years ago, passing through the eye of the needle gave a young Marine a much needed adrenaline rush - 30 years later however, it terrified me ! But personal pride provided sufficient motivation to overcome those fears and reach the summit for the second time. Whilst the reckless courage of youth may have deserted me long ago at least advancing years have replaced it with an ability to reflect quietly. Sitting atop this magnificent mountain, with its panoramic views my thoughts, as always, turned to our football club. In the 30 years which had passed since my first ascent of this mountain, time has been kinder to the institution which is The Cobbler, than the institution which is our beloved Rangers. The Cobbler of course does not have to combat petty jealousy, bigotry and unreserved hatred. I use the term â??unreservedâ? because it appears to have no bounds. What kind of hatred would see the Advertising Standards Agency being brought into adjudicate on a football club ? Probably the same kind of hatred which would see broadsheet journalists such as Graham Spiers and Tom English sacrifice their journalistic integrity to have a pop at our club. When either of the latter wish to include facts, legal rulings, the judgements of footballing authorities, then perhaps we can have a discussion â?? but in the interim period, please gentlemen continue to embarrass yourselves with your ability to omit essential facts. (Oh and Tom....I know Craig Whyte accrued considerable debt; and like every other Rangers supporter I am deeply ashamed of his conduct â?? but perhaps its wholly appropriate that time and perspective come into play here. Why not write an article asking why the SFA delayed so long, given the information they were privy to regarding this chancer ? I donâ??t expect Tom English to feel our pain. He will never have experienced those sleepless nights through worry, the sickness at the very pit of your core, the feelings of utter betrayal at everything out club once stood for, but I do expect him to acknowledge that the 9 month carnage of one man does not reflect the identity and character of an institution which boasts 140 years of otherwise, exemplary conduct. But Spiers and English, and the articles they pen, are merely symptoms of a problem which Charles Green highlighted, during his short, but nevertheless eventful, tenure. Let me address this once and for all, for those (Graham Spiers) who would reduce themselves to arguing that our club has â??diedâ?. What do UEFA, the European Clubs Association, The SFA, the SPL, Lord Nimmo Smith, and, quite ridiculously, the Advertising Standards Agency, say ? Over to you Mr Spiers.....I note your recent article chose to omit their various rulings on the matter. You sir, give a whole new meaning to the term â??selective journalismâ?. Let that be your indictment. And here is the real ball breaker. Rangers are not dead â?? despite your efforts. They were kept alive by two vital ingredients â?? a Yorkshireman who saw a good investment opportunity (good on him) but more importantly a support who refused, against insurmountable odds to let an institution die. They are our club and we are its people. You will never, ever, understand this. You were not chosen. You threw everything you could against this club. Lies, injustice, mistreatment, false testimony, misguided and erroneous journalism. But you could not overcome what we feel deep within our core, we came, we saw and we conquered. And while you failed to sell out your Saturdays, we caused men to board aeroplanes in other continents to report on our loyalty and devotion. Your hatred is your shame, our devotion and loyalty only adds more post script to the legend which is Rangers. It was the devotion of the Rangers support which gives this club a platform to stand in splendid isolation. We can live without you whereas you cant appear to live without us. No matter the injustice (see 5 way agreement â?? something Spiers & English appear reluctant to talk about) no matter the enemies ranged against us, Rangers rely on only one thing to ensure that â??splendid isolationâ? - the commitment of the Rangers support. I have been asked in recent weeks by many of my readers whether I will avail myself of a season ticket next season. Many of my friends,some very solid Bears will not be renewing and they provide some very concrete argument for not doing so, But I don't follow a boardroom or the quality on the park. I follow Rangers in â??sickness and in health. But more importantly in this very anti-Rangers climate I feel it is imperative I ensure that the ability to maintain â??splendid isolationâ? is continued. So to those who asked â?? yes I will be a season ticket holder next season. In another 30 years my grandson will stand atop The Cobbler. As he too reflects, he will remember a long gone grandfather, who stood and could do no other but support his team. And he will do likewise. That's why we will never, ever. be defeated.

