andy steel 0 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 (edited) Integrity: c.1400, "innocence, blamelessness; chastity, purity," from O.Fr. integrité or directly from L. integritatem (nom. integritas) "soundness, wholeness, blamelessness," from integer "whole" (see integer). hypocrisy: c.1200, ipocrisie, from O.Fr. ypocrisie, from L.L. hypocrisis, from Gk. hypokrisis "acting on the stage, pretense," from hypokrinesthai "play a part, pretend," also "answer," from hypo- "under" (see sub-) + middle voice of krinein "to sift, decide" (see crisis). You'll have heard a lot about integrity over the last few weeks. No need to recap the roll call of converts to this most fashionable of concepts within Scottish football; I think we can fairly say it includes every owner, director, fan, and official of every club out with Ibrox Park which is, as we know, a den of iniquity the likes of which we haven't seen since the halcyon days of Hollywood. I admit to being a bit unconvinced by this outbreak of piety. Enjoying the spring sunshine last night, I took my old tranny (that's a radio, not a bitchy friend in drag) into the garden with me to listen to the phone ins while I spruced up the estate. Plenty of callers driving home the point about our unworthiness, and how we owed a duty to others ad nauseum. It did get me thinking about integrity, since it was every callers' every other word. Radio Clyde, to which I unwillingly listened (it was the only one I could get) features advertising heavily during its football shows. This is unsurprising. It is a commercial operation. Last night, it especially heavily featured three adverts: one by 'Peter Dean, your debt specialist'; one by 'The Payment Protection Partnership'; and one by some other firm whose name I can't recall but which offers the same service. To regain any monies you may be owed through payment protection mis-selling, you lift the phone, talk to your bank, then wait. That's it. There's no need for any third party to become involved, and even less need for you to give a portion of your monies (usually in the low hundreds, from my information, if that) to someone else. Ignorance of financial matters may lead some to say these companies are merely performing a service for a fee. Possibly so; but the very least you can say about it is that it lacks integrity. Radio Clyde also heavily advertised William Hill's sponsorship of the Scottish Cup. I am fiercely tight with my money, so have no issues with gambling, but I know many people who do and I know the misery it can (note, can - I'm not THAT Presbyterian) cause. Accepting sponsorship from such a firm may be a business necessity, for both Radio Clyde and the SFA, but the very least you can say about it is that it lacks a little moral probity. It lacks integrity. And while on the subject of Edinburgh's big day out to a proper City, there will be the faintest suggestion of a lack of integrity when the two teams emerge from the tunnel. Hibs, resplendent in their alcohol sponsored shirts (Crabbies may not be Buckfast, but then there are no grey areas in this debate - we've learnt that from the sanctimony of others) will partner Hearts, with their tawdry pseudo-loan shark Wonga.com sponsored uniform. A quick visit to said company's website reveals a 'typical APR' of 4214%. That's four thousand, two hundred and fourteen per cent. Where the integrity is in broadcasting the services of leeches and parasites like this, I fail to see. But that's probably because I am a left leaning Hun in denial, always blaming others. I prefer to believe I can smell the rank hypocrisy of others, but then I'm biased. Still, one has to say, having that as a sponsor...it lacks a little something. It's just possible it lacks integrity. Hibs, to go by their semi final line up, will field a team featuring James McPake, Leigh Griffiths, Tom Soares, Jorge Claros and Matt Docherty, while George Francome, Roy O'Donovan and Richie Towell, if fit, will likely be on the bench. You may not know much about these lads, but one fact common to them all is that they are not Hibs players, but are on loan from other clubs. Even FM has tighter restrictions than that! Hats off to Pat Fenlon for some nippy trading in the transfer window - but heading into a Cup Final with 5 out of your starting 11 not actually being your players is slightly questionable...since we're so hot on matters of sporting integrity, Mr Petrie. What about the rest of the SPL teams? Us and 'them' currently act as mobile vendors for that pishiest of rats' piss lagers, Tennents, while Motherwell, beneficiaries of our financial meltdown and lack of integrity, will briefly display to the rest of Europe the attractions of 'Cash Converters'; a fine impression of Scotland, indeed, as our Champions League representatives hawk a pawn shop around the continent. Integrity? Embarrassment. I'm not seriously complaining about this stuff. These are all businesses, and need money to survive. That's not in question. By bringing in money and players, Hibs have avoided relegation and have a shot at Cup glory. What is to be challenged is their attempt to take a moral stance on others. If you want to be taken seriously, you can only claim to be defending integrity if your own is not in question. The chairman of perpetual SPL failures Dunfermline Athletic, John Yorkston, has been loud in his view that had his professional collection of mediocrities avoided the drop, he'd have voted Rangers out of the league (in the event of a Newco) on the grounds of integrity. Mr Yorkston's own