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Caoimhin O’Muraile ⚽ On 24th February 2024 Jim Ratciffe, CEO and founder of INEOS petrochemicals, paid £1.25 billion to purchase a 27.7% share in Manchester United. 

He bought these shares off the Glazers whose ownership legally of the club is questionable? The overall owners are still the Glazers but Ratcliffe through his purchasing of this sizable chunk is in charge of all matters relating to football. The Glazers look after the other aspects of the business, like commercialisation and the sales of merchandise increasing their profits but not necessarily the good of the club. Incidentally the Glazers have reportedly taken £1 billion out of United since 2005 in various consultancy fees, though what these consultancies are is unclear! 

Ratcliffe is now part of this gang of brigands with the Glazers who arguably acted unlawfully at the 2004 Annual General Meeting (AGM) remaining the majority shareholders. Since his visage crossed the door at Old Trafford Ratcliffe has embarked on an orgy of butchery regarding job cuts. He has cut 450 jobs in total and that is only so far, the majority of them low paid in the catering side of the business. John Allen who worked heading the communications team had worked at United for 25 years has also lost his job leaving this loyal supporter of the team in tears. Ratcliffe has closed the staff canteen and lunches once provided by the club have been replaced by portions of fruit! 

The legality of this move again is questionable because employers are obliged under the Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992, to ‘provide suitable rest areas and facilities for workers to eat and drink, especially if they cannot leave the site’. No doubt United employees were free to leave Old Trafford during their lunch breaks but for those who did not use this option have the said facilities been provided? Either way the self-styled United fan, as Jim Ratcliffe claims to be, has denied 450 people the right to earn a living at the club many loved! 

As for Ratcliffe’s claim to be a lifelong fan (short for fanatic) I have never seen him at a game. I, and many others, attended over five decades, four of them home away and abroad (the sixties being my debut decade with parents) and not a sighting of Ratcliffe. Those of us who travelled to every game got to know each other as fans from Newcastle to Torquay with Manchester as the hub regularly shared pubs and places on the terracing and sometimes police cells! Jim Ratcliffe, the lifelong supporter nobody who I know has ever seen was not one of these fans. Even if he was a home supporter only somebody would have spotted him it would be thought. I remember Maurice Watkins, the former club Solicitor and Board Member, who, like Ratcliffe, claimed to have been a lifelong ‘fan’ of United. He regularly boasted of that night at Wembley in 1968 defeating Benfica to lift the European Cup and his presence at the game, lucky bastard. Despite his attendance at one match, albeit an important one, he was never seen at matches, as a fan not a Board Member, away from Old Trafford. When the price was right Watkins, like Roy Gardner another Board Member, sold his shares unashamedly to the Glazers! These parasites are not fans but, at best, passing supporters of the club. The Gazers and Ratcliffe have managed to separate the club from the team making it possible to love and support the team but not the club!

If people like Ratcliffe and Watkins before him were really fans of United they would act in the team and the fans interests and not their own financial gain. Matt Busby’s fears about the interests of football being “sacrificed on the altar of big business” have come to pass alas. The only people Ratcliffe and Watkins are fans of is themselves and their pockets. “Football without fans is nothing” is another Matt Busby core belief and the Glazers have reduced the fans status at Old Trafford to that of “customers”. Ratcliffe has outsourced the catering and entered talks with Levy Catering part of the Compass group where he was once a Board member some years ago. 

John Allen, the Communications Officer, said on hearing of his departure pausing to hold back the tears; “it has been the biggest honour coming from Manchester to work with all these managers”. He continued; “This is my club and to be able to do this, I am very lucky”. John worked in the ticket office before moving to communications and has given his club years of loyal service. John doesn’t know why he has to leave he is just one of those employees who Ratcliffe has decided have to go to trim the ‘wage bill’. 

Club historian, Cliff Butler, is another stalwart who has fallen victim to Ratcliffe’s axe as has Alex Wylie after 40 years as kitman both were important positions at the club Ratcliffe deems have to go. ‘Emotional goodbyes are being replicated all over the club while other members of staff are having their workloads, in some cases, doubled,’ they should refuse to carry out these extra tasks. That’s business Ratcliffe might say, but is this not sacrificing the interests of the club and football on the “altar of big business”? Lifelong fan my arse.

