Plenary, 26 Jan 2005

Meeting date: Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Official Report 453KB pdf

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St Mirren Football Club

The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S2M-2065, in the name of Wendy Alexander, on St Mirren Football Club. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put.

Motion debated.

That the Parliament congratulates St Mirren Football Club for issuing a lifetime ban to two supporters caught making racial taunts at opposition players during a Scottish Football League (SFL) Division One fixture at St Mirren Park; recognises that St Mirren's prompt action highlights that the club is serious about implementing the measures contained within UEFA's 10 point action plan to combat racism in the sport; hopes that the players and staff of other SFL clubs follow in St Mirren's footsteps for similar incidents, and welcomes remarks from the manager and chairman that St Mirren Football Club is a family-friendly club and this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.

I thank members for having this debate and in particular I thank the members from different political parties who signed the motion. I welcome to the gallery Stewart Gilmour, who is the chairman of St Mirren Football Club, and Norman MacDonald, who is a supporter of the club.

It would be wise to begin by acknowledging that I am not a football expert. Indeed, a few minutes ago, I was chided by Mike Watson, Frank McAveety and Duncan McNeil—I can say with certainty that he knew more about the world of football when he was five than I will know in a lifetime. However, I should say for the Official Report that St Mirren's manager is Gus McPherson and that they are currently a creditable third place in the first division. It is an ugly rumour that I have been known to leave Love Street at half-time and head for Braehead.

That said, I want to record that the first time that I visited Love Street was when the team was under the tenure of Sir Alex Ferguson, which was rather a long time ago. However, I learned something that I did not know when Margo MacDonald told me earlier today that Jim Rodger, apparently, scored the winning goal for St Mirren in 1960. All of that goes to show that, in our part of the world, St Mirren is in every sense part of the furniture.

Tonight's debate is about celebrating a story of grass-roots leadership not just on the football field but in Scottish society, thanks to the firm stance against racism that St Mirren recently took. As many members will know, when the club was faced with two match attendees—I will not dignify them by calling them fans—who were shouting racist abuse at players on the park, the club responded by imposing on them a lifetime ban. St Mirren's action was all the more commendable because the guests concerned were busy enjoying corporate hospitality at the time. In acting swiftly with no thought to the financial consequences that its action might carry, the club showed both leadership and bravery, given that the club remains locally owned with all the financial challenges that that imposes.

Across Scotland, clubs have increasingly taken strong policy stances against racism. National leadership has been shown by the Show Racism the Red Card campaign, which was drawn to the Parliament's attention by Bill Butler—who is present this evening—in a members' business debate last May. Since then, important steps forward have been taken as clubs have signed up to the Union of European Football Associations guidelines on tackling racism in football. The Scottish Football Association now recommends the adoption of the UEFA guidelines as part of the licensing procedure for all Scottish clubs. As many members will know, an international week against racism in football took place in October. However, St Mirren's stance was particularly impressive because it not only signed up to the guidelines but was willing to enforce them. I hope that other members will mention similar steps that have been taken by other clubs, such as Dundee Football Club and Kilmarnock Football Club.

Increasingly in Scottish football, offenders know that they can now be subject to a ban. Through the praise that we offer tonight, I hope that other clubs throughout Scotland will follow where St Mirren has led by not only signing up to the guidelines but enforcing them. Other members will no doubt mention the high-profile individual players who have taken up the anti-racism campaign, but club-level leadership of the kind that St Mirren has shown has a much wider impact. The club's commitment to anti-racism extends beyond what happens on the field and includes its work with young players at junior and amateur levels and the wide range of anti-racist programmes that it delivers in the community.

St Mirren knows the direction that it wants for itself and for Scottish football. Its aim is to make Love Street a safe place of enjoyment for all. The club passionately believes in using the power of football to build a better future and it has a history of forging strong links with community groups.

I apologise to Wendy Alexander that I cannot stay for all of the debate, as I must attend a cross-party group on the half hour. However, I want to say that I have never experienced any racism at Love Street during my 50 years and more of travelling there. It is a beautiful club to visit.

I thank John Swinburne for that tribute.

