Latest news with #JackMcConnell
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scottish government should call time on unfair footy drink ban
The sale of alcohol within football grounds has long been prohibited, save for hospitality sections. Picture: Stock Adobe It says everything about our society that a rugby fan can enjoy a pint or several while watching Scotland play at Murrayfield; a cricket supporter can drown her sorrows in several large gins if the national team plays badly at the Grange; but a football fan cannot indulge in half a pint of lager during a game, whether watching the national team at Hampden or Hibs at Easter Road. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The law is pretty clear: a football fan cannot carry alcohol into a football stadium; consume alcohol within sight of a football pitch or enter a football stadium under the influence of alcohol. It is even illegal to drink while on 'official' transport to a match, ie a supporters' bus. The ban was imposed in 1981 following the infamous 1980 Scottish Cup Final where Celtic and Rangers fans rioted after the game (Celtic won 1–0 after extra time). And while there have been successive calls for the ban to be lifted in the last 40-plus years, it remains firmly in place. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A pilot project earlier this month involving several clubs, including Stirling Albion, Arbroath and Partick Thistle, proved a big success but it has not persuaded First Minister John Swinney that the national ban should go. He has said he's 'not sympathetic' to changing the law, even though football fans south of the border are allowed to drink. I understand his reluctance. Scots have an unhealthy relationship with drink, with deaths from alcohol at a 15-year high, so any public measure that helps reduce alcohol intake should be welcomed. But bluntly, it smacks of institutional snobbery for rugby fans to be considered fit and proper people to have a pint of IPA at a game, while football fans are not. The game has changed beyond recognition since 1981 and I don't just mean the success of the women's game or the wages of top players. Stadiums are all-seated. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Organised, large-scale hooliganism, which was the curse of the game for a generation, has all but disappeared, and match day is considered by many as a family event. However, while riots in Leith Walk or Gorgie Road may be less likely, online hate has become a feature of the modern game, with sectarianism, racism and homophobia often rearing their ugly head. Former First Minister Jack McConnell, who spear-headed a campaign to end sectarianism during his time in office, has suggested a new code of conduct for clubs linked to a relaxation in the drinking ban. He told a Sunday news-paper that zero tolerance of hate speech and violence could be 'the quid pro quo that ensures the freedom to drink again'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dr Geoff Pearson, one of the UK's leading experts on football violence, says that looking into ways of permitting alcohol at matches, without increasing the risk to public safety, is a 'sensible move'. And research by the Scottish Football Supporters Association shows that 74 per cent of fans think they should be able to buy alcohol during match days. The majority of fans are fed up being treated like second class citizens, compared to other sports. As the new football season approaches, the Scottish government should call time on this unfair ban.
Daily Record
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Jack McConnell backs SPFL's alcohol trial scheme as 'long overdue' booze ban rethink
McConnell, Scotland's former first minister, said temporary scheme allowing pints to be sold at stadiums this month could usher in 'new era'. Former First Minister Jack McConnell has hailed a trial of alcohol at Scottish football games as 'long overdue'. Labour peer Lord McConnell, who served in Scotland's highest office from 2001-2007, said an SPFL pilot scheme this month could usher in a 'new era' by allowing fans to enjoy a beer in stadiums for the first time in 45 years. Seven Scottish clubs have signed up to the trial enabling match-going supporters to buy pints at select League Cup ties. A blanket ban was imposed on alcohol at football matches in 1981 after a riot at the Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers fans, But many football supporters have long criticised the prohibition as heavy-handed and discriminatory against predominantly working-class Scots - while rugby fans are permitted to enjoy a drink at Murrayfield, the country's largest stadium . McConnell, who was elevated to the House of Lords in 2010 by Gordon Brown, welcomed the temporary rules change but warned fans had to prove they could behave responsibly. He told the Sunday Mail: 'This change is long overdue. Football fans can be just as responsible as those who enjoy a pint of beer or a glass of wine while watching rugby or cricket. 'Recent pilot schemes show that supporters can be trusted. But a change in the law cannot be a free pass to return to the scenes of the past.' Stirling Albion, Arbroath and Partick Thistle are among the teams to have opened up their stadium concourse for booze sales this month - a normal feature at games in England and Wales. However, despite sanctioning the pilot scheme, First Minister John Swinney has previously said he is 'not sympathetic' to changing the law. McConnell, who as FM cracked down on sectarianism which he branded 'Scotland's secret shame', added: 'A new code of conduct for clubs, with zero tolerance of sectarianism, racism, homophobia and violence across all levels of the game, as a condition for relaxation of the law, could be the quid pro quo that ensures the freedom to drink again is a step forward.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. However, public health experts have warned the move is a backwards step. Aidan Collins, of charity Alcohol Focus Scotland, warned Scotland is 'in the grip of an alcohol crisis' with deaths at a 15-year high. He said: 'This is not the time to start dismantling protective measures we have in place. 'Even without alcohol on general sale in stadiums we still see violent disorder during or immediately after football matches in Scotland, as well as spikes in domestic violence. 'Increasing the availability of alcohol would only add fuel to those fires.' Clubs involved in the SPFL trial said it had so far been successful and well received by fans, with cops confirming no arrests or disorder had resulted at any of the fixtures involved. Partick Thistle will offer beer on the concourse at Firhill on Tuesday when they take on Queen of the South in the Premier Sports Cup, with St Mirren and Dunfermine Athletic following suit at ties this weekend against Ayr United and Stirling Albion. Police Scotland said: 'We continue to work closely with both football clubs and partners and ensure an appropriate policing plan is in place to maintain public safety.'