In the Irish Daily Mirror on Thursday 12 February sub headlined; “SIR JIM: MY CALLS NOW PAYING OFF”. Ratcliffe says in this short but significant article; “Well, I’ve been very unpopular at Manchester United because we’ve made lots of changes. But for the better, in my view”.

“And I think we’re beginning to see some evidence in the Football Club that that’s (sic) beginning to pay off”.

During Ratcliffe’s tenure at Old Trafford United have sacked two managers, Erik Ten Hag who despite winning the League Cup and FA Cup was sacked. He was succeeded by Ruben Amorim who spoke out against those above him, in my view not before time, and he was dismissed for his troubles, though his results on the field were not great! Where the fuck are the managers trade union, the League Managers Association, while managers, not only at Man Utd but elsewhere, are being sacrificed almost on a weekly ritual like lambs to the slaughter? Reading Ratcliffe’s statement about “some evidence in the Football Club that that’s beginning to pay off” suggests he is trying to take some sort of credit for the team’s recent success under interim boss, Michael Carrick and his backroom team. 

This success is despite of and not because of Ratcliffe’s presence at Old Trafford as he like the overall owners, the Gazers, are not wanted at Man Utd by most supporters and, perhaps if they told the truth, many employees! If Ratcliffe is trying in some way to tell the world that him cutting low paid jobs to cut the wage bill has in some way contributed to the good work of Michael Carrick and his team producing results on the pitch, defeating City, Arsenal, Fulham, and Tottenham while drawing away at West Ham then he, Ratcliffe, is a cheeky, arrogant self-centred narcissist to say nothing of being delusional. He should fuck off back to petrochemicals and take the Glazers with him. A vat of cleansing solvent sounds a tributing place for these parasites!

Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist.


The Cheeky Arrogant, Narcissistic, Delusional Bastard!

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of One Thousand Nine Eight Hundred And Eighty Six

 

A Morning Thought @ 3063

Jim Duffy ✍ The impact of Star Trek in society is truly extraordinary. 

It led vast numbers of people to be so fascinated that they ended up in careers in space studies. NASA concluded in a study that a host of astronauts first developed an interest in space as children watching Star Trek and it led to their careers.
 
Scientists saw fictional technologies on the show, asked themselves "would that actually be possible?" So the fake technology inspired the reality. In the Star Trek series, a rule like the Prime Directive, about not interfering in the development of another world but instead allowing it to develop its own way, mirrors debates on the activities of imperial powers in Africa in the 19th century, or the behaviour of the US, and previously Spain and Portugal, in the Americas.
 
In STTNS a fascinating debate took place that got to the heart of the right to life. An android (artificial life form similar to humans), called Data, had developed self-awareness, ethics and human traits. Only one android had been made. A scientist wanted to completely dismantle Data, effectively killing him, to study how worked, so he could create vast numbers of androids to benefit humanity.
 
A trial took place to analyse Data to judge did his human characteristics, self-awareness, ethical self-awareness and personality mean that he had a right to life? Was his right to life equal to humans? Did the potential benefit to humanity from creating many androids outweigh his individual human rights, or were his human rights superior? It is a core issue in ethics.
 
I was in UCD at the time. I remember a lot of academics and post-grads sitting in UCD restaurant for hours discussing the whole issue, the episodes, the writings of many great philosophers on the issue, etc. They all agreed that the tribunal ruling that Data may not be physically human but had all the ethical characteristics of humanity - plus full self-awareness and a desire to live, so could not have his existence terminated even to benefit society - was correct and reflected the conclusions of many ethicists and philosophers throughout centuries, as well as many theories in major religions.
 
I remember one philosopher commenting that it was striking that a major programme like Star Trek: The Next Generation could build an entire episode around a core issue in ethics and have millions of people worldwide debating the issues of human rights, what is a human, and does the rights of the individual outweigh the rights of society? Or does the right of society outweigh the rights of the individual?
⏩ Jim Duffy is a writer-historian.