I am moving towards the end of my speech, but I have a couple of things still to say. The Parliament is particularly indebted to Bill Butler, who has led much of the parliamentary debate on racism in football. I am also grateful to my Paisley colleague, Hugh Henry, who has undertaken to respond to the debate on behalf of the Executive. He will highlight what the Executive is doing through its "One Scotland. Many Cultures" anti-racism campaign. I also single out the First Minister's leadership in highlighting the need to tackle both racism and sectarianism. Finally, I am grateful to my colleague Trish Godman, the MSP for West Renfrewshire, who is graciously presiding over this evening's debate. In every sense, it is a full Renfrewshire team.

Let me conclude my remarks on an upbeat note. Even people who cannot be found on the terraces week in, week out—even I—cannot fail to understand the pleasure that football brings to millions of people. It creates sporting heroes for the young and is a talking point for many—all the Scots who turn to the back page of the newspaper before they turn to the front page—on every day of their lives. When we succeed in making racism unacceptable in football, we go a long way towards making it unacceptable in Scottish society.

The campaign against racism in football is a game that we are winning. Racism is now condemned wherever it raises its ugly head. As it becomes less and less acceptable on the park, we make the anti-racism case beyond the football field. I conclude by congratulating all those who have worked so hard over recent years to make that change of public mood possible. I commend to members the leadership that St Mirren has shown on this issue. I hope that, by our actions today, we will not only strengthen the club's resolve but bring greater success and recognition to the endeavours of so many in this worthy anti-racist field.

The issues that Wendy Alexander has raised are very important. I congratulate her on securing the debate.

Football emerged in Scotland as a mass spectator sport in the latter part of the 19th century, replacing cricket, which was its predecessor. Although many of us retain an interest in cricket, it is not hard to understand why football dominates the imagination of most sports followers in Scotland. A football match is inherently an exciting occasion. It concentrates its action in a relatively short period of time—a satisfying period that allows people time for other recreation or duties, such as sloping off to Braehead or wherever else their Saturday may take them. It is a continuous exercise, it is confrontational and it sometimes results in violent clashes. It is infinitely varied, often controversial and sometimes thrilling. Of course, the violence must be controlled by the referee, kept on the pitch and contained safely within the rules. When the game is over, what happened in it and what may happen in the next game sustain hours of discussion—sometimes rational, but sometimes utterly irrational—for thousands of interested followers of football, because the sport grips the imagination of those who follow it.

I am not an anthropologist or a psychologist, but I can understand how losing themselves in a sporting encounter for a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon gives people a sense of community and allows them to get carried away, become angry, shout and, in some cases, sing abuse at all sorts of people: the referee, the players of the opposing team and, often, the supporters of the opposing team. All of that activity is perfectly safe. It is a release of frustration and a relaxation. Not everyone wishes to participate in it, but it happens within recognised parameters and is unchallenging and unthreatening.

Last week I taped an excellent programme on BBC television that contained newsreel footage of old football matches from the north of England in the 1900s. The starring character in the programme was a gentleman called Fatty Foulkes, who played in goal for Sheffield United. When watching the programme, I was reminded that much football abuse is inherently kind and good humoured. Apparently, Fatty Foulkes inspired the famous song "Who ate all the pies?" That was a surprise to me, as I thought that the song was inspired by my friend, colleague and occasional sparring partner Brian Monteith. You learn something new all the time. Football supporters also mock people with Bobby Charlton hairstyles—we all recognise the caricatures and humour that dominate the abuse in football. It is stylised abuse, which is without venom and is often self-mocking.

The kind of abuse that we cannot tolerate in sport is the abuse that carries with it venom, division and social consequences that go beyond the theatre of the football stadium. Events at the England v Spain football match last autumn and the incident at Love Street that Wendy Alexander has highlighted recall to mind activities that we used to see in Scotland. I remember seeing on television the Rangers player Mark Walters being pelted with bananas by football supporters at another club's stadium. Those days should have long gone. We should now understand that that kind of behaviour is not funny, not clever and not to be tolerated.

