By Alasdair Reid, Daily Telegraph
On the basis that she is employed by one of Scotland's leading academic institutions, it is probably fair to assume that Glasgow University economics lecturer Dr Jeanette Findlay is likely to be a formidably intelligent individual.
On the strength of her remarks to Nicky Campbell on Radio Five Live's breakfast show the other day, however, it seems abundantly clear that her specialist field cannot be one that relies on a gift for joined-up thinking.
Dr Findlay chairs the Celtic Trust, an organisation which claims to champion the interests of supporters and small shareholders.
The Trust has no official status, and there is no way of knowing just how representative it really is of grassroots thinking among Celtic followers - its membership has been estimated at just 200 - but its criticism of the appointment of former home secretary Sir John Reid as club chairman was widely reported ahead of Celtic's annual general meeting earlier this week.
So far so good. It is only to be expected that a supporter's group should take a firm position on the arrival of a figure with a controversial past and abrasive reputation.
Dr Findlay's particular objection - made after her general criticism of the Celtic board being made up entirely of white men - was that Dr Reid, for his support for the invasion of Iraq, was "closely identified with a war which is widely held to be both illegal and immoral, which was based on lies, and which has brought devastation not only to thousands of innocent Iraqis but has resulted in the death of many young soldiers from this country."
It was that stance that earned Dr Findlay her invitation to appear on Campbell's programme.
As Dr Reid might struggle to win second place in a two-man popularity contest, many listeners would probably have been inclined to agree with her position, but instead she proceeded to alienate them with a jaw-dropping defence of sectarian singing at Celtic.
Having heard her state her case, Campbell asked Dr Findlay if the appointment of the former politician would be a greater stain on Celtic's reputation than songs that glorify terrorism. It was a clear opportunity to denounce those whose numbskull chants suggest a lingering ideological association with the IRA that the club has worked feverishly to erase.
And not since the dismal days of Harald Brattbakk has anyone associated with Celtic missed an open goal so spectacularly as Dr Findlay. For instead of an unequivocal rejection of sectarianism, Dr Findlay produced a stream of mealy-mouthed prevarication that sounded uncomfortably close to its defence.
"They may take a particular view of the history, of what happened in Ireland, which is different from many other people," she said. "So I don't call those pro-terrorist songs."
Campbell pointed out that he was not referring to inoffensive ditties from the gentler end of Irish folk music, but blatant support for the IRA. Having just dug herself a deep hole, though, Dr Findlay was in no mood to let go of the spade. "Many of those songs are from what was essentially a war of independence going back over a hundred years," she replied.
Unsurprisingly, Celtic moved quickly to dissociate the club from her remarks, the Celtic Supporters Association condemned her views, while a Scottish government spokeswoman described them as 'repugnant'. It quickly became clear that Dr Findlay was hopelessly out of touch with the opinions of the vast majority of Celtic supporters.
Contributions to the Celtic Trust website yesterday suggested that her views did not even reflect what most members of her own organisation believe. By putting them in the public domain she has only strengthened the claims of critics who argue that Celtic Park is still a hotbed of IRA support.
Most neutral observers would probably agree that Celtic have seemed more successful than Rangers in ridding their ground of sectarian songs and chants.Others would argue that they have succeeded only in the sense that the choruses of hate have become more inconspicuous at Parkhead than at Ibrox. Dr Findlay has simply strengthened the suspicions of those in the second category.
And yet there is a thunderous irony to her actions. The more respectable purpose of the Celtic Trust is to campaign for supporter representation at board level.
It is a cause with which many football followers would instinctively agree, but one that was neither helped nor strengthened by what she had to say. By Ian Edwards
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