Star Trek

Ukraine Solidarity Group ✊ A Digest of News from Ukrainian Sources ⚔ 19 January-2026.

In this week’s bulletin

⬤ Ukrainian socialists support Iran rebels.
⬤ Russian empire in history.
⬤ Kherson’s defensive drones.
⬤ Russia tries to freeze Ukrainians.
⬤ More evidence of Russian torture and killing of POWs.
⬤Persecution of Crimean Tatars and deliberate targeting of civilians.

News from the territories occupied by Russia

Monstrous sentences demanded against nine men abducted from Kherson and savagely tortured for insane Russian show trial (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, January 16th)

The Face of Resistance: Political Prisoner Hennadii Lymeshko (Crimea Platform, January 16th)

Russian sentenced to life for the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Kharkiv oblast (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, January 15th)

Crimea treason verdict separates mother from baby needing surgery (Mediazona, 15 January)

17-year-old from occupied Mariupol faces 20-year sentence on ‘treason’ charges for wanting to help Ukraine (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, January 14th)

Weekly update on the situation in occupied Crimea (Crimea Platform, January 13th)

Prominent Crimean Tatar journalist and political scientist prosecuted for ‘extremism’ in an academic work (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, January 13th)

Worse than North Korea and plummeting. Russia hits new depths in Crimea, other occupied parts of Ukraine (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, January 12th)

Russia sentences Ukrainian pensioner to 12 years and forces him to ‘repent on video’ for supporting Ukraine (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, January 12th)

News from the front line

Latest from the front: fighting continues in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk (Meduza, 16 January)

How Kherson Became a Live Testing Ground for Drone Defence Against Russia’s ‘Human Safari’ of Ukrainians (Byline Times, January 13th)

News from Ukraine

Most Ukrainians say Donbas should not be ceded to Russia for security guarantees (Ukrainska Pravda, January 16th)

Russian infrastructure attacks push Ukrainians to the brink (Deutsche Welle, 16 January)

As Russian tries to freeze Ukrainians into submission, families try everything to stay warm (Kyiv Independent, 14 January)

Cedos experts joined a professional discussion on regulating the housing rental market (Cedos, January 12th)

Kyiv’s great re-shuffle (IPS, January 8th)

War-related news from Russia

“You walk in and see living skeletons”: Humiliation and abuse in Russian psychiatric care homes (The Insider, January 16th)

Networking with intent: media fined for 2018 link to ‘undesirable’ organisation (Mediazona, 15 January)

Through the meat grinder: 20 dead per square kilometer and the other Russian military takeaways of 2025 (The Insider, January 15th)

Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ risks becoming a disaster (Posle.Media, 14 January)

'We were tricked': How one woman lures foreign men to fight for Russia (Guardian, January 13th)

The streets speak. Anti‑war messages in Russian cities (Mediazona, January 6th)

Analysis and comment

Iran on the brink: social unrest against theocracy, poverty and repression (Social Movement of Ukraine, 16 January)

‘Lord Wolfson’s continuing role as Shadow Attorney General is a test of Badenoch – and the Tories – integrity’ (Mick Antoniw, Labour List, January 13th)

Russian imperialism: a historical approach (Links, January 13th)

Research of human rights abuses

Monstrous 27-year sentence against Ukrainian civilian abducted from Russian-occupied Melitopol (Tribunal for Putin, January 12th)

How Russia fabricates criminal cases against Ukrainians (Zmina, January 9th)

The weightlifting champion jailed by Russia for ‘plotting sabotage and assassinations’ (Guardian, January 5th)

Upcoming events

Thursday 5th February, 6.30 pm. Try Me For Treason: readings from speeches by anti-war protesters in Russian courts, and discussion. Clore Lecture Theatre, Birkbeck College Clore Management Centre, Torrington Square, London WC1E 7JL. REGISTER to attend here.

 

🔴This bulletin is put together by labour movement activists in solidarity with Ukrainian resistance. More information at Ukraine Information Group.