I congratulate St Mirren on the action that it has taken. It has shown what our role is, which is not, as middle-aged, middle-class politicians, to preach at football supporters about what they should do, but to challenge football management teams to accept their responsibilities within communities and applaud them when they act properly. That is how the scourge of racism has been tackled in sport. It shows that football clubs ought to play a bigger role in the future in the next big challenge that we face in Scotland, which is tackling sectarianism within our football. I support the motion and congratulate Wendy Alexander on lodging it.

Murray Tosh made an excellent speech. The nearest I ever got to fame in my life was when I was mistaken for Bobby Charlton at an airport.

Some of my colleagues were extremely worried that I might express too great an enthusiasm for St Mirren. I will try to avoid that error for the sake of my colleagues who support other teams.

The motion is important and I applaud the club for taking the firm action that it has taken. As Murray Tosh and Wendy Alexander said, football is hugely important in Scotland. As a practising politician who sometimes discusses with fellow members of his church why church attendance is declining, I view with jealously the enthusiasm that football manages to generate, and which political parties and churches dismally fail to generate. Not only the management of clubs and players, but the supporters associations are key to improving attitudes in our society, which many of us wish to do.

As others have said, we have made progress in tackling racial prejudice. There is more to do, but we have progressed a bit. As Murray Tosh said, we have to make progress with tackling sectarian prejudice and I believe that we have to make progress with regard to excessive drinking, which leads to misbehaviour. There is a fine line between people enjoying themselves legitimately and singing good club songs and people going over the score either because of sectarianism or excessive fuelling with drink.

In her excellent speech, Wendy Alexander stressed the importance of the management at St Mirren having taken a lead. I may be wrong in this, but most of the attention of various campaigns to get rid of sectarianism and racism in sport have been directed at the sportsmen themselves because of the example that they set people in the crowd. Perhaps we should think more about management; perhaps we should consider running seminars for the management of clubs, who might think that they have more to do with their time. What does the member think of that idea?

That is an important point. Tackling racism is, like football, a team effort. The players have to remember that they are role models for many people, and clubs' management must ensure that their clubs espouse an ethos that does not accept unreasonable racial or sectarian prejudice or drunkenness. Supporters associations must also do that. Attitudes have to be changed from within the game. As Murray Tosh said, it is no use people in suits like us appearing and saying, "Come, come. You must all behave better." People must recognise that they owe it to their society to behave better and to enforce that sort of behaviour. A team effort is required.

An interesting but irrelevant piece of information that I learned a long time ago is that when Blackburn Rovers defeated Old Etonians in the cup in England, the Old Etonians complained that the Blackburn people had trained together and that they passed the ball to one another, whereas the Etonians just got hold of the ball and tried to run through with it on their own. In fact, the whole concept of the team formed part of football's development as a working-class sport in Scotland and England; we must employ that concept to sort out the problems that still bedevil the sport and which spoil it for many people. After all, it is potentially the greatest thing in Scotland.

I congratulate my colleague Wendy Alexander on securing this evening's members' business debate and on bringing this serious issue to Parliament's notice once again.

Like other members, I wish to place on record my support for the action that has been taken by St Mirren in imposing a lifetime ban on two so-called supporters who hurled racist abuse at two opposition players. I believe that such an unambiguous response is to be commended. The message is unmistakeable: such actions are always unacceptable and will be unequivocally dealt with. As Wendy Alexander pointed out, Kilmarnock and Dundee took the same action in similar cases. They, too, are to be applauded.

The example that Wendy Alexander's motion highlights indicates the growing willingness among clubs and real lovers of the beautiful game to deal with racism. Progress is being made. Today, the Show Racism the Red Card campaign told me that, since last May's parliamentary debate on the subject, several clubs have either committed to implement or have implemented UEFA's 10-point plan. That is a good step. Moreover, in October 2004, all 42 senior clubs were involved in the campaign's week of action, when to much warm applause players of all clubs showed racism the red card before kick-off. I believe that the week of action is to become an annual event. I hope that such welcome progress will continue and that the SFA will be able to secure funding to allow the campaign to continue its good work in the 2005-06 season and on into the future.

