Kevin McKenna writes well in The Guardian about the "Gravy Train Brigade" and "Bliarite" conspiracy in the Labour Party, and he should do more of it, because he cuts to the chase in a topic he knows well.
But well-meaning Kevin should leave this football analysis to Celtic fans whose entire lives are concerned with justice, fair and beautify play on the pitch and loyalty to our cause and our tribe. We want our tribe not just to win, but to play with style, give it our all, be brave but fair in the tackle, give credit to our opponents, always with a keen sense of justice and fair play. Always fair play, and always balanced judgement.
I write about the genuine football fan who demands justice every week on the terraces, who will be critical of her/his own tribe and demand justice where effort or commitment leaves the tribe short, deliver an unjust result, or fall short on skill, excitement or fair play
Kevin Mc Kenna is right that 140+ "gravy train MPs" are planning to betray their Labour tribe for riches from Tory-land, Bliarland, Greenland, Virginland, but football fan sense of justice, that she / he heard about, even in the womb, with the perfectly timed synchronised instant roar of injustice, lest the referee miss the tiniest transgression.
Football fans are incredibly well informed about their sport, they review past injustices, and consider how justice might have been delivered more fairly in past encounters, and how to get it right in future.
There is this sense of loyalty to justice, to fair play, fairness to the other tribe, that drives football fans to oppose racism, and in particular its most deadly manifestation APARTHEID racism.
Kevin McKenna may not even be aware that Football fans delivered the first mortal blow against Apartheid South Africa, on 16 July 1976 when it expelled the apartheid state from FIFA at its congress in Montreal by a massive 78 votes to 9 with only the solitary figure of Sir Harold Thompson alone speaking in favour of Apartheid South Africa.
In this act of expelling Apartheid SA football heralded the beginning of the end of apartheid in South Africa, and also lead to the Sullivan Principle that helped end the disgraceful Segregation Laws in the USA as civil rights movements across the world (including The Civil Rights movement in the north eastern occupied Six Counties of Ireland began to take centre stage.
At Celtic park many Celtic fans speak of the injustice of British Imperialism in Northern Ireland, which resides in the heart and memory of thousands of Celtic Fans who travel from Doire (not Derry or Londonderry), Beal Feriste (not Belfast), Dubhlinn (not Dublin) who witness Bloody Sunday in Doire when innocent civilians were shot dead in cold blood by British Soldiers brought in to ensure that the "British Settlers" who stole their land and their very right to a home and a vote, would use their tanks and guns to guarantee the “settlers” their stolen privileges, solely because they were from “the correct ethnic origin).
When Football fans across the world apply their lifelong sense of justice to the cause of the Palestinian people we clamber for peaceful solutions. We are appalled by the silence of our British Government in particular who, as the very minimum should have joined in universal condemnation by every human being in the world for the apartheid racist massacre of 561 innocent children whilst sleeping peacefully in their beds just 2 years ago in August 2014.
Kevin McKenna is so right to hang out the used nappies of the 142 gravy train brigade, for all the people to see who selected them as their MP, and the voters to put them into positions of great privilege, wealth and power to witness first-hand the depth of their betrays and their ongoing depravity. Have any of the 142 “Honourable Members” spoken out about the massacre of the 561 innocents? Of the children being tortured in Israeli jails for not being of the correct racial origin?
But football fans in their weekly, daily even hourly examination, re-examination of fair and unfair judgements, see that UEFA are far more guilty than the 100 / 1000,2,000, 5,000 football fans that fly the flags of oppressed Palestinian people, whether football players, or fans or just Palestinians suffering Apartheid Racism for the sole reason that they are of a different race, not the pure race and must be kept apart or as several Jewish writers have written are subjected to ethnic cleansing and massacred to driven from their land.
So UEFA are preparing to dispense justice on the Celtic Football Club, another wholly innocent party. Their alleged crime being that Celtic fans flew Palestinian flags at some moments in the stadium on the night of 17 August 2016 to demonstrate to UEFA that it is not acting fairly with regard to football teams representing that Israel state, that increasing numbers of its own leading Jewish citizens, scholars and soldiers deem to be an Apartheid racist state. The United nations have condemned Israel with numerous resolutions.
Celtic fans are now forced by UEFA & FIFA actions to apply the fans own very fair sense of justice to the question of Apartheid and how fans must organise to deal with it.