Yep week in week out Steve. His dad was manager of Drumchapel Amateurs and used to get the "gold dust" tickets ie Scotland v England games.

Aye JM old age is not being kind to me - but at least I didnt put Andy Walker in amongst my all time Rangers favourites ;-))

It was in another century that my love affair with Rangers started. There were 144 pennies in the pound and an evening read of the papers offered you the Evening Citizen in Glasgow. The world was still reeling from the near nuclear Armageddon of the Cuban Crisis but I didn't care a jot. I had found the Rangers. An appetite whetted by an older brother's scrapbook which contained the heroes of yesteryear â?? Baxter, Wilson, Caldow and Brand to name but a few. In years to come I would have my own scrapbook with Parlane, Greig, Stein, Jaws, Johnstone and Cooper the photographs from newspaper cuttings forever enshrined in the moment, capturing their brilliance for time immemorial. The Ibrox Disaster delayed my first visit to Ibrox, as parents all over Scotland became all the more anxious and protective following those dark, dark days. But eventually my parents gave in to the pressure, and chaperoned by an elder brother, I had my first taste of Ibrox. And like the character from the Dickens novel I just had to go back for some more, and more and more. Rangers have a permanent seat of residence in the very core of your soul. Rangers excelled my greatest expectations. Like so many of us, they were and still are, everything to me. For young men from the tribe of the Scots, your first solo Rangers game is akin to a Rite of Passage. But you never felt alone â?? you were always surrounded my like minded individuals who too, had made that journey, that rite of passage. One of those individuals, with whom I used to travel regularly to get our â??Ibrox fixâ? is now manager of Manchester United. It seems ironic to say this now, in the age of internet forums, the worldwide web and electronic mail, but there is still within me a sense that our club and support were more together in those times than they are now. There was a oneness and togetherness about club and support in those bygone times which was not forced or contrived. â??Rangers Firstâ? is not a new concept men - like Willie Waddell and Jock Wallace lived and breathed it every single day of their lives. To this day the conversation between David Holmes and Jock Wallace at Strathclyde Park which saw Big Jock being ousted remains a secret forever. Despite the sadness and anger Jock quite rightly felt, he remained silent rather than risk harming the club. The absolute epitome of a Ranger. I have watched in considerable anger and disbelief as â??dignified silenceâ? became a euphemism for â??I cant be bothered defending this club or its supportâ?. I have come to realise that wearing a club tie or blazer does not necessarily make you a â??Real Rangers Manâ?. Defending the club and its support from attacks for both outside, and sadly of late, from within, does tick the required boxes however. At times I have been left numb at the levels of apathy and intransigence inside Ibrox. It's like the club which I once knew is in hibernation. Craig Mathers spoke recently about humility. Humility is fine so long as it not used as an excuse for intransigence. Several articles ago I spoke of serving the SFA with legal papers in respect of our club's diabolical treatment. It will be interesting to see what transpires from within Ibrox given recent newspaper â??exclusivesâ? which revealed the worst kept secret in the history of Scottish sport â?? Rangers were crime victims. I want the men in charge of Rangers to put Rangers first. To be unafraid of confrontation if it means speaking out against injustices which are foisted upon our club. Charles Green may not have been perfect but at least he got this part. He made a statement of intent â?? and his continued popularity demonstrates just how long the forlorn blue legions have waited for a figure to champion our club. Furthermore I want them to rally the masses of leaderless blue legions into an effective force against the enemies of this club. The defence of this club should not be left to a few internet bloggers or pro-active Rangers forums users. So come on Rangers, awaken from slumber, you have an army awaiting to be led. Go on I dare you Rangers, bid my blood to run.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/spiers-on-sport-rangers-new-club-or-old-and-the-bbc.1371631860 For those who haven't read Graham Spiers Herald article from today, may I respectfully suggest you do as I doubt you will find a better example of sub standard journalism anywhere. The article by Mr Spiers follows on from yesterdays BBC Trust ESC ruling which declared BBC Scotland inaccurate in their use of language and terminology to describe our club. Mr Spiers argues that Rangers did in fact die and are in essence a new club. To support his assertion he cites a number of examples including comments from Richard Gough, Charles Green, Jim Traynor, Walter Smith and an Ibrox debenture . Those who are familiar with courtrooms will notice the absence of any expert witnesses from the examples cited by Spiers. An expert witness of course has both the authority and expertise rather than just the passion for the subject matter. In terms of journalistic integrity one has to consider how Mr Spiers can omit the testimony of so many expert witnesses who have ruled on the issue, and only include the passionate but nevertheless unqualified indivduals he has seen fit to support his assertion. It seems almost inconceivable that such an experienced journalist could make such a glaring and schoolboy error. But we have a newspaper industry in crisis with plummeting sales and Iâ??m sure more than a few journalists are getting a bit twitchy about what the future holds. I noticed the aforementioned Mr Spiers recently on twitter blowing his own trumpet (no doubt for his editor's benefit) with regard to his interview with Donald Findlay, hailing it the most read article in the Herald. Is this the game Mr Spiers has been reduced to ? Imbalanced articles and controversial characters in order to boost his readership figures ? This latest one has all the subtlety of a fisherman with a enormous hook deliberately baiting the Rangers support in order to get hits. I say that because quite honestly no journalist could be that bad surely ? I of course realise that in providing a link to his article I will boost his figures. But I quite sure in the long run the excellence and quality of the articles produced by another Herald journalist, Richard Wilson, will win out over the nonsense produced by Spiers. Richard Wilson is obviously a journalist in the thick of things, working contacts, sources and following up on leads to deliver articles of balance and substance. Spiers on the hand is the epitome of Alex Thomson's attack on the Scottish press - â??lazy and sycophanticâ?. If ever there was a case of a journalist resting on his laurels then Graham Spiers is it. (For the hard of hearing please note I said laurels not morals, as that is something, which like his expert witnesses, Mr Spiers appears to be lacking) And what of those expert witnesses which Mr Spiers fail to cite. For instance Lord Nimrod Smith, one of countryâ??s most respected legal experts who ruled :- The irony is of course that such a ruling was made on the occasion of this â??new clubâ? answering to the charges of â??the old clubâ?. Another aspect Mr Spiers appears to have missed when he was busy noting responses from debenture holders. Mr Spiers also fails to mention the SFA, the SPL, UEFA and the European Clubs Association. Not forgetting the Advertising Standards Authority whose very involvement highlights the ridiculous measures some will stoop to. With no disrespect to Richard Gough, Jim Traynor or an Ibrox debenture holder, I think I know who I would rather have ruling that my club has a continued existence. But I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Spiers. His shoddy, poorly prepared and poorly researched article only serves to highlight the absence of intelligent argument for those who wish to delude themselves that Rangers have â??diedâ?. Rangers â?? Now, Then & Forever, (Confirmed by expert witnesses)

