Well, no surprise to those sport minded folk reading this
blog piece from the title what I’ve decided to moan about here… With Jim Murphy
and Scottish Labour kick starting a nationwide debate on the bevvy ban at
football matches, I thought I’d take the time to talk not just about this but
to interlink the general stigma associated at football fans through Scottish
society, in particular your average working class punter.
Football remains, despite the ludicrous figures on players
wages and transfer fees, one of the few remaining aspects of working class livelihood
and tradition that Thatcherite economics couldn’t destroy. The average punter’s
affiliation to their club is often as strong as the love and bond for their
friends and family, or dare I say, their political party, (me included). Before
I go on any further, I’ll make this very clear: I make no attempt to hide the
fact that I am both A- A Celtic supporter and B- Partial to a pint or two. So,
let’s get to kick-off…
That’ll be the last football related pun, hopefully. The
blanket ban on booze at football matches is ridiculously outdated, regressive
and is in my opinion deep down a class issue. What surprises me is the outcry
from self-described progressives and from those who wish to ditch the old stereotypes
of Scotland and our people at the prospect of a law abiding football fan
enjoying a beer or two at the football. The same fan who you refuse the right
to a pint at halftime, is most probably already drinking higher strength beer
in a less controlled environment in pubs before the game, there are ways now of
limiting the beer consumption available such as scanning the barcode on every
ticket and season book used when purchasing to a limit of for example 3 pints
that simply didn’t exist in 1980. So you can limit their drinking, tone down
the % of alcohol in said pint and help struggling football clubs attract a
larger crowd and generate more income from those already in attendance through
the purchasing of a couple of pints and further fans enjoyment of the match
should they choose to accept the lure of a frothy ice cold Tennents. There is
also the notably expansion, at every stadium I’ve visited recently, the family
sections to drive family attendance at the football here in Scotland (which
remains lower than in England by the way, despite fans being allowed to have a
pint in the concourse at halftime and before the game). I see no other conclusion
to reach, that when a Rugby fan, or a football fan that can afford to pay for
the hospitality suites at matches can enjoy the privilege of an alcoholic beverage
if he or she so chooses, that you deny that same choice and right to your
average working class punter who’s here to enjoy the game and support his or
her team than that of a class issue at its heart.
There is in Scottish society at the moment, an attitude that
see’s football fans, yes that’s me and potentially you, reading this, foot the
blame for many deeper problems in Scottish society. Between the blanket ban on
booze for us reckless and rabid working classes, the seemingly unlimited powers
destined at the door of Stephen House and Police Scotland to ruin lives of
otherwise law abiding citizens on a case that often doesn’t reach court or when
it does is thrown out by the judges via the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act
you’d be forgiven for us feeling a little bit pissed off to say the least.
It’s time to treat football fans like we do others who enjoy
a cultural day out at the weekend or through the week at the theatre, concerts,
other sporting events or just a general night out in the town or the local
boozer: like dignified and respected members of society and as grownups. The
logical conclusion to the arguments for a booze ban would see outright bans in
the City Centre at the weekend, as all the evidence shows that violence rates
go up when such Saturday and Friday nights swing round at the end of the
working week. It’s irrational, outdated and unpopular.
Oh and a word of caution to SNP members, and pro-independence
supporting friends and campaigners. Just because Jim Murphy agrees, does not
make the issue toxic. He has carefully selected these issues, and yes I agree
there are bigger fish to fry as the saying goes, this is an issue like many
more he will jump on before May 7th that appeals to a broad spectrum
of potential wavering voters. He may be looking for election material and
entering the game in the 88th minute on some of these, but to ignore
and simply criticise because he’s the one advocating it could very well be a
potential own goal that leads to many more appearance fees for those Labour MP’s
at Westminster.