We are also on twitter. Our aim is to circulate information in English that to the best of our knowledge is reliable. If you have something you think we should include, please send it to 2U022ukrainesolidarity@gmail.com.


We are now on Facebook and Substack! Please subscribe and tell friends. Better still, people can email us at 2022ukrainesolidarity@gmail.com, and we’ll send them the bulletin direct every Monday. The full-scale Russian assault on Ukraine is going into its third year: we’ll keep information and analysis coming, for as long as it takes.

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News From Ukraine 💣 Bulletin 179

Seamus Kearney 🎤 In April 1986 the IRA Army Council gave permission to the Director of Northern Command to tighten the grip on all IRA operations, as a result of a number of civilian deaths.

Consequently, all future IRA military operations had to be vetted by him and become more centralised, a sound idea at the time provided there were no leaks in the initiative.

Unfortunately, the Director of Northern Command still had unquestioning faith in the integrity of the Internal Security Unit and ordered Scappaticci as OC of the unit to vet all proposed operations in the Belfast Brigade area. When the Task Coordinating Group ( TCG) were told about this latest development, to say they were salivating would be an understatement. They were ecstatic. However, the elite and security conscious South Armagh Brigade declined in general to comply with the order, because they simply didn't trust Belfast and were security conscious at all times. The fact that their calls for Freddie Scappaticci 's removal had fallen on deaf ears may have fed into their overall attitude toward the new order.

In a highly spectacular military operation, the South Armagh Brigade blasted the Forensic Science Laboratory at Belvoir, South Belfast, on September 23rd, 1992 with a massive 3,000 lb van bomb, destroying vital evidence and undermining the justice system in the North. When the Director of Northern Command was told after the explosion that it was a South Armagh operation he was livid.
The centralisation of IRA operations may have aided the electoral process, but it was a chink in the armour when it came to IRA operations being compromised, as they were no longer water tight within a cell structure.

In 1986 the TCG decided to shed one of their assets, Agent Mints, possibly due to the agent passing his 'sell by date'. The agent had been working since 1978 and had primarily worked in the IRA's Engineering Department, compromising a number of explosive dumps in his eight year tenure. Freddie Scappaticci was invited in by Belfast Brigade to investigate the suspect and the ISU were convened in a safe house in West Belfast to await his arrival. Another agent masquerading as IRA personnel was instructed to fetch Agent Mints, with both men arriving at the safe house without incident.

To the astonishment of the ISU, which included Scappaticci, the former Marine, 'Burke' and 'Hare', Agent Mints broke immediately and gushed out that he had been working for Special Branch since 1978 and had compromised the 'Short Strand Bombs' in which Volunteer Michael Kearney had been executed for in July 1979. He had been the 'East wing' of the operation, while another agent had been the 'West wing', both agents providing the British with a holistic view of the operation in March 1979.

The victim had informed his handlers where he had been summoned to and they had instructed him to go meet the ISU and that they would rescue him. However, no rescue mission was launched and the death penalty was handed down to him after 2 days of interrogation.

His eyes were taped shut and his hands were tied behind his back. A number of shots rang out and Agent Mints fell to the ground. The TCG had shed no tears for him, as he was yet another cog in a bigger wheel, mere cannon fodder to be discarded in their dirty war against the IRA.

Seamus Kearney is a former Blanketman and author of  
No Greater Love - The Memoirs of Seamus Kearney.

Stakeknife 🕵 The Rise And Fall 🕵 Act ⅤⅠ

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of One Thousand Nine Eight Hundred And Eighty Five

 

A Morning Thought @ 3062

Gary Robertson ⚽ Tuesday saw the return of the Edinburgh Derby and a chance for Hearts to avenge the defeat they suffered at Easter Road.

With Kieron Bowie now plying his trade abroad and Spurs loanee Dane Scarlett leading the line Hibs looked ready to go again. The match however failed to live up to the hype and in all honesty a draw looked the most likely outcome, in a game of only three shots on target (2 Hearts 1 Hibs) it’s difficult to pad this out. A 88 min winner from Hearts' Magnusson sealed the points for the home team sending the majority of the 19000 crowd home happy.
 