They most certainly are. They seem to fail to grasp that it was accurate, objective and fair reporting which earned them their respect.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-22951447?utm_source=gersnews&utm_medium=twitter The above response from BBC Scotland came as no surprise to me. It displays all the characteristics of an organisation I have dealt on a number of occasions over the last two years, and whose hatred, arrogance and lack of objectivity is dissipating any semblance of credibility it had left. And it didn't have a lot left I might add. Apparently they know better than everyone else â?? The Advertising Standards Authority, UEFA, the SFA, the SPL, the European Clubs Association, even their own BBC Trust Editorial Standards Committee. They also apparently know better than one of the most qualified legal minds in our country â?? Lord Nimmo Smith â?? who commented as follows :- http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/sfl-division-three/newco-rangers-must-answer-oldco-charges-insists-commission-chief-1-2542646? But rather than being angry with their latest response, I'm now finding it amusing. Very amusing in fact. This publicly funded media organisation are now operating at the level of the delusional. They are now ignoring legal rulings on the matter as well as the expert opinions of bodies who really matter â?? UEFA, the ECA amongst others. They have now become the Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf of the media world. For those who need reminding, he was the Iraqi Minister For Information who broadcast to the world that the Iraqi army was repulsing the western infidels in rivers of blood. Unfortunately at the same time, the world he was addressing were watching the complete rout of the Iraqi army via television. I would respectfully suggest we rename BBC Scotland - BBC Sahhaf. Furthermore it's clear from social media that those in the employment of BBC Scotland are clearly hurting. The petulant and churlish nature of some of their tweets today was a joy to behold. They were behaving like miscreant children with petted lips as a consequence of being disciplined. The wider implications for the BBC are clear for all to see â?? with the exception of the delusional who operate from within their bunker at Pacific Quay. The damage they are causing the BBC nationally is considerable, but it is a rod of their own making. It would be a considerable irony if their response today to the BBC Trust Editorial Committee ruling proved to be the catalyst to the BBC Trust re-visiting and re-opening the complaint of institutional bias against Rangers FC which was also lodged against them. But I'd like to thank BBC Sahhaf for what has been quite simply comedy genius, my sides are still aching at your behaviour today. Which just goes to show â?? Some mothers do 'ave 'em.

