Scotland’s Continued Shame
Gerry Hassan
The Scotsman, November 26th 2009
The Scots like to think of themselves as a welcoming, friendly people who are less xenophobic, racist and prejudiced than others. At the same time, we know that the scar of sectarianism blights our land, and that racism and homophobia are equally prevalent and problematic.
There is a perception that there is a PC class and industry that have positions of power and influence that think they have the right to judge what we think, say and do. The Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland has done lots of good work, but in England under Trevor Phillips chairmanship it has been mired in scandal and allegations of conflicts of interest which have not helped its reputation.
The recent STUC report, ‘Sectarianism and the Workplace’ has acknowledged that Scotland has made ‘real progress’ in recent years. It also stressed that the problem ‘has evolved into a more subtle and disguised form’ with sectarian remarks now disguised by supposed banter and humour.
The same is true of racism and homophobia. Overt racism is now much less permissible than it was a couple of decades ago, but a whole host of other related anxieties and fears have come to the fore. One only needs to look at the political and media debates on asylum and immigration to realise that racism is still prevalent in large parts of Scotland, and the notion that we are somehow more progressive and enlightened here than England needs to be questioned.
Attitudes to homosexuality have dramatically shifted in recent times aided by the Scottish Government’s abolition of Section 28 – the first ever public discussion about homosexuality in Scotland – and thus a major watershed. Progress is evident with an ‘out’ gay leader of Glasgow City Council, Steven Purcell, several ‘out’ gay MSPs , and even a festival of ‘queer culture’, Glasgay!
Yet homophobic attitudes and remarks are still widely acceptable in large parts of society, where supposedly middle class men and women think it acceptable to talk about ‘poofs’ and ‘mincers’ and show their anger and fear of lesbians and gay men.
What unites the above issues is that while welcome progress has been made, it has proven nearly impossible to begin an honest, public conversation about these issues which involves politicians, media, leaders and wider society. This would address what are the motivations and fears which inform prejudice and bigotry and try to understand what hopes and anxieties lie underneath them.
What kind of society do we live in where people want to define themselves by being sectarian or racist or homophobic often against people rather like themselves? What makes Rangers fans at the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester last year, chant, ‘Black bastards’ to young Asian Rangers fans? What is it that allows middle class men to feel they can mimic what they see as the effeminacy and manners of middle class gay men rather like them?
There are notable exceptions who have stood up and made a difference. Jack McConnell’s period as First Minister saw him rightly prioritise sectarianism as one of the key issues which needs to change. James MacMillan did go over the top in his famous ‘Scotland’s Shame’ lecture, but at least he brought a whole host of concerns about the place of Catholics and extent of anti-Catholic prejudice out in the open.
Much worse, are the people in places of influence who collude with and continue to fire the flames of prejudices. There are many examples, but a special place has to go the infamous double act of Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan on their Saturday radio programme. They are happy week after week to give air to a pile of personal prejudices on sex, homophobia and a host of other issues, with the escape clause that Tam plays the bigot to Stuart’s liberal. It is about as funny as the old ‘Rat Pack’ repartee involving Frank Sinatra’s racist and anti-semitic jokes in the early 1960s.
The process of changing and challenging Scottish culture starts with us understanding where we are and agreeing as a society that there are certain forms of behaviour which are unacceptable. This has to entail Rangers and Celtic taking action against the significant parts of their support who chant sectarian abuse, and in Rangers case, revel in the opprobrium and condemnation which comes their way. Ultimately we as a society have to have the right to punish these two footballing institutions if they continue to tolerate such behaviour.
Public institutions such as the BBC have a major role and across a range of its outputs in its sports coverage and comedy, it encourages a sort of McLad phenomenon which encourages a pervasive homophobia, racism and sexism. Cosgrove and Cowan’s trite, clichéd chat is but the most obvious example, but its supposed ‘banter’ and ‘humour’ gives many others permission to articulate prejudice. A start for the BBC would be to make a public example, openly reprimanding them as BBC Controller Ken McQuarrie says he has done in private, and if that doesn’t work take them off the air.
Some will say this all sounds a little too much. Isn’t this just the narrow, intolerant agenda of a humourless, Guardian reading, PC class, who want to tell us what to do and think – the ultimate extension of ‘the nanny state’?
First, there is a PC mentality out there with its idiotic correcting of words, ‘differently abled’ rather than ‘disabled’ as I heard the other day. And there is an equality industry which has a built-in self-interest in perpetuating the problem.