Wednesday saw a hard fought victory for Kilmarnock over St Mirren. A hat trick from Killie's John Jules making it a night to remember for the striker. The final result 4-3.
 
Another young man who’ll remember the 11th of February 2026 is Falkirk's Ben Broggio, the 19yr old scoring his first goal for his team and indeed the only goal of the night, resulting in a win for Falkirk over Dundee.
 
Rangers faced a trip tricky trip to Fir Park to face Motherwell and a chance to close the gap on Hearts before the clash with the league leaders at the weekend. Rangers came out flying and a beautiful through ball found the diminutive Raskin with only the ‘Keeper to beat he finished nicely, putting the Rangers 1-0 ahead and looking dangerous. Motherwell however had their chances but some wasteful efforts and brilliant goalkeeping from Butland in the ‘Gers goal kept the home team at bay. Both sides had their chances though and not to be outdone some world class keeping from Motherwell's Ward kept the bears at bay.
 
Controversy is never away in Scottish football and I’m still baffled as to how what looked a clear hand ball from Rangers' Souttar went unpunished when Celtic's Ralston committed the same “offence” against Rangers in November and this was deemed a penalty kick. Consistency is not a word in the Scottish ref's dictionary.
 
One decision that they did get right (after a VAR check) was the sending off of Motherwell's Fadinger whose reckless and dangerous tackle on Rangers' Moore fully deserved a red. A terrible tackle and to be honest the lad is lucky he didn’t suffer serious injury.
 
Motherwell down to ten, Rangers 1-0 with a full team three points looked destined to return to Ibrox but the Steelmen had other ideas and a header met the boot of on loan Celtic player Welsh in the 89th minute to secure a share of the points and giving Sundays top of the league clash with Hearts even more importance.

Livingston now under Marvin Bartley a former player for the club and Hibs (to mention a few) faced a formidable task against title chasing Celtic. A nervy looking Celtic. However what nerves among the almost 59.000 fans and the team were eased somewhat in the 15th minute when a blistering strike from Saracchi screamed past Prior and from 19 yards made its unstoppable way into the net. 1-0 to the Hoops. There was little more action to report in the first half.
 
The second however saw Livingston battle and they were rewarded with a spot kick in the 57th minute when Hatate made what was a stupid challenge in the box. The Livi number 9 Robbie Muirhead drilled past a despairing Schmeichel to level the scores, and the nerves returned.
 
Stoppage time 6 mins and once again I sat with head in hands again bemoaning a lack of bite in the Celtic forward line. However fairy tales are to be written at special places like Celtic Park and this was pure Hollywood. Celtic having only just signed Alex Oxlade Chamberlain gave the former Liverpool player a twenty minute run out. It was good to see the boy on the park but what transpired left us speechless. Time running out, once again a season looking lost in the 94th minute, up stepped “The Ox” who’s right foot shot from the corner of the D whizzed past Prior, and Parkhead went into meltdown. A new hero is born.
 
A special mention however must go to Livingstons ‘keeper Jerome Prior whose saves (nine in all) kept the visitors in the game. The Frenchman was outstanding in goal for Livingston and is still only 30 years old.
 
Saturday 14th - Valentine’s Day (apparently)
 
Three fixtures in the SPL go ahead while some games elsewhere fell foul to the weather in the lower leagues. Inverness now find themselves five points clear in the League One title race, a solitary goal by Alfie Bavidge enough to take home the points from Hamilton's Broadwood stadium.
 
St Johnstone also find themselves with a five point cushion at the top of the championship and look set for a return to the SPL after a 1-0 away defeat of Airdrie on Friday night.
 
The spoils were shared at Dens Park on Saturday where a miraculous fightback by Livingston from 2-0 behind after 8 mins saw them take a point in a 2-2 draw. Whilst it’s difficult to see Livi surviving, Manager Bartley must have been glad to see fighting spirit in his team.
 
