cooperno.7
Well-Known Member
I always enjoyed watching Billy Connolly and always thought that he was pretty fair when it came to religion and football.
However, I've been reading his book 'Made in Scotland', which is linked to the TV show, and some of the guff about anti Catholicism and big bad bigoted Rangers, is appalling. Here's some quotes from the book.
"It was only as I got older, and could start to think for myself, that I realised the depth of the discrimination that was all around me". (talking about the shipyards)
"There was this phrase that I would hear all the time, that people would tell us to our faces: 'This is a protestant country'. It angered me. It was the same rejection that my parents' generation had felt".
"On the first night of my first Australian tour, in Brisbane in 1976, a bunch of Scottish religious nuts in the audience yelled anti-catholic abuse at me and sang Rangers songs. It was so bad that I had to stop the show".
"I have known people all through my life who went to Rangers matches and yelled abuse at the opposition all through the game; 'You fucking Catholic bastards! You 19th Century Terrorist Wankers".
"The sectarian prejudice always seemed stronger with Rangers than Celtic to me. Celtic has never been an anti-protestant club. Rangers, however, always were a 100% protestant club. They started as a Presbyterian rowing club and when they became a football club, the Presbyterian thing stuck right up until the 70's"
"Everything has changed nowadays and Rangers have Italian and Spanish player playing for them, who are obviously catholic. Even so, the club still discourages them from making the sign of the cross and blessing themselves".
"Only last season, Neil Lennon, who used to be the celtic manager and is now the manager of Hibs, ran on the pitch and celebrated when his team scored a fifth goal, making it Hibs 5, Rangers 5. He got punished by the Scottish FA for going over the top, but he explained why he had done it: 'The Rangers supporters were calling me a 19th Century Terrorist bastard all match long!'"
All this is in one chapter. No mention whatsoever of the bile and hatred emanating from his 'wonderful celtic".
He did say "celtic kindly gave me a seat for life a while ago (along with Rod Stewart)". This obviously came with the condition of peddling anti Rangers narrative.
As I said at the start, I used to like Billy and thought he was fairly balanced. After reading this bollocks, I've changed my mind.
However, I've been reading his book 'Made in Scotland', which is linked to the TV show, and some of the guff about anti Catholicism and big bad bigoted Rangers, is appalling. Here's some quotes from the book.
"It was only as I got older, and could start to think for myself, that I realised the depth of the discrimination that was all around me". (talking about the shipyards)
"There was this phrase that I would hear all the time, that people would tell us to our faces: 'This is a protestant country'. It angered me. It was the same rejection that my parents' generation had felt".
"On the first night of my first Australian tour, in Brisbane in 1976, a bunch of Scottish religious nuts in the audience yelled anti-catholic abuse at me and sang Rangers songs. It was so bad that I had to stop the show".
"I have known people all through my life who went to Rangers matches and yelled abuse at the opposition all through the game; 'You fucking Catholic bastards! You 19th Century Terrorist Wankers".
"The sectarian prejudice always seemed stronger with Rangers than Celtic to me. Celtic has never been an anti-protestant club. Rangers, however, always were a 100% protestant club. They started as a Presbyterian rowing club and when they became a football club, the Presbyterian thing stuck right up until the 70's"
"Everything has changed nowadays and Rangers have Italian and Spanish player playing for them, who are obviously catholic. Even so, the club still discourages them from making the sign of the cross and blessing themselves".
"Only last season, Neil Lennon, who used to be the celtic manager and is now the manager of Hibs, ran on the pitch and celebrated when his team scored a fifth goal, making it Hibs 5, Rangers 5. He got punished by the Scottish FA for going over the top, but he explained why he had done it: 'The Rangers supporters were calling me a 19th Century Terrorist bastard all match long!'"
All this is in one chapter. No mention whatsoever of the bile and hatred emanating from his 'wonderful celtic".
He did say "celtic kindly gave me a seat for life a while ago (along with Rod Stewart)". This obviously came with the condition of peddling anti Rangers narrative.
As I said at the start, I used to like Billy and thought he was fairly balanced. After reading this bollocks, I've changed my mind.