I think BBC Scotland's decision today to defend their position on its own Editorial Standards Ruling merely emphasises what we are up against. Advertising Standards Authority, UEFA, SFA, European Clubs Association, Lord NImmo Smith, BBC Trust Editorial Standards Committee - ALL WRONG BBC Scotland - right.

I find very little of the British characteristic Andy, in the way this organisation has been conducting itself in recent times. It seems totally aloof from British public opinion, and the conduct of some of their employees post Savile merely confirms that - the playing of the Jim'll Fix It theme tune at a BBC office party, to much cheering, was repugnant. But if we are not going to go down the route of joining the ant-licence lobby how would you suggest we tackle the obvious bias at work here ? And I ask that of you knowing you have sent letters of complaint to this organisation.

Its been a busy week for The Samaritans in Glasgow. Thankfully they have been doing what they do best - counselling, instead of being detracted from their normal duty by having to tell BBC Scotland their montage of Ally McCoist falling to his death was repugnant. But if it wasn't bad enough the Advertising Standards Authority ruling that Rangers were indeed the most successful club in Scotland, more woe was to follow for a certain section of Scottish society. For the Samaritans phones have been buzzing with the news the Republican Guard has taken a helluva beating. No not Saddam's â?? the other one â?? BBC Scotland. For a couple of very persistent and determined Bears of the Vanguard variety have struck a critical blow in the armour of this Rangers bashing, publicly funded, broadcasting organisation. I'm sure most of you have read the comments of the BBC' s own Editorial Standards Committee, (if like me more than once) which criticises BBC Scotland's inaccurate use of language with regard to the description of our club. It was of course a long drawn out affair of nearly 14 months and required numerous escalations of the complaint. The 2 authors of that complaint displayed both considerable and exemplary perseverance in their quest. The Editorial Standards Committee are in fact the final arbiters in complaints to the BBC Trust. But of course not only the ruling but the process must cast serious questions about the integrity and judgement of those involved at BBC Scotland with regard to how they view our club. That this complaint progressed through the various bureaucratic levels of management at Pacific Quay without any of those managers having either the sense or objectivity to uphold this complaint should be of concern to us all. On a personal note I find not just the ruling, but the considerable failings it highlights at BBC Scotland as something of a vindication of an article I wrote nearly two years ago for Vanguard Bears â?? A River Runs Through It. http://vanguardbears.co.uk/article.php?i=1&a=a-river-runs-through-it In view of what has transpired since that article was written, perhaps it would be appropriate to replace the river with a Tsunami. However I took the time to research some of the previous complaints which the Editorial Standards Committee had adjudicated on with regard to our club and discovered the following complaints had been presented before them :- Tampering with an interview with the Rangers manager Regular snide comments from news and sports reporters on BBC Scotland Biased and inaccurate comments from BBC Radio Scotland presenters Repeated factual inaccuracies A failure to consider or in any way investigate other institutions A lack of regard, consideration or empathy for the traumatic content of the Rangers saga to employees, shareholders and fans throughout the past year or more Now call me old fashioned but shouldn't alarm bells be ringing within the BBC at the frequency of complaints they are receiving in respect of our club, particularly where in this most recent instance some of those complaints are being upheld ? It seems clear that despite the horrific failings of this organisation in view of the Savile revelations, that they have learned very little with regard to early warning systems. Furthermore their recent false and erroneous reporting in respect of the Help For Heroes Charity, demonstrates that the issue of â??inappropriate editingâ? is not confined solely to our manager. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4929455/BBC-apology-for-smearing-Help-for-Heroes.html It would be fair to say that this is an organisation which fails to learn from it's mistakes and calls into question the editorial control at all levels. Of course BBC Scotland will be bound by the terms of the Editorial Standards Committee ruling in respect of their description our club. But in the absence of a follow up enquiry by the BBC themselves this will not really address the source of the problem â?? the clear absence of neutrality and objectivity at BBC Scotland with regard to our club. In fact I noticed a certain Mark Daly making an appearance on twitter last night attempting to stir things up in respect of some of the Charlotte Fakes content. I of course had to respond to him via social network. In view of the clear and consistent failings within the BBC to tackle the problems within Pacific Quay it leaves little scope for a Rangers support wishing to defend our club from the numerous and spurious attacks. Perhaps it's time for us to join forces with an existing tsunami which is gathering momentum â?? the huge tidal wave of public opinion calling for the abolition of the TV licence.