Falkirk welcomed Dundee Utd to the Falkirk Stadium for an intriguing match up. It didn’t take long though for in form Falkirk to break the deadlock as a shot from Broggio in the 17th minute put the bairns ahead however on this day of exchanging gifts with loved ones Falkirk keeper Bain made a terrible mess of what looked like an easy save which was gratefully received by Graham and, with precision, slotted the ball into the net. 1-1 at half time was a fair reflection of the game.
 
Falkirk again took the lead in the 53rd minute with a goal from Lissah only then to see this cancelled out a mere 2 mins later by a Sibbald shot. The turning point, as in so many games, however saw Falkirk's Henderson wipe out United's Watters. After a VAR check the yellow was upgraded to red and Falkirk were down to ten. To their credit they battled though and it looked for all the world like a draw was on the cards until Uniteds substitute Eskesen found himself in space in the 18 yard box and fired home and 3 points back up the road.
 
Hibernian faced struggling St Mirren and with Hibs home form for all to see this was a fairly straightforward task for the team from the hometown of James Connolly. Goals in either half from Elding and Suto secured the points for a Hibs side brimming with confidence.
 
Sunday 15th. Motherwell did what Motherwell inevitably do and took care of a dire Aberdeen who are languishing in the bottom 6, safe from relegation but far from the team once challenging for titles. Goals from Just in the 28th minute and an own goal by the Dons' McIntyre in the 93rd minute sent Aberdeen fans off home licking their wounds and back to the granite city deflated.
 
Now I pondered long and hard about the Glasgow two but eventually decided I’d report in order of kick off times. So Rugby Park and a Kilmarnock side managed by former Hearts and Rangers player Neil McCann looking to drag themselves away from danger and perhaps also put the boot in Celtic's title pretensions. While the Celtic fans were in good voice “here we go again, we’re on the road again” the team were completely out of tune and once again looked like they’d been picked up at random stops along the way and asked to play for 90 mins with lead in their boots and with no knowledge of who was beside them. Twenty mins in and Killie's man of the moment John-Jules outdid Trusty and fired past Schmeichel into the bottom left hand corner of the net and McCann's men into a deserving lead. Kilmarnock's second came from new boy Hugill whose header looped past Schmeichel leaving the keeper looking far from international class. 

Some choice words were typed on social media platforms re Celtics “style” or indeed lack of and as I personally filled the “swear box” with coins at half time thoughts turned once again to the tragedy that was Nancy and the dark days of Wilfred. Killie were 2-0 up and cruising. The second half though belonged to Celtic. A bullet from Tounekti in the 55th minute restored some hope and even the most ardent of Celtic fans must have been hoping for a draw at this stage, thinking it would keep us in touch with Hearts and the Rangers. Minute 63 and there it was, the equaliser from the man himself Benjamin Nygren. Suddenly what seemed impossible only 20 mins previously looked within the grasp of O’Neill's men. Chances galore fell Kilmarnock's way with John Jules hitting the bar with a fabulous effort. 

Stoppage time, seven mins, just hold on. That was the thought at least it was mine. Do nothing stupid and let’s get out of here with a point. A point will do thinks I as the clock ticked round to 96 mins when a cross by Stan the man Cvancara was bundled past the despairing Killie keeper by Julian Araujo that sparked wild celebrations amongst the Celtic faithful and groans on at both ends of the M8. They’d done it, again, another stoppage time winner. Great for viewing, awful on the heart. I’d settled for the draw they had different ideas. That’s why we love this game right?
 
Ibrox 4-30pm and the clash of the big two a match that absolutely lived up to its billing and one any neutral would have loved.
 
As I positioned myself comfortably in front of the TV I found the words of Steve R ringing in my ears “a hat trick for Chermiti will do”, and whilst I dreamt of the impossible (that both would lose) I’ll be paying heed to his predictions from here on in.
 