None of that means that Scotland is not scared by the cancer of sectarianism, racism and homophobia, which too many people, including those with power, are happy to turn a blind eye to or collude with. Change is going to be difficult, and will have to involve a mixture of understanding and naming and shaming, but ultimately we need to ask what kind of Scotland do we want to live in?
Scotland is denying itself as a nation the potential of many its citizens and harming people and the wider culture of society. While we have several authors tackling sectarianism in novels and plays, where are the important works addressing race and sexuality in Scotland? They are just not there, so we need to look at what this inclusive, progressive idea of social justice Scotland entails, and who fits into it and who is still told that they don’t fit in.
It would be an idiot that thought that all of Scotland’s peculiar little prejudices had vanished in a puff of political correctness or melted away thanks to some startling social enlightenment.
I am 43 and remember well being terrified at the prospect of being the first person in my family to go to university so in a last bid to escape the responsibility and the fear I went for a job interview with a well known brewing giant, a real job I thought was what I needed. By the end of that interview I was left in no doubt that I wasn’t getting the 36 dozens free cans a beer that went with the post at that time, and it was nothing to do with my ability. It was a blessing in disguise and my adventure through University went some way to helping me overcome some of my own little prjudices. The fact that this company which prides itself on being at the heart of Scottish Culture and sport behaved in such a way has always troubled me. This wasn’t the stories of parents and grandparents this was something I encountered first hand in the late 80’s.
Things are slightly different in Scotland now and I hope things are better with that company and that maybe the brewers and the keggers are a little more “mixed” in their demographic make-up shall we say.
Scotland is generally more open and accepting but much of this is to do, in my opinion with legislative measures and punitive consequences for any transgressors which means more protection and recourse for those likely to be affected by prejudice. I don’t think that this means that judgemental attitudes have by any stretch of the imagination disappeared.
You just need to look at our popular culture to see the hypocrisies and tensions that exist. From the legacy of our “Carry On Culture” and cringeworthy 70’s sit-coms to more recent comedies such as “Little Britain” to see how far we’ve come yet how little distance we’ve travelled. The latter would no doubt say that it was being provocative and edgy in its reanimation of some 70’s stereotypes. It’s still cheap laughs and uncomfortable ones at that. I won’t even mention page 3 of the Sun who for my money are welcome to throw their weight and giant political acumen behind the Conservatives in England.
With regard to your assertions about sectarianism in football, I would agree that both sides of the Old Firm can always do more bridge building across communities. It is however a hoary old myth to suggest that Rangers and Celtic own exclusive rights to sectarianism in Scotland. as someone who regularly attends away grounds all over Scotland some of the worst personal sectarianism that I have had visted upon me has been at clubs such as Falkirk and Hearts, hardly West coast and certainly not Glasgow.
Tha same applies to Stuart & Tam from “Off The Ball”. Tam would do better tending the broken panes in his own glasshouse following not one but two racist incidents involving his own beloved Motherwell fans as well as the shameful personal abuse doled out on their returning ex-manager Mark McGhee in a recent fixture. This if anything goes to highlight that moronic prejudice not only still exists but exists everywhere.
Another footballing puzzle for me is the rank hypocrisy surrounding Celtic footballer Aiden McGeady, a man who is booed every week he takes to the field the length and breadth of the country every time he touches the ball, why?; because he is a “diver”? no. It is actually because he has chosen to play his International football for the Republic of Ireland. this is a country where he has family and one he visted and played football in every summer. He was spotted, encouraged and nurtured by their youth coaching system whilst Scotland were not in the slightest bit interested in him yet he is now harangued as though he were some pantomime villain. My point is now that neither journalists nor commentators make any mention of it as it is now seen to be acceptable. I certainly don’t find that acceptable and is he any more of a traitor than some of the Scottish international players who excluded themselves from George Burley’s international squads and ultimately contributed to his demise? Were they booed? In a final twist of irony we have the ludicrous situation where these very players rather than being villified may be welcomed back as the SFA say “It wisnae us that banned them, it was that Burley!” Imagine if the new manager is indeed a black German homosexual? Now that would be intersting.
Scotland is indeed a better, more tolerant place than it was 20 years back but don’t kid yourself that if you wander into the wrong town or the wrong pub or indeed the wrong golf club that you won’t fall prey the old prejudices and the age old questions and judgement about your provenance.