Thursday 22 April 2004

Is Scotland sectarian?

Not really, according to Professor Steve Bruce:
SCOTLAND is not a sectarian country and claims of significant conflict between Protestants and Catholics are simply "scaremongering", according to a leading academic.
I know that sectarianism is still a problem, especially in the greater Glasgow area, but I thought that James MacMillan's claims "that anti-Catholic bigotry was rife in Scotland" were over the top.

The manager of my local pub is a Rangers fan as are some of the regulars, but I would guess that they are outnumbered by those who are "Celtic minded", many of whom gather in the pub before travelling to matches in Glasgow. When Old Firm games are shown on television there's certainly plenty of loud banter but nothing that indicates hatred or suggests that sectarianism is a problem here in Edinburgh.