Thats not quite how it is SC. If Vanguard Bears deem any of my articles worthy of publication on their site then FF will pull any threads featuring that blog. As Ive said all along - and on here - any site can publish my material. What price unity eh ?

Well done a certain member of Vanguard Bears who pursued this to a successful conclusion.

It makes a welcome break for me from 5 paragraph essays !

Son of Man what have you done ? Your evil deeds and deceitfulness lie exposed before a watching world. Behind closed doors you have plotted and schemed, the darkness of your actions matching the darkness of your soul. In your hatred you have denied justice, shamed integrity and embraced the ways of the wicked. Have you no shame ? (Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong. Psalm 36:4) You have lied son of Man, you have conspired, even your own call you "corrupt". Where oh son of Man are your bountiful Saturdays, where is your overflowing cup ? For all I see are closed stands, falling attendances and impending financial ruin. (A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape. Proverbs 19:5) You embraced the poisonous hatred and as a consequence you stand ruined. You are reaping that which you have sown. You laughter and rejoicing are no more. Instead you are a laughing stock before all nations, devoid of honour and integrity. And you wonder why sponsors shun you. (May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace. Psalm 35:26) But cover your eyes son of Man and look to the west. Carefully shade your eyes, lest you be blinded by her radiance. For yes, son of Man, the light of the west is still there. She is not extinguished despite your evil plots and schemes. Her flame has not died. You have not, could not and will not extinguish her. (The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day Proverbs 4:18) Her people shame you with their devotion, their honour, their steadfastness. Men of all nations travel from afar to seek the people who triumphed with love over hatred. The courts and the judges of our land vindicate them before a watching world. Their glory is your shame, their justice is your condemnation. (For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. Psalm 37:17) Know this son of Man. Your wicked schemes will be undone, your lies and corruption exposed. Your ruin is already upon you and your shame complete. The light of the west will burn then, now and for evermore. (The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:5)

An excellent read Andy. The new super duper plan which will "save" Scottish football from oblivion reminded me of another piece of clever language use by Dr Johnson... "Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good."

