Is there a cure for schizophrenia?

[alexscottislegend 2,084]

You know, seeing that Lee Rigby flag at Sheffield made me realise just how schizophrenic I have become as Socialist, proud Scot and Rangers supporter. I was introduced to Rangers by my trade unionist Protestant uncle, but that was not my prime reason for supporting them; in fact, I could lay claim to them being my local team, having been brought up in Penilee.

 

I still proudly have a copy of a book by Hugh Taylor inscribed by my grandparents at Christmas 1961 just before I moved to England where Iâ??ve been ever since. I donâ??t know how many times Iâ??ve had to explain the Union Jack to English people (they wouldnâ??t even have a union flag if it wasnâ??t for our James V11, yet we are frequently insulted by hearing Prince George referred to as the future King of England).

 

In the aforementioned book, Taylor, referring to the following Rangers had in Wolverhampton in the Cup Winners Cup of 1961, speaks of:

 

â??Their banners had no foreign flavour. They were Union Jacks and Scottish Standards.â?

 

Throughout, Taylor refers to the supporters as â??Scotsâ??. And thatâ??s the thing for me: thereâ??s no dichotomy here between Scottish and British. My family, all true Scots, with just a tiny NI link, saw themselves as Scottish and British. Now, it seems, you canâ??t be both: you are either a rabid Nationalist (and I was as embarrassed as anyone by Salmondâ??s opportunistic flag stunt after Andy Murrayâ??s Wimbledon win) or you are an integrationist Brit who has to support â??our boysâ?? right or wrong. As Andy Steel has pointed out elsewhere, some of the stuff our troops get involved in is nothing to be proud of.

 

In 1967 my family were ectstatic when Celtic became the first British (and that is exactly what they are, despite what the Green Brigade would have you believe) side to win the European Cup. I am still bitter that the English have failed to give them enough credit for that achievement (that honour was reserved, donâ??t you know, for Matt Busbyâ??s babes). Now, to hear some Gers fans on here, that would amount to treachery to rival Lord Haw-Haw.

 

Given that the English see â??Rule Brittaniaâ?? as one of their anthems, what I would ask those Scots who feel the need to proclaim it, is would they be happy if Scotland as an entity was abolished and simply absorbed as part of England? Would you like to see our national team, soon to be paraded at Wembley where once Jim Baxter and John Greig strutted proudly, become part of GB/UK team which in turn would soon be referred to as England? On a side note, the Met Office website has Scotland,Wales and Ireland described as â??regionsâ??, not nations!

 

Itâ??s a problem that we will have to face in 2014. Because, although I distrust the Tartan Tories of Salmondâ??s hue, thereâ??s a small part of me that fears if we reject independence, we forfeit the right to consider ourselves a nation ever again.

 

To show how truly schizophrenic I am, I would hate to see the Ulster heritage of our club discarded; in fact., I always saw us a kind of Athletic Bilbao â?? a proud exclusivity setting us apart. Alas, that had to change in the Souness era.

 

So here we are today, with a group of Rangers supporters defining their identity not because of what they believe they are, but simply posing it in apposition to the Keltic Brigade. The sad fact is that this faux Britishness is welcomed at best by indifference, at worst by downright contempt by the very people we reach out to â?? the English. So Iâ??ll guess Iâ??ll just have to persevere, Janus-like, in supporting Scotland, Rangers and wishing England to lose at everything.

[amms 0]

Great post and some good points, thanks. Some insightful, thoughtful, well written stuff on Gersnet today.

[der Berliner 3,263]

The problem is that we more often than not are quite sure how we define our identity. The problem is that it is hardly communicated to the "outside world" in a meaningful way, e.g. by the large supporters groups, or even the club. The club's (sic!) identity has long since "changed" to that of a proud Scottish football team ... that values its British traditions as well, but not really more than most other British teams.

[andy steel 0]

It's brutal trying to reconcile all the various bits and pieces you pick up down the years, in your personal life and your life as a Bluenose. All we can do is what is best for the club, i.e. avoid dong anything which will incur penalties.

 

FWIW I'll be voting yes in 2014 but rooting for a 5-0 Ashes triumph this summer to make up for the years of misery I endured as an England cricket fan in the 90's & 00's. We're all a bit mixed up, I guess, but being proudly Scots certainly doesn't mean being anti-English, just as being proudly British doesn't mean being anti-Scots.

 

I hope you work it out someday, mate. Let me know the secret if you do.

[simplythebest 0]

I'm slightly confused by this post, you don't sound at all convinced by the idea of independence yet you seem to be taken in by the SNP and nationalist separatist propaganda, we can't be Scots and Brits, England look down on us, we need to vote Yes to be a true country bla bla bla.

 

As for me, while i'm proud of Rangers' unionist links I don't form my views based on the football club I support. I mean George Galloway is strongly against independence.

[barca72 440]

It’s a problem that we will have to face in 2014. Because, although I distrust the Tartan Tories of Salmond’s hue, there’s a small part of me that fears if we reject independence, we forfeit the right to consider ourselves a nation ever again.

 

.

 

Here is a question that may help. Do you consider Wales to be an independent nation? If you think it is an independent nation then reject the independence vote, if you think it is not an independent nation then your fears may be founded.

[simplythebest 0]

It's brutal trying to reconcile all the various bits and pieces you pick up down the years, in your personal life and your life as a Bluenose. All we can do is what is best for the club, i.e. avoid dong anything which will incur penalties.

 

FWIW I'll be voting yes in 2014 but rooting for a 5-0 Ashes triumph this summer to make up for the years of misery I endured as an England cricket fan in the 90's & 00's. We're all a bit mixed up, I guess, but being proudly Scots certainly doesn't mean being anti-English, just as being proudly British doesn't mean being anti-Scots.

 

I hope you work it out someday, mate. Let me know the secret if you do.

Big mistake, and a mistake I as a 21 year old would have to live with for a long time.

[andy steel 0]

Well, that's democracy for you.

[simplythebest 0]

Well, that's democracy for you.

 

Maybe people can stop moaning about the Tories then, they're voted in by a democracy.

[Thinker 885]

That "schizophrenia" is the unpleasant tearing feeling you get when someone demands you choose between two imperfect options.

 

It seems everything has to be portrayed as a black or white choice these days. Maybe people today don't have the patience for anything more complex than a binary decision, or maybe the media have decided on our behalf that that's the case. Actually, we've seen it in the debates amongst our own support in recent times - if you weren't 100% comfortable with Green's mouthing off then obviously you must be in favour of dignified silence / be a hand-wringer. If you didn't think the Blue Knights' proposed bid was up to much then clearly you were happy for venture capitalists to plough up Ibrox and plant tatties.

 

Of course, in almost all cases there are intermediate, less polar options. With regards to the Scottish Parliament, continued or extended devolution seems like a reasonable compromise to me. I can still have a stake in being both Scottish and British.