Celtic fans are well aware that Israel was an apartheid racist state when it was expelled from the Asian Football Confederation in 1974, two years before FIFA expelled apartheid SA, yet a handful of white privileged European men representing UEFA welcomed them into European Football without consulting a single football fan at any club.
What became clear was the certainty of their club being ordered to host and entertain teams representing a nation already expelled from football for racism, have six Israeli football clubs on Palestinian soil, they arrest Palestinian football players without reason and give no reason, jail them, torture them, shoot and permanently maim players, prevent players from travelling abroad to play matches, prevent players from travelling to play international and domestic matches, prevents fans from travelling, prevents gifts of football equipment reaching their Palestinian destinations, the list of injustices is endless.
Football fans have shown UEFA their disapproval of apartheid, but UEFA have chosen to punish the innocent party, whilst the killers are rewarded by being awarded prestige tournament finals, that should be held in nations where racism is not fuelled by racial policies of their governments, such as Ireland, Scotland, Belgium etc
But the injustice of rubbing the face of Celtic fans in the mire, forcing them to allow the representatives of apartheid racism onto the hallowed turf, in defiance of our sense of the injustice of the Palestinians is now ours, where the sweat and blood of generations of our great players is in the very soil that apartheid racism can be trampled on by apartheid killer racism that football fans everywhere deplore.
FIFA too are guilty in the court of human decency of football fans. Celtic fans will ask why is Apartheid Israel being treated more favourably than Apartheid South Africa? Would not a court of justice anywhere in the world not apply the principles of equality of treatment, and of precedent, and treat both Apartheid States equally? Why was Zimbabwe expelled for not paying a debt of $60K to a former coach on 12 March 2015? whilst Apartheid Israel who massacred 561 innocents 6 months earlier enjoys the privilege of playing in Europe’s most prestigious club tournament.
Why did FIFA alter its Statutes in April 2016 in an anti-democratic manner to allow a handful of officers a right of VETO over the entire world membership of its Congress, thus depriving the world-wide membership of their democratic right to move a resolution from the floor of congress to expel a member? Just 9 months after the Palestinian Football Association withdrew a motion that was 100% certain to lead to the expulsion of Apartheid Israel the door has been shut on the democratic rights of 209 member states.
Some fans are concerned that there may be more sinister politics behind the UEFA & FIFA decisions and actions.
Few groups of people if any examine and scrutinise in minute detail the rights and wrongs and the precedents, and circumstances of decisions, whether deliberate or intentional, and even if unintentional whether in the heat of the moment, or calculated or what other criteria needs to be considered before justice is finally dispensed. Even then the rare injustice is revisited with new developments for months and years.
It is with this sense of justice that Celtic fans and football fans against Apartheid everywhere are protesting unelected rulers at UEFA & FIFA forcing football clubs and national teams to play with apartheid against the will of the fans.
Celtic management if in doubt about whether to side with its fans or FIFA, could carry out its own ballot of its fans, simply by providing both an UEFA & Palestinian flag on every seat and ask fans at half time to vote for justice by holding aloft one or other flag. Celtic management may accept the resultant vote as a mandate to give its full backing to the Celtic & Football Against Apartheid call for fair hearing and legal direction and judgement from a fair court of law.
A fund will soon be set up to enable Celtic fans & Football Against Apartheid who still believe that football fans are as capable as any other group in society, of seeing justice to be done - as it was on 16 July 1976 when Apartheid SA was expelled by 78 votes to 9 – to instruct lawyers to ensure we the fans get our day in court to demonstrate that we are on the side of right against the wrong-doing of the Apartheid State, and its corrupt supporters in UEFA the European governing body of football and FIFA its world governing body.
Well-meaning writers such as Kevin McKenna might seek a meeting /discussion with the football fans who have been campaigning against the accumulating injustices to innocent Palestinian of children, women and men as well as conscientious football fans who constantly seek justice in life as well as football.
Football Against Apartheid that believes that had there been a referendum amongst football fans in Europe before the Apartheid state was admitted that Apartheid Israel would not be allowed entry into UEFA.
On the basis of currently available information there is little doubt that any reasonable judge will conclude that UEFA are the guilty party, and that UEFA owes an apology to fans who peacefully protest the massacre of innocent children, women and men in the pursuit of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, that is condemned by a growing number of Israeli Jews and the great Jewish thinkers all around the world who unreservedly condemn the Zionism that has lead to the bankrupt Apartheid racist politics of Israel, that has no place on the hallowed football stadia of Europe.