It would be remiss of me not to bring to members' attention a recent court case that causes concern and which might have revealed a legal loophole. In December, three appeal court judges overturned a conviction for acting in a racially aggravated manner in respect of one Keith Anderson, who had been found guilty of racially abusing footballer Marvin Andrews at a match between St Johnstone and Livingston in October 2002. The judges ruled that to be guilty Anderson had to have intended to cause alarm or distress to the players and that the sheriff in the original case should not have drawn that conclusion anyway,

"particularly since he found that"

Anderson's

"remarks were inaudible on the field".

There we have it: a clear example of racist abuse becoming just another run-of-the-mill breach of the peace.

Such decisions send entirely the wrong signal to football fans and to young people throughout Scotland and do not assist the good work that clubs carry out in schools in tandem with the Educational Institute of Scotland and the Show Racism the Red Card campaign. I know that education plays a vital role; I was recently impressed by the positive impact that has been made on primary 6 and 7 pupils when I visited Kelvindale Primary School in my constituency with Manny Panther of Partick Thistle to discuss the campaign. Those young people knew about the campaign and the issues that it raised. They were articulate and were being educated in a positive way. However, the decision on the Anderson case sends out all the wrong messages and could undermine such good work. I intend to write formally to the minister about that case, but I am sure that all members would be grateful if he were able to offer any initial thoughts in his response to the debate.

It is vital that we maintain the progress that has been made by clubs at all levels in conjunction with the Show Racism the Red Card campaign and other organisations, and it is vital that long-term funding for such alternatives is in place. We all have a duty—always and everywhere—to challenge racism in sport in particular and in society in general. On that basis, I commend Wendy Alexander's motion and congratulate St Mirren and all the other clubs that are making a positive contribution to ending racism in football.

I also congratulate Wendy Alexander on securing this important debate and on giving recognition to the excellent stance that has been taken by St Mirren Football Club and the leadership that it has shown on this very important issue.

Like Wendy Alexander, my first visit to Love Street was in the days of Alex Ferguson. I got to accompany my pal to training with St Mirren. In those days, Jackie Copland and Tony Fitzpatrick were the stars of the team and Alex was the manager. Alas, St Mirren were more interested in my wee pal, Billy Davies, than they were in me; I might otherwise have been able to develop a career in football rather than in politics. I am sure that some people would have preferred it if I had developed a career in football—I would certainly have got less criticism for using sunbeds if I had done so.

My return to Love Street took place some 20 years later when I was fortunate enough, under the tutelage of Jimmy Bone and Kenny McDowall, to be allowed to take part in a pre-season training stint with St Mirren. I have to say that I was considerably thinner and a lot fitter then, but that did not prevent me from spewing several items out of my stomach.

I found St Mirren to be a testament to Scottish football. Of the 40 men who took part in the pre-season football I, at about 35—and captain courageous at the time—and Norrie McWhirter, who was also about 35, were the oldest among 40 youngsters, many of whom were under 20 years of age. That is an example of St Mirren showing the way in trying to develop predominantly local young talent in order to improve the team.

St Mirren FC is not without its financial problems—let us be clear about that. It would have been easier, and perhaps some people might have tried to justify it, to turn a blind eye or, rather, to turn a deaf ear in the direction of such behaviour by so-called fans, on the basis that St Mirren could ill afford to lose the revenue that comes from two individuals who pay to attend matches throughout the year. However, St Mirren put aside financial considerations to promote political and football considerations, which should be applauded.

It is a known fact that in the lower regions of the football leagues in England racism is much more prevalent and much uglier than it is in, for example, the Premiership. Unfortunately, many of the clubs in England are not prepared to take the same decisive action as St Mirren. That is to be regretted.

I hope that by securing the debate today, Wendy Alexander has brought home to Parliament not only the importance of racism and of action against it, but the importance of recognising the courage of smaller clubs, such as St Mirren, which are prepared not only to talk the talk but to walk the walk. When clubs sign up to the UEFA anti-racism strategy and rightly support the Show Racism the Red Card campaign, it is one thing to talk a good game, but it is another to take action. That is why St Mirren should be supported 100 per cent.

I hope that the bouncebackability of St Mirren will be shown clearly in relation to their current football position, because they should not be in the first division—they should be in the Premier League. They have taken a premier-division decision and I hope that in the not-too-distant future they will also play Premier League football.

