Rosco said:
We are a club with Irish roots playin in Scotland, I don't consider us one or the other.
Flying the Tricolour is simply a celebration of these roots providing you are doing it for the correct reasons, i.e. not just to piss the huns off.
Rangers themselves only became so Pro-British in the 1920's in an attempt to cash in on the sectarian divide which was already more than evident in the West of Scotland and at this time had nothing to
do with football what so ever. Celtic were initially formed as a charity for the thousands of Irish Catholics living in poverty in Glasgow so of course were goin to attract this audience. Indeed Celtic - along with Hibernian - were initially denied access to the Scottish league on sectarian grounds.
Hence it made good business sense for Rangers to target the Protestants, who of course vastly outnumbered the Catholics. It is for this reason that I disagree with the UJ and Red Hand been displayed at Ibrox. Historically Rangers are Scottish, they have no connection to Northern Ireland and are no more British than the nearly 150 other clubs who don't feel the need to parade the UJ on a weekly basis. i.e. Their actions are purely reactionary to Celtics and are done to incite hatred.
Sorry to get a bit of topic but when I get started on this I can't stop.
Nah man it's cool. I knew the Irish stuff there anyway, includ. the Hibs. And it's weird that you mentioned Hibs because Hearts (a club with no real Protestant roots) seem to becoming ever more Protestant which I think is just a reaction to Hibs history.
As you said, Protestants went to Rangers in reaction to Celtic's Catholic roots but for that reason, I do think that if the Tricolour is flown, then the Red Hand should be allowed. Just because, Celtic is a Catholic fortress & Ibrox has been set up as a Protestant equivalent - people always do this shit when they feel threatened. But really, like you implied, most of these fuckers don't have a clue what they're on about & don't really have solid reasons for their hate.
Then again, without the hate, I'm not sure the Old Firm would be such a notorious derby & I don't think neither Rangers & Celtic would be able to keep such a massive support without their colourful history.