Offensive Behaviour at Football Act cave in.

[Wee Willie]

I never bother voting because they are all the same .... but I was going to vote Torie just because Murdo Frazer tweeted about our Queens 11. Choice was decided there and then for me. I never made it to vote though. I will next time. If this act gets repealled, it shows us voting does work and we can overthrow a dictator goverment hated acts of law.

Now, what the results have showen me is with an increase in the Tories and a minority SNP goverment, we can beat the SNP over crap rules and laws they have forced on us all. From now on, I will make a point of getting my vote in and voting for the Tories. I hope lbour, greens, lib dems and tories they all club together and fix all the bad laws the SNP have dictated to us all. Jeez, I might even vote Green next time as long as its not SNP.

I would NEVER vote for the SNP. I might have if Jim Sillars still had influence. He was the real SNP. What we got now are dictator marxists who want to leave UK then submit Scotland to the EU. British NEVER surrender to any foe. Look how the SNP MSPs all are told to vote as the party wants. None of them are allowed to make their own minds up. Thats no way to run a democracy. Should be ringing bells in the whole of Scotland that. Thats what dictators do with their political party in power. This is our SNP exactly. At least when the SNP fall, we can have a normal free western democratic country back. Not one who lies and sends out propaganda like Hitler, to its people.

Axe the act. Well done FAC and the activist celt*c supporters for pushing this. Not forgetting or underestimating Rangers involvement and the Scottish fans in total.

Singapore 1942 anyone?

[Glenconner]

Some interesting answers on this thread and not just directly about the OBAF Act.

[Ad Lib]

You don't watch football. You're an opportunist c**t. It's disgraceful stuff.

Firhill yesterday. More football than Easter Road? Second tier: minter.

[flyingrodent]

It was just bad law, in the end - implemented to get good headlines, I suspect, but badly out of touch with the systems that were meant to enforce it. That's why the conviction rate was so poor, and it's why the sheriffs were lining up to say bad things about it.

The quick summary: if you're sending people to jail for singing offensive songs, and you're not Saudi Arabia, you have messed up somewhere along the line.

The whole incident has taught us some fairly valuable lessons, I think. The good news is that it shows that people can have bad laws repealed, if they get organised. The bad news is that a large section of the populace plainly has no problem with gesture politics if they think they won't be personally affected and, worse, that football fans and others are willing to put themselves at risk of arrest, if they think a new law will punish people that they don't like.

[John Lambies Doos]

You don't watch football. You're an opportunist c**t. It's disgraceful stuff.

In fairness I see him quite often at firhill

[HaikuHibee]

In fairness I see him quite often at firhill

 

He's still a bellend, of enormous proportions. Feel sorry for you.

[HaikuHibee]

It was just bad law, in the end - implemented to get good headlines, I suspect, but badly out of touch with the systems that were meant to enforce it. That's why the conviction rate was so poor, and it's why the sheriffs were lining up to say bad things about it.

The quick summary: if you're sending people to jail for singing offensive songs, and you're not Saudi Arabia, you have messed up somewhere along the line.

The whole incident has taught us some fairly valuable lessons, I think. The good news is that it shows that people can have bad laws repealed, if they get organised. The bad news is that a large section of the populace plainly has no problem with gesture politics if they think they won't be personally affected and, worse, that football fans and others are willing to put themselves at risk of arrest, if they think a new law will punish people that they don't like.

 

What have we learnt though? Bigots can do what they want? No-one can stop them?

[John Lambies Doos]

He's still a bellend, of enormous proportions. Feel sorry for you.

Well that another topic )

[Savage Henry]

What have we learnt though? Bigots can do what they want? No-one can stop them?

 

We've learnt that treating everyone like potential bigots does nothing to prevent sectarian bigotry.  And that the SNP are fallible.

[flyingrodent]

What have we learnt though? Bigots can do what they want? No-one can stop them?

Going by the prevalence of crowds singing nasty and stupid songs this season, I'd say that we've also learned that you can't change the behaviour of tens of thousands of people by arresting one or two of them per week. We've also learned that if the government wants to "send a message" to the populace, then TV or billboards are more effective than policemen and handcuffs.

[HaikuHibee]

We've also learned that if the government wants to "send a message" to the populace, then TV or billboards are more effective than policemen and handcuffs.

 

Oh aye so you are! Because that's never been done. what a load of pish.

[Ad Lib]

He's still a bellend, of enormous proportions. Feel sorry for you.

Second tier w**k. Football failures; Rugby town. Hibernian Minter.

[flyingrodent]

Oh aye so you are! Because that's never been done. what a load of pish.

If it was good, effective law, the conviction rate wouldn't be so far below rates for similar offences. If it was working as intended, it'd be politically impossible to ask for its repeal.

It's been given every chance to work - the police and the Crown have both made it a major priority - and now the results are plain to see. It doesn't work, it's expensive and it's weirdly discriminatory against football fans as opposed to people at any other public events. And that's why it's probably going to be repealed, not because it'll e.g. make some thick Celtic fans happy.

[Glenconner]

The bigots have won.

[Carl Cort's Hamstring]

It was just bad law, in the end - implemented to get good headlines, I suspect, but badly out of touch with the systems that were meant to enforce it. That's why the conviction rate was so poor, and it's why the sheriffs were lining up to say bad things about it.

The quick summary: if you're sending people to jail for singing offensive songs, and you're not Saudi Arabia, you have messed up somewhere along the line.

The whole incident has taught us some fairly valuable lessons, I think. The good news is that it shows that people can have bad laws repealed, if they get organised. The bad news is that a large section of the populace plainly has no problem with gesture politics if they think they won't be personally affected and, worse, that football fans and others are willing to put themselves at risk of arrest, if they think a new law will punish people that they don't like.

 

Precisely this.

 

Criticism of the law seems to be getting filed under either pro-Old Firm pandering, or SNPbad. I don't believe anyone could actually read what the act says and argue that it is a proportionate and effective response to combat sectarian behaviour.

 

Here's how you stamp it out at games: The first time it happens, close a stand for the next game. The second time, close the ground for a match. I guarantee it wouldn't happen a third time.

[Ira Gaines]

It was a stupid law. It could have been done to tackle anti-sectarianism and instead, what they did was make a wide reaching law to attack football supporters.

[mjw]

Here's how you stamp it out at games: The first time it happens, close a stand for the next game. The second time, close the ground for a match. I guarantee it wouldn't happen a third time.

If it's that easy why has it never been done?

[flyingrodent]

If it's that easy why has it never been done?

Because the clubs - almost all of them, not just the ones that you'd expect - are strongly against any suggestion that they should face more penalties for their supporters' bad behaviour.

[Carl Cort's Hamstring]

If it's that easy why has it never been done?

 

Because the Scottish football authorities are a bunch of cowards who think their marketable product is one fixture rooted in national and religious animosity. As such they protect their interest and pay lip service to dealing with a 'problem' that in reality makes them (and the clubs) money.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Carl Cort's Hamstring

[vikingTON]

Because the Scottish football authorities are a bunch of cowards who think their marketable product is one fixture rooted in national and religious animosity. As such they protect their interest and pay lip service to dealing with a 'problem' that in reality makes them (and the clubs) money.

 

Which is why the Scottish Government had to step in. So, given the fact that the Scottish footballing authorities haven't changed their approach, what would be the likely outcome of repealing the Act?