As a former representative of Renfrewshire Council and an old sparring partner of the minister, I am pleased to be taking part in the debate tonight. I congratulate Wendy Alexander on securing the debate. I repeat her tribute to Bill Butler for securing the previous debate on the subject and I congratulate him on the hard work that he has put into ending the scourge of racism.

I could probably call myself an adopted Buddie, because I lived in Paisley for more than 20 years and took my kids along to St Mirren football ground. Unlike Wendy Alexander, however, I did not get the chance to go to Braehead. I used to go on the supporters' bus and I would see such fabulous places as Dundee and Perth, when I could get away from the game to go shopping. When Gordon McQueen was signed up by St Mirren no one could tear me away from the terraces, so members will know for exactly how long I used to go along to matches. I was a very keen supporter.

I congratulate St Mirren on its achievements. The club is the subject of a debate in Parliament and not only did it sign up to the UEFA 10-point plan but it implemented the plan, as Wendy Alexander said. The club should receive the highest accolade for doing that. Many football clubs, such as Dundee Football Club, have taken action. However, other clubs that said that they would sign up to the plan did not go ahead and do anything positive about it. I hope that such clubs will follow St Mirren's good lead and implement UEFA's fantastic 10-point plan, which is unique in the football world in that it operates throughout Europe, not just in Scotland. If we can encourage every club in Europe to get rid of the scourge of racism, we will be closer to achieving a better society.

I thank Donald Gorrie for his tenacity in highlighting the issues of racism and sectarianism. I thank the Executive for taking the issue so seriously that we have been able to debate it not just in this members' business debate but in committees and in other debates in Parliament. I think that one of the Parliament's justice committees is considering the matter and I hope that offences will lead to prison sentences. As Bill Butler said, judges are sometimes too lenient in sentencing. We must take the matter seriously and get rid of the scourge of racism, for kids now and in the future.

We say that education about racism and sectarianism counts. The best education is achieved when people take part in something. It is much easier for people to learn the lessons when they take part in football as spectators or players. We need legislation that deals with people who go against what society wants, but others must learn to say that such behaviour is not acceptable. St Mirren can say, "Okay, we might not be at the top of the football league, but we are the top of the league when it comes to doing something to help society." I commend St Mirren for its approach and I hope that other clubs and the public will listen to St Mirren and learn from its example.

Bill Butler mentioned schools. He and I—and others—attended a school meeting. Everyone there was from Glasgow and when we were asked what team we supported, we all said that we supported Partick Thistle. The kids' response was, "Oh, right—Partick Thistle." It is important to get the message across that we are not just here to be legislators; we are willing to listen to kids in school and tell them that we are doing something to tackle racism and sectarianism.

Again, I thank Wendy Alexander for allowing me the opportunity to take part in this debate and I congratulate St Mirren Football Club. I hope that others will follow the club's example and that we will live in a better society in future.

Members have congratulated Wendy Alexander and I add my congratulations to theirs. By lodging the motion, she has done the Parliament a favour. She has given us the opportunity to focus directly on one football club and she has helped us to consider the action that we need to take to tackle the wider issue of racism by raising the matter in a context that is understandable and familiar to people in Scotland.

We should not underestimate the action that St Mirren Football Club took. As Tommy Sheridan said, it is one thing to talk a good game, but it is another thing to act. St Mirren took action when others were too scared, too worried or perhaps too ignorant to do so. The club's decision might have had repercussions. Not only were there the financial implications that members mentioned, but standing up and doing the right thing does not always make us popular and is not always regarded as the appropriate thing to do—that is an unfortunate aspect of our society.

St Mirren FC did the right thing; Stewart Gilmour and his board have done the right thing. They have taken decisions that I hope will guide others. Action does speak louder than words. St Mirren has acted directly on the issue of the two fans and the club has said clearly to its supporters and to supporters right across the country that there are football clubs that are prepared to take action. That counts enormously.

