JABBA THE AGNIVORE

McCARTHYISM ANYONE?

A warm welcome to David McCarthy, the Daily Record's newest columnist, who, according to Euan McLean, "hit the ground running" with his piece about Leigh Griffiths's racist statement on Twitter. Certainly what Griffiths said was disgusting and deserves to be condemned but, as usual with the Daily Record, there is the dank smell of hypocrisy around this stance.

So what did Griffiths say? He told somebody to 'F... off back to your own country.' Now that, as McCarthy rightfully says, is racist and is worthy of condemnation. Nobody in their right mind would stick up for Griffiths on this one, but doesn't that phrase that Griffiths used sound a tad familiar?

"Get back to your own country." Isn't that the whole point of The Famine Song? What is the essential difference between "Get back to your own country" and "Why don't you go home"? None whatsoever, as far as I can see. So why the difference in approach? Remember Traynor telling us all that The Famine Song was just a bit of banter? Considering that Traynor was the sports editor it is reasonable to assume that this was the the editorial policy of the Daily Record. With the dearth of criticism of the hordes heard singing, and still to be heard singing, this song and The Billy Boys one can only deduce that this is still the policy. 

So why does the Daily Record see, or purport to see, a difference in two racist statements that are essentially the same? A quick read of other Daily Record articles gives you the answer. According to the Daily Record, Rangers have been beaten down by everyone. Most of the clubs in the SPL, especially Celtic, are culpable for all of Rangers' woes. The league reconstruction plans, similarly, are only there to cause Rangers problems, even though, in reality, they don't. The Daily Record is also beating the drum for Rangers going to the Conference League, desperately trying to make a case and attempting to get the teams in the Conference League onside. The upshot is that Rangers, and by extension its fans, can do no wrong. If this means turning a blind eye, and a deaf ear, to racism then so be it.

Another, rather more sinister, connection is to be found if you read the paranoid ramblings of one David Leggat. Mr Leggat stated that he had a new source inside Ibrox. It doesn't take a genius to work out that his new source is our old friend Traynor. This is especially apparent if one compares Traynor's latter rants in the Daily Record with those on Leggat's blog and sees the similarities in approach, subject matter and details. Now, with this link between the Record and Leggat it makes one see the condemnation of Griffiths in a new light. Leggat is constantly citing Rod Petrie, the chairman of Hibs, as a major enemy of Rangers and as Lawwell's lapdog in running an anti-Rangers agenda in Scottish football. Is it possible that this is why they have singled out a Hibs player for this condemnation? They refuse to condemn others for the same offence so some kind of agenda is obviously on the table here.

To avoid sounding as paranoid as Leggat, or his friends on the Daily Record, let me unequivocally condemn what Leigh Griffiths did. Will the Daily Record join me in condemning all racism, no matter what the source?