Apologies in advance but this article will work in reverse of the title. The reasons for doing so will become eminently clear in due course. Firstly the ugly. My appearance on Rangers chat radio last Friday prompted a discussion about the campaign of hatred being waged upon not only our club, but organisations related thereto; as well as the club themselves the Rangers Charity Foundation and the Founders Trail have been victims of late. It seems ironic to be discussing the Advertising Standards Authority, the Rangers Charity Foundation and the Gibson Street Gala in the same breath, but there is a common denominator - all have been subject in one way or another to the poisonous and vindictive campaign against Rangers or anything remotely Rangers related. But there is a far more serious element to this. The charities which benefit from the efforts of the Rangers Charity Foundation and The Founders Trail are likely to suffer more than anyone else as a consequence of this campaign of hatred. It takes a particular kind of hatred and bigotry to motivate an individual to besmirch people involved in raising money for charity, charities which provide for the less fortunate, the sick and the vulnerable in our society merely because they are doing it under an umbrella which has links to, or is directly associated to, Rangers Football Club. The Bad Many of you will be aware of the issues surrounding the Founders Trail and the Gibson Street Gala, for those who are not, the events are summarised here. http://blog.thegallantpioneers.co.uk/wp/?p=659 http://gibsonstgala.co.uk/2509/statement-from-the-gala/ Following this issue being raised on Rangers chat radio I contacted the parties involved and also reviewed the material published by both parties, as above. It's perhaps worthy of note, that despite not making reference to it anywhere in their statement, the Gibson Street Gala statement is actually made in response to the Founders Trail narrative which appeared on Rangers internet forums. I have spoken to Eric Kay, the secretary of the Gibson Street Gala, who very kindly took the time to speak with me, despite being on holiday at the time. We had a fairly long and informative chat and were quite frank with one another. (I had previously spoken with Iain McColl from the Founders Trail.) It's quite clear that the Gibson Street Gala were caught in the crossfire of a particular brand of hatred which gave rise to this article. Mr Kay stressed the complaints in respect of the Founders Trail Stall were not just taken at face value by the Gibson Street Gala but were subject to an assessment process. It was following this process that decision was made not to allow the Founders Trail to participate at this years event. Its perhaps this part which is the most concerning. Iain McColl in his narrative told Mr Kay that he felt by their actions they were â??bending to bigotsâ?. I disagree â?? I think it was actually much worse than that â?? I think by their actions the Gibson Street Gala have,unwittingly, empowered the bigots, and allow me to elaborate why. The worst of the complaints centred around a suggestion that the Founders Trail was aligned to a bigoted organisation. It has never been made clear exactly what this refers to. But as alluded to in the Gibson Street Gala's own statement â??Last year, The Founders Trail stall was well run and no one involved with the Gala had any issue with it.â? The statement also goes onto say â??After last yearâ??s event there was some negative feedback about the presence of The Founders Trail and the associated football colours on display, so the decision was made not to have any team representation on the day this year.â? The Founders Trail do not have football colours on display, they have merchandise pertaining to the Founders Trail Tour, that tour has particular significance for the area in view of that fact that one of the individuals it focusses on was actually a Gibson Street Resident at one time. Persons with no particular interest or affiliation to Rangers have participated in that tour, their motivation for doings so, being a historic interest in Glasgow. One can sympathise with a small scale gala being caught in the crossfire of Old Firm hatred and the consequential hassle it involves for them, but there is no escaping from the fact, that from the perspective of those who peddle hatred as their currency â?? they have won. Their complaints, however spurious, however unjustified, however untruthful have had a cause and effect. There is a considerable irony in all of this. The Gibson Street Gala arrived at their decision because they felt the hassle of being the battleground for football rivalry was more than it was worth. Their decision however to refuse the Founders Trail a stall only served to heighten the intensity of that battle as many angry Rangers fans responded to that decision. (I would add that the tone and language of some of those responses did neither our club nor the Founders Trail any favours). However perhaps the greatest disappointment in all of this is that those involved at the Gibson Street Gala who value a sense of community so much, appear to have been unwilling or unprepared to defend or champion the values upon which solid communities are built â?? justice, fairness and a determination to see truth prevail. The Good Despite the setbacks suffered at Gibson Street, the Founders Trail Stall was warmly welcomed by the West End Festival where to say it was very well received, would be an understatement.. The Rangers support, as always, responded in a way which humbled the stall holders. Considerable monies were raised and as a consequence some worthwhile charities will benefit greatly. This series of events of course presents another problem for the Rangers support â?? how to respond. Should we, as we have done previously, network within the Rangers community and organise a boycott which extends to sponsors, making it clear to the latter the reasons for such a boycott ? My answer would be an emphatic no. Whilst that may work for commercial enterprises such as newspapers, we are talking here about a small scale local gala which provides activities for children. By boycotting such a worthwhile venture we only stoop to the level of those whose hatred and spurious complaints have given rise to this situation. Lets not empower them further. Perhaps the answer actually lies out with the Rangers support and with others. In fact I would respectfully suggest the Advertising Standards Authority have set the benchmark. On receipt of those 78 spurious complaints regarding Rangers they examined them thoroughly and rigorously and then rejected them completely as being without merit. Others would do well to emulate their process.

