tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post1618195985087659117..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: The Tommy McAvoy MysteryIain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-20195898469803601172010-03-19T21:31:36.465+00:002010-03-19T21:31:36.465+00:00good work here, we need to know this stuff ,keep i...good work here, we need to know this stuff ,keep it comingargylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13496999669922462829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-74866574510577328342010-02-21T12:48:35.948+00:002010-02-21T12:48:35.948+00:00Ian,
Thanks for your reasoned response to which i ...Ian,<br />Thanks for your reasoned response to which i replied but it has been lost in the ether of cyberspace.<br />Tom Devine has written well on sectarianism; 23 years ago brought a book out on the subject. I still have copies and if you ever want one,just contact me at Bradford Unversity's peace Studies Dept. and I'll send it on.<br /><br />TomTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00866047716631882644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-69319603233182765062010-02-21T10:40:03.637+00:002010-02-21T10:40:03.637+00:00In reply by Tom
First of all my attack was on the...In reply by Tom<br /><br />First of all my attack was on the Labour Party in the Glasgow area. it bemuses me that a party that can produce men of charachter and ability such as John Smith or Donald Dewar can also produce Tommy McAvoy or Cllr Terry Kelly of Paisley.<br /><br />It is the same Scottish Labour Party that supports sectarianism. What was it Jimmy Reid said?-"Scotland is the only country in the world where a union between two white Christians is known as a mixed marriage" yet we re-inforce that sectarianism by permitting state funded sectarian schools in West central Scotland and no one in the Labour Party has ever questioned this. It has changed now in one respect in that the schools are far better but when I was young incoming English Catholic parents would send their children to non-denominational schools becuase they thought RC schools were too (Republican) Irish in their ethos. Indeed the few RC pupils we had at my senior secondary school were easily accepted as part of the community and no one thought any worse of them for their beliefs. Those who went to St. ********s were not<br /><br />I have not had a chance to read Prof. Tom Devine's book on the Irish in Scotland yet (I shall soon) but I do feel as a community they have still failed to integrate often surrounding themselves with their own institutions in particular building up a significant niche in Labour Party politics around Glasgow.<br /><br />As for your penultimate paragraph I cannot get round this. It seems to equate being Catholic with being gay<br /><br />For myself I support neither Celtic nor Rangers- I actually suppport a Premier Division team halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh (and Liverpool FC of course)<br />Nor am I a SNP supporter. Indeed I now live in South Lancashire- a place where supporting the SNP is a slightly more waste of time than say than the once Conservative seat of RutherglenIan Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08171885163167923656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-47851504604328526102010-02-21T00:02:16.094+00:002010-02-21T00:02:16.094+00:00As a person who grew up in Glasgow Rutherglen (now...As a person who grew up in Glasgow Rutherglen (now Rutherglen and Hamilton West) you guys have no idea how happy this makes me.<br /><br />That horrible man. No backbone.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13429950592798175047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-86384773208305187052010-02-20T22:47:37.728+00:002010-02-20T22:47:37.728+00:00Tommy McAvoy is my local MP and I must admit I alw...Tommy McAvoy is my local MP and I must admit I always find him to be fairly useless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-37416341270981133652010-02-20T17:08:06.989+00:002010-02-20T17:08:06.989+00:00Dear Iain,
The comment from Ian shows that religio...Dear Iain,<br />The comment from Ian shows that religiously based sectarianism continues to be alive and well in the West of Scotland.<br /><br />On Thursday you spoke to a group of International students at Bradford in what all present concurred was a knock-out speech about your personal and political journey. Next tuesday, thse same students will meet the members of Nil By Mouth in Glasgow. It was set up to challenge the blight of sectarianism and is lucky still to exist due to the SNP government trying to axe its funding. You see Alex Salmond is unhappy with those who draw attention to the violence and everyday rancour that gnaws away at the vitals of Scottish urban life. <br /><br /> Even in the dark 1980s if somene like Ian had got up in a mixed social setting and alleged that, like Tommy McAvoy MP, Norman st John stevas and Chris Smith were part of a conspiracy (though sexual not religious) he would have been bombed out.<br /><br />If you arr relying on the SNP for intelligence on Glasgow politics, whoever supplied this mess of pottage has not elevated the tone of your blog this weekend. <br /><br />Tom<br />TomTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00866047716631882644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-83851876400795988052010-02-20T15:46:20.874+00:002010-02-20T15:46:20.874+00:00O/T
Gordon Brown’s ‘election launch’ followed by....O/T<br /><br />Gordon Brown’s ‘election launch’ followed by..<br /><br />Here in Streatham, SW London, I’ve just had the first door knocking by the Labour party for several years. Big team in the street as well. (The PPC is Chuka Umunna, replacing, he hopes, Keith Hill). Is this a coincidence? It’s a bit early for May isn’t it?I Squigglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03977761412580015662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-37992953962239385272010-02-20T14:46:26.517+00:002010-02-20T14:46:26.517+00:00Nice bit of digging. McAvoy is a nasty piece of wo...Nice bit of digging. McAvoy is a nasty piece of work and will have plenty of faux friends happy to spread any dirt as thickly as they can.<br /><br />Will the Glasgow Herald pick it up???50 Calibrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04949487484030980699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-61664607245339017052010-02-20T13:52:01.085+00:002010-02-20T13:52:01.085+00:00McAvoy is a typical West Central Scotland Labour M...McAvoy is a typical West Central Scotland Labour MP. Trade Union background, local Councillor in that cesspit of local government politics around Glasgow<br /><br />Sounds like a good Catholic Bhoy- probably goes to the Home Matches at Parkhead (where you could hold a quorate meeting of the Labour group on Glasgow Corporation)<br /><br />Mind you the fact he is 66 may have also contributed to his decision.<br /><br />And by the way, there's no doubt a queue a similar Glasgow Labour Party clones waiting to be selected. SadIan Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08171885163167923656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-24457229999655089712010-02-20T13:40:01.758+00:002010-02-20T13:40:01.758+00:00Good sleuthing - perhaps someone is about to confi...Good sleuthing - perhaps someone is about to confirm something rather embarrassing.Platohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416276749202589235noreply@blogger.com