integrity melted into the spring sunshine upon receiving monies owed his club from the Rangers Fans' Fighting Fund, which he used to sack his young manager and hire a knackered one, to no perceptible effect. Prior to the payment of these monies, he had been unable to pay his players, let alone pay off Jim McIntyre and hire Jim Jeffries. Business? Yep. Integrity? None. There is, as far as I know, no legal definition of integrity. It is a hazy moral concept, an ideal to aspire to but hard to effect in daily life. If the new defining principle of Scottish football is to be all round integrity - we can hardly have sporting integrity without, for example, financial integrity, can we? - there are a lot of people outside Ibrox who might want to watch their words. The fallen Glasgow giants are an easy target, but when you're knifing someone you should be careful not to leave fingerprints on the blade. Integrity does not start and stop at the foot of the marble staircase. As the definition at the head of this ramble says, it mean 'whole', 'innocence', 'blamelessness'. Anyone who thinks the powers that be in Scots football are in any position to pass judgement on the integrity of others is either deficient intellectually, or, as is more likely, a hypocrite. But then, how else do we live? "Hypocrisy is the art of affecting qualities for the purpose of pretending to an undeserved virtue. Because individuals and institutions and societies most often live down to the suspicions about them, hypocrisy and its accompanying equivocations underpin the conduct of life. Imagine how frightful truth unvarnished would be." from Benjamin Martin's 2005 book, 'France in 1938'. Edited May 17, 2012 by andy steel 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,882 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 An excellent study mate. It is really interesting how many people are prepared to hide behind this charade of sporting integrity. Just say you hate Rangers as it's more obvious and less hypocritical to do so. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny 0 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Enjoyable wee article there Andy, well written and a lot of good points made. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggordy 0 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I'll start and finish with this. CFC - A club who harbours, and indeed promotes terrorism. A place where tins are rattled and thrust in the faces of the real fans so that funds can be raised for subversive activities. A recruiting ground for sectarian killers with a "popular" bigot at the head of it's supporters association endorsed and encouraged by the club's leaders. The self same leaders who are at the helm of our National Game. "INTEGRITY".....FFS! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Good read Andy. You should've thrown in some Corinthian Spirit as well, it seems to be the catchphrase of the deluded I can't avoid. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 4,137 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 What actually brought the SFA to have "specsavers" as sponsors? A wry sense of humour that. Funnily enough, I altavista'ed Willie Collum with regard to this, and look who/what comes up . 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewarty 2,123 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Great post. All that without mentioning Celtic's post season tour of Japan in 2008. Cap doffed... One to publish on the main site?? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy steel 0 Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 Good read Andy. You should've thrown in some Corinthian Spirit as well, it seems to be the catchphrase of the deluded I can't avoid. Sounds like a shite aftershave! The only spirit Scottish football is familiar with is one of envy and spite. I'm happy with that, being an envious, spiteful chap. But, as Frankie pointed out, we ought to be honest about our bile filled souls. Corinthian Spirit...MD 20/20 more like. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy steel 0 Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 (edited) Great post. All that without mentioning Celtic's post season tour of Japan in 2008. Cap doffed... One to publish on the main site?? Give us a chance to throw in something about the integrity of Hibs getting to the Cup Final with (I think) 7 players who are on loan. Not really a Hibs team after all, if we're going to insist on sporting integrity. I do need to research that though, not being an expert on diddy teams. Griffiths I think is from Wolves. There's a load Pat Fenlon brought with him from Ireland. Anybody know any names? Edit: Actually 9 players: Phil Airey Newcastle United[75] Richie Towell Celtic[76] Leigh Griffiths Wolverhampton Wanderers[77] George Francomb Norwich City[78] James McPake Coventry City[79] Tom Soares Stoke City[79] Jorge Claros Motagua[80] Roy O'Donovan Coventry City[81] Matt Doherty Wolverhampton Wanderers[81] Edited May 16, 2012 by andy steel 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Great stuff Andy! We can publish it to the main site for you whenever you're finished and happy with it. Would be good if you could give it another title for publishing as well mate. Couple of suggestions off the top of my head: You Want to Talk About Integrity? Let's Talk About Integrity. Integrity and Hypocrisy are Great Friends. I'm sure you can do better! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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