Frankie 8,150 Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 Three hours of debate then which can be summed up thus: 1. No-one present other than Rosanna Cunningham MSP wants this legislation to go through in this expedited manner. 2. Despite input from the Law Society and academics; there appears to be a distinct lack of clarity and understanding of the new legislation. Therefore, while I'm sure most of us want to see the issue of sectarianism dealt with effectively, this rushed Bill seems to be adding to the confusion - not removing it. Poor show indeed. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewarty 1,876 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Been reading your tweets Frankie - cheers! If this is a sign of things to come from an SNP majority government, I am less than thrilled. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbr 1,247 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Three hours of debate then which can be summed up thus: 1. No-one present other than Rosanna Cunningham MSP wants this legislation to go through in this expedited manner. 2. Despite input from the Law Society and academics; there appears to be a distinct lack of clarity and understanding of the new legislation. Therefore, while I'm sure most of us want to see the issue of sectarianism dealt with effectively, this rushed Bill seems to be adding to the confusion - not removing it. Poor show indeed. Frankie , I thought some of the main players were avbsolutely dreadful at the justice meeting and Roseanna Cunningham was like a fish out of water , even the police on show were very unsure about what it would bring , to say that at the end of the day it will still be at the sole responsibility of plod at the scene is shocking 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmck 117 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 In a perverse sense I want this legislation to go through and be applied ridiculously so that people can really see what an independent scotland would look like under the snp. It's a pity the unionist party couldn't even produce a flyer without spelling mistakes and typos. Frankie, start a political party - I'll vote for you. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 In a perverse sense I want this legislation to go through and be applied ridiculously so that people can really see what an independent scotland would look like under the snp. It's a pity the unionist party couldn't even produce a flyer without spelling mistakes and typos. Frankie, start a political party - I'll vote for you. Don't get your logic - you think the UK government is fantastically better? Don't get your motivation - you desperately want Scots to show they are incapable of governing themselves? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmck 117 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Don't get your logic - you think the UK government is fantastically better? Don't get your motivation - you desperately want Scots to show they are incapable of governing themselves? It wasn't entirely serious. Nonetheless, I do think the SNP/Labour politicians are by and large, morons, and from my own political point of view I'd be entirely happy if they were to show that clearly and publicly. Never said anything about us Scots as a whole or the UK parliament. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dutchy Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 For it being such an important piece of new legislation, I wonder why there was no-one there. It only had a 2-3 minute report on the radio news. Not even worthy of reporting on then. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Sectarian bill defended by minister Roseanna Cunningham 21 June 2011 Last updated at 12:39 Scotland's community safety minister has defended government plans to pass emergency laws on tackling sectarianism related to football games. Roseanna Cunningham said people expected the laws to be in place before the start of the new season in July, following previous trouble at matches. She was being grilled by Holyrood's justice committee, which is concerned the legislation is being rushed. The bill proposes tough new jail terms to crack down on sectarianism. Parliament is voting on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Bill for the first time on Thursday, despite it only being introduced last week. The justice committee is spending the next few days quizzing police, church, legal and football representatives. The bill aims to stamp out abusive behaviour from football fans whether they are watching matches in a stadium, in the pub or commenting online. It would raise the maximum jail term from six months to five years. The new legislation comes in the wake of several high-profile football-related incidents. These include trouble at Rangers and Celtic games and the recent appearance of two men in court after suspected bombs were sent to Celtic manager Neil Lennon and two other high-profile supporters of the club in March. Ms Cunningham welcomed the committee's decision to take evidence on the bill, but said there was an expectation for the new laws to be put in place urgently. She said: "Football is our national game - millions of people are passionate about it. "But we really can't tolerate the complete corruption of that passion into hate - whether it is mass sectarian chanting or bullets and bombs in the post, we all know that it must stop." The minister added: "The government is committed to putting this new legislation in place in time for the new football season. "It is essential to make clear the scenes of last season must never be repeated and we do believe the bill sends a clear message to the people of Scotland - which they do expect, I think, in response to what was witnessed over the past few months." Ms Cunningham added: "I acknowledge a much greater amount of time is always going to be ideal and I don't rule out the possibility in a few years' time of revisiting the situation with legislation. "We have two new offences, only two, and to do those in the short timescale is not only feasible, it is desirable." The minister went on to tell the committee that singing Flower of Scotland or God Save the Queen would not be considered offensive behaviour under the legislation. However, she said each case would depend on individual circumstances and cited an example of having seen Celtic fans making signs of the cross to Rangers fans in an "aggressive" manner, which may potentially be construed as offensive. Labour MSP Graeme Pearson, a former Strathclyde Police officer and head of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency who sits on the justice committee, questioned whether the legislation was needed. He asked the minister: "What flaws were out there that you decided you required the current legislation to be offered to parliament for consideration?" Ms Cunningham said the problems during the last football season had shown current laws could not tackle the issue properly, adding that there were concerns over the effectiveness of the charge of "breach of the peace" is cracking down on sectarian behaviour. Also giving evidence to the committee, Strathclyde Police Assistant Chief Constable Campbell Corrigan said police would not be wading into a football crowd trying to take out large numbers of fans. And Les Gray, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, told MSPs he thought more resources would have to be made available as current cost estimates related to the bill were "way off the mark". Sectarian bill defended by minister Roseanna Cunningham 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dutchy Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 It's lemon you need to tell about converting 'passion' into hate Rosie! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54andcounting 0 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 (edited) The minister went on to tell the committee that singing Flower of Scotland or God Save the Queen would not be considered offensive behaviour under the legislation. However, she said each case would depend on individual circumstances and cited an example of having seen Celtic fans making signs of the cross to Rangers fans in an "aggressive" manner, which may potentially be construed as offensive. In other words - if we stop singing 'The National Anthem' they wont cross themselves (in an 'aggresive' manner?). What a load of pish. Edited June 21, 2011 by 54andcounting 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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