Wasn’t all plain sailing for the Rangers though as a terrible lapse in the Blues' defence was intercepted and eventually turned in by Hearts' Leonard. In the 19th minute though the Ibrox men were level when after some amazing reaction saves from Hearts' Schwolow what originally looked like a leveller for Naderi was instead shown to have been put into his own net by Hearts Steinwender. Steinwender then looked to have made amends as his cross was met by the head of Braga and jubilation amongst the Jambos. 30th min Rangers 1 Hearts 2. Every good story has a hero though and for the Rangers theirs came in the formidable frame of Chermiti. His first on 39 mins a low shot slid past the Hearts' keeper and Ibrox erupted. 

They say football is a game of two halves and this certainly lived up to it. The second half belonging to the big Portuguese forward who single-handedly tore apart Hearts, blowing a massive hole in the title race. His second a simple header at the near post and finally the Rangers were in front for the first time in the match. I say finally because anyone who watched it with an unbiased eye would have agreed on the balance of play Rangers looked the most likely to score. Rangers 3 Hearts 2. However by this time Chermiti sensed his hat trick and delivered in the 91st minute for a final score of Rangers 4 Hearts 2.

Performance of the weekend? Has to be Chermiti but Prediction of the season? The words of Steve R “a Chermiti hat trick will do” and do it did.
 
Title race on.

Til next time .. . . 

🐼 Gary Robertson is the TPQ Scottish football correspondent.

On The Road Again

Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières ★ Written by Alex De Jong et al.

At a study day organised by the Ernest Mandel Foundation in Antwerp, historians Vincent Scheltiens and Alex de Jong analysed the contemporary far right’s rise across Europe. 

Their central argument: whilst parallels between 1930s fascism and today’s neofascism exist, drawing such comparisons is strategically counterproductive. 

Today’s far right, exemplified by Geert Wilders’ PVV, functions less as classical fascism than as radicalised liberalism – embracing free-market ideology rather than anti-capitalism, operating through media manipulation rather than paramilitary violence, and targeting minorities sequentially, beginning with trans people. 

The absence of a powerful labour movement and credible socialist alternative has created conditions fundamentally different from the interwar period. Antifascists must therefore develop new strategies focused on social struggle rather than historical warnings that fail to resonate with far-right voters. 

On Saturday 13 December, a study day on the Shift to the Right took place at the Ecohuis in Antwerp. The Ernest Mandel Foundation [1] had invited two historians to shed light on this trend, for the benefit of Flemish militants of the SAP [2] and other interested parties. It was thus a mix of both who listened to the presentation . . . 

Continue @ ESSF.

The New Thirties Will Be Different –🪶 Similarities And Differences Between Classical Fascism And Neofascism

Barry Gilheany ⚽ In the words of one preternaturally pessimistic Leeds United supporter on X (that is our default mentality) . . . 

. . .  it is a concept that it is very difficult to grasp – the possibility that after coming through another challenging FA Cup assignment in the Midlands yesterday at Birmingham City that we might possibly be embarking on an extended run in the competition.

As I write this, the draw for the Fifth Round has not been made and, as things stand, the only teams I wish to avoid are Arsenal, Manchester City and, should lightening strike twice at Moss Road, Macclesfield who are scheduled to play another Premiership team Brentford tonight, after dethroning Cup holders Crystal Palace in the last round (the first occasion in English football history when a team from the sixth tier of the League pyramid has defeated opposition from the top tier).

Without wishing to tempt the vengeful deity Fate, amazing vistas conjure if Leeds do negotiate the Fifth Round. 23 years since we last participated in the Quarter-Final; 39 years since we graced a semi-final and 53 years since we played in a Cup Final – the seismic defeat by Sunderland, Jim Montgomery double save and all that. A successful Cup rematch with the Makems would go someway towards salving that particular historic wound. 

It is not part of our DNA to sail through Cup competitions. Only Newcastle United come near to matching our record of losing Cup fixtures to lower league opposition. Just over halfway into my sixth decade of following Leeds United, I can recall at least thirty such exits and frankly Birmingham can feel aggrieved that they did not add to that tally yesterday. For in the first half at St Andrews they were by far the better team. Fielding six changes from the side that rose like Lazarus from the dead at Chelsea during the week, Daniel Farke’s latest rotated squad were muscled off the ball on practically every occasion. Only two outstanding saves form recalled keeper Lucas Perri, one of which was the tipping onto the crossbar of a sweet volley from Jay Stansfield, Brum’s top scorer, kept the scoreline blank. Leeds mustered not a single shot on goal, and our ineffectiveness was reflected in the substitution of loanee debutant Facundo Buonanotte whose impact on the game was negligible.