Some of the comments that we have heard this evening have demonstrated the breadth of support for taking action to rid our country of the scourge of racism. The Scottish Executive is happy to put on record its support for Wendy Alexander's motion. With your permission, Presiding Officer, I will speak for the Parliament and say that this Parliament is committed to eradicating prejudice, intolerance and discrimination wherever they surface and in whatever form they take.

Other members have mentioned the curse of sectarianism in Scotland. The First Minister has said clearly that he and the Scottish Executive are determined to take action to eradicate sectarianism. Racism is another manifestation of bigotry and intolerance and cannot be accepted.

As part of the Executive's contribution towards tackling racism, we have made a number of decisions, we have invested and we have launched a number of campaigns. The "One Scotland. Many Cultures" campaign aims to raise people's awareness of the negative impact of racist attitudes and behaviour on individuals and society as a whole. The next phase of the campaign—on television, on radio, in cinemas and through outdoor advertising—will start on 14 February and last for six weeks. I hope that, in the context of that campaign, people will stop and ponder what St Mirren FC has done.

We also have to look beyond media advertising. We have taken a number of practical measures: we have tried to set up websites to provide information; we are considering awareness-raising activities, working with the Scottish Trades Union Congress and Young Scot; and we have a race equality scheme, which places a duty on all departments within the Scottish Executive and Executive agencies to eliminate racial discrimination and to promote race equality.

Other members have rightly talked about the significant influence that football has in our culture and society—something that makes St Mirren's action all the more significant. People have talked about the role of St Mirren in Paisley. Tommy Sheridan has said what others believe—that St Mirren should be a Premier League club. However, Paisley's contribution to football does not rest with the contribution that is made by St Mirren.

There were stories in the press this week about a Paisley worker who was sent by J & P Coats over to one of its factories in Brazil. He imported new techniques of football to Brazil and, it is widely believed, helped to influence the development of football there. What Paisley does can have implications beyond the boundaries of the town. In the same way as a Paisley man was able to take new football skills to Brazil, I hope that the stand taken by St Mirren will be copied by others.

Members have mentioned the contributions of other clubs, such as Kilmarnock and Dundee. I want to refer in particular to a courageous act by a young Dundee fan, who reported a fellow supporter for making racist comments about two black players during a game in Dundee. That could not have been easy for a 14-year-old to do. Sometimes many of us duck the hard issues; sometimes standing up to be counted is uncomfortable; and yet Scott McBurney, aged 14, took action and reported someone to the police. To their credit, the sheriff, the club and football officials have all taken action and the man has been convicted. The football club has done the right thing. That just shows that the action of one individual can have a profound effect. It is a shame that it took a 14-year-old boy to show the rest of us what ordinary fans should be doing. That boy and Stewart Gilmour and St Mirren FC have demonstrated that we can make a positive impact.

In relation to the question that Bill Butler asked about the case that arose at a St Johnstone match, there may be a loophole in the law. I look forward to receiving Bill Butler's letter so that I can find out whether that is the case. Such an outcome could also be the result of the interpretation that the courts make of a particular law. It is not for me to comment on judges' decisions. We will consider the matter to establish whether we have a responsibility to do anything.

I want to finish by putting the action of St Mirren FC and the courageous stand that it has taken, which Wendy Alexander has highlighted, in the context of the Show Racism the Red Card campaign, which other members have mentioned. Bill Butler has been prominent in promoting that campaign in the Parliament.

Margo MacDonald asked whether we should concentrate on managers rather than on players in such campaigns. Show Racism the Red Card worked with high-profile players to help to get the message across; it was not saying that players had to change their attitudes. The campaign recognised that players have a certain status in our society and used the respect in which they are held to try to convey its message. Many of our clubs have signed up to the aims of the campaign. Tony Higgins from the Scottish Professional Footballers Association, who is one of my constituents, has played a leading role in helping to promote awareness of the issue, both in Scotland and beyond.

That should give us some hope for the future. The fact that an individual such as the 14-year-old boy in Dundee can make a difference and that St Mirren FC has shown the way to other football clubs by demonstrating that the stand that they take can make a difference also gives us hope. We can take comfort and courage from that, because all of us now know that we can make a difference. St Mirren FC has shown the way; it is for others to follow.

Meeting closed at 17:52.