Fabulous read.

I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree on this one then. In my opinion decisions as to standards of behaviour, moderator/admin intervention are all rule related issues. Tone, for me at any rate, reflects whether a particular website promotes or supports certain issues, that particular tone is further emphasised if it chooses to exclude articles which may present a different slant. Furthermore I would respectfully suggest that admin set a particular tone for a website if they write articles which have a particular leaning. The admin at RM dont write articles such as the one reaper has highlighted. Hence why I believe there are considerable differences in the 2 forums.

Nope thats not setting the tone - thats setting and enforcing the rules. Big difference

Truth is certainly a branch of morality and a very important one to society. (Thomas Jefferson) I have never believed there was one code of morality for a public and another for a private man. (Thomas Jefferson) I thought it important to separate these two Jefferson quotes as one could be forgiven for thinking they were part of the same speech. They weren't of course, though its easy to see why someone would make such an assumption. The relationship between truth and morality is often taken as a â??givenâ?, so much so, that some refer to â??Moral truthsâ? Yet in our modern day Scotland, the relationship between morality and truth has become strained to say the least, in fact I would go as far as to suggest there is a form of warped morality out there which seems to view truth as something to be shunned. Scotland's first Minister Alex Salmond's comments about disgraced Cardinal Keith O'Brien were a perfect example. â??A good man for his church and countryâ?. This comment is somewhat at odds with comments elsewhere. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/18/cardinal-obrien-still-danger-say-accusers I wonder which part of his predatory behaviour was good for his church ? Furthermore his constant attacks on the homosexual community, not only their lifestyle I may add, but there right to equality within society, whilst behind closed doors he indulged in the very behaviour he publicly condemned, suggests a level of hypocrisy almost unsurpassed. Is this the type of â??special societyâ? Alex Salmond alludes to for Scotland â?? a society where the truth is ignored ? Some will have noted I used the term â??almost surpassedâ? with regard to hypocrisy. I used this term because there is are elements within the Celtic support who are hell bent on mud raking at our club. The attacks on the Rangers Charity Foundation in recent weeks have been particularly insidious, poisonous and unjustified. It seems there are some â??bhoysâ? who, despite the song, just donâ??t know their history. If they did they would realise there are men at Celtic Football Club who are held in particularly high esteem, both at their club and in wider Scottish society. Men failed comprehensively in their duty to protect children during the time of the Celtic Boys Club child abuse scandal. The fact they did so to â??protect the good name of Celtic Football Clubâ? is absolutely shameful. This should not be a matter for joking, for banners, or throwaway remarks â?? it is utterly disgusting and totally indefensible. It would be refreshing if the press attitude with regard to the recent Savile revelations was mirrored up here â?? that the focus of the enquiry was not only on the perpetrators themselves, but also those who failed to protect those children for whatever reason. Glass houses and stones seem to be lost on some, perhaps their quest to uncover truth and justice should start much closer to home. If they did that moral high horse of theirs may lose its footing. Understanding that the moral compass of our nation is in total free-fall goes a long way to understanding the constant attacks on our club. If truth is indeed a branch of the morality tree then it appears our nation's tree has had its truth branch well and truly pruned or cut back, perhaps even removed. At the very heart of our legal system is a desire to obtain the truth, the truth underpins everything. Its not perfect by any means, but it's the best determination and examination of truth which we have. Rangers have been subjected to that process on three occasions, and on each occasion we have been vindicated, but the determination, examination and establishing of truth, has resulted in little or no change in the wider perception of our club. Truth has become an also ran ,a victim, in this rapidly developing warped sense of morality. Gandhi said... Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality. He might have revised that comment had he lived to visit Scotland in 2013.