St Andrews is the archetypal, old school, citadel of a football venue. While not quite embodying the “nobody likes us, we don’t care” ethos of Millwall fans, Birmingham do however have a reputation of providing a hostile environment for opposing fans and down the decades Birmingham v Leeds has assumed the status of a grudge match due in no small part to the activities of the respective fans’ firms - The Zulu Warriors and Service Crew respectively. One of the nadirs of the era of organised football hooliganism in the 1980s, was the riot at St Andrews involving both at the fixture in May 1985 on the last day of the season. This orgy of thuggery and anarchy caused the death of a 15-year-old on his first day at a football match due to a collapsing wall. The events of that day were overshadowed by the fire at Valley Parade, home of Bradford City the same day which cost the livers of over 50 Bradford supporters who should have been celebrating their promotion to the Second Division and wining the Third Division title. So beware of the romanticisation of the terrace culture of yesteryear.

With that caveat, St Andrews is a refreshing contrast to the sanitised and neutered atmosphere of so many Premiership stadia where customer is king (i.e. those who shell out £1k for a season ticket at the Emirates or the Tottenham Stadium) not the fan, long since priced out of their places of worship. The raw passion that emanates from the terraces there and at other ‘old school’ grounds like Fratton Park needs to be a feature of Premiership culture. Birmingham have only lost one in forty league games at their manor. Birmingham fans’ identity derives from its rivalry with the establishment club of the Midlands, Aston Villa. Let’s hope that that derby rivalry becomes a fixture in every sense of the word in the Premiership.

To return to yesterday’s proceedings, the regular Leeds captain Ethan Ampadou came on, and the entire dynamic of the game was altered as Leeds adapted more effectively to the challenges posed by the hosts. Within four minutes of the restart, Leeds were level due to a superb strike by Lucas Nmencha outside the box after an assist by Noah Okafor. Had VAR been available, Nmencha would likely have been deemed to cross the red lines. But why not give more latitude to forwards particularly given the absence of protest from Birmingham defenders. 

In the course of the second half, the cavalry was sent on in the form of leading scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, attacking full back Jayden Bogle and midfielder Brenden Aaronson and Leeds began to display Premiership superiority in quality with a second and likely decisive goal looked probable. However, Birmingham were not going to go down easily. Our goal was peppered with shots, crosses and incisive movement by Birmingham forwards with last ditch defending from Sebastian Bornauw especially keeping our lead intact. However, our defence was eventually breached in the last minute of regulation time, when after the recycling of one of their flurry of corners, the sumptuous volley from 25 yards out by Patrick Roberts found the Leeds net via deflection of the head of the unsuspecting James Justin. The curtain on our Cup run was so nearly drawn when Ibrahim Osman struck the inside of the post in the last minute of stoppage time and Bornauw blocked the rebound from Kanya Fujimoto. The truth is that Birmingham clad in their 70s penguin kit would have deserved a win.

So into extra time when efforts by Ampadou and Calvert-Lewin could have secured our berth in the Fifth Round. But wild finishing in front of goal denied Birmingham their moment of glory. The dreaded penalty shoot thus beckoned. Up stepped Piroe (who missed from the spot at Derby in the Third Round), Calvert-Lewin and Aaronson to the plate and duly converted. Perri then saves from Tommy Doyle (he is as much of a match winner as anybody) and here Roberts turns villain (an operative word) by blazing his effort over the bar. Sean Longstaff then sends us through. A long afternoon but no less satisfying as we were pushed to the limit. Is this our year?

PS We have drawn Norwich at home in the Daniel Farke derby. 

⏩Barry Gilheany is a freelance writer, qualified counsellor and aspirant artist resident in Colchester where he took his PhD at the University of Essex. He is also a lifelong Leeds United supporter. 

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