The National
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Jack McConnell, Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf to feature at festival
Jack McConnell, who served as first minister from 2001 to 2007, Nicola Sturgeon, 2014 to 2013, and Humza Yousaf, from 2023 to 2024, will all feature at events part of the the Beyond Borders Scotland festival. The 15th Beyond Borders International Festival will take place from August 23-24 at Traquair House, Scotland's oldest inhabited house. The festival builds on Scotland's heritage, with a programme of cultural events, exhibitions, visual arts performances and panel discussions. McConnell and local student Beth Lapsley will join former UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths his latest ventures to combat further conflict and chaos in global politics and war. READ MORE: Will John Swinney surprise us with a courageous election manifesto? Sturgeon will discuss her new memoir, Frankly, with journalist Allan Little. Elsewhere, Yousaf will speak with Palestinian ambassador Husam Zomlot and award-winning Gazan photographer Mohammed Salem about the future of Gaza and the realities of life during genocide over the last eighteen months. Jeremy Corbyn will also reflect on life as a now independent MP, general David Richards and professor Huw Strachan will speak on Britain's military on the global stage, and veteran BBC correspondent, Jim Naughtie, will host a panel to talk about the state of the UK and the world. Medicines San Frontier/Doctors without Borders chief Chris Lockyear will later speak about the future of aid amongst UK and US government cuts. Debut writers Sam Dalrymple and Phoebe Greenwood join the programme, while attendees can also hear from historian Willie Dalrymple, Moin Mir, and Professor Murray Pittock. Outside the main tent, events feature poetry and literary strolls with MSP Alastair Allan, a storytelling walk with Mary Kenny, a foraging walk led by local environmentalist Fi Martinogya, and a magical musical journey through Ukrainian history, music, and culture with Nigel Osborne in the Traquair forest. Music will come from Barbara Dickson, local trad musician Kirsty Law, and Latin American bands Los Chichanos and Dias Brazil. There will also be four art exhibitions, including an immersive portrait installation of Belarusian political prisoners in the maze by artist Xisha Angelova, traditional Belarusian and Palestinian dance workshops, and film screenings curated by the Britain Palestine Project. Tickets are on sale now, with students and under-25s enjoying 50% off all events. Flexible ticket options are also available for those wishing to only attend Walled Garden events at a discounted price.
The Independent
28-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Foreign aid budget cut will cost lives, warns Labour former first minister
The cut to the foreign aid budget announced this week will 'cost lives and create chaos', the last Labour first minister in Scotland has claimed. Lord Jack McConnell urged Number 10 to rethink the decision taken this week, which will see the international development budget cut from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in an effort to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the move ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump. The hike in defence spending comes in response to the threat of Russia and uncertainty over the US administration's commitment to European security. But Lord McConnell – who served as Scotland's first minister between 2001 and 2007 – criticised the move in an article for HuffPost. 'I am not proud that the UK will finance that expansion of our national defence forces by reducing our investment in the lives and opportunities of the poorest people on the planet,' he said. 'To do so without warning or a proper transition will cost lives and create chaos in fragile states that are already too vulnerable to the influence and money of the malign forces we seek to combat. 'Schools will close, medical supplies will stop and economic programmes helping the least developed countries stand on their own feet will come to an end. It is bad in principle, but it is also bad strategically. 'The focus on Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine does prioritise the most significant humanitarian emergencies of our time. 'But UK withdrawal from everywhere else, and substantial cuts to multilateral programmes that generate billions more from donors and the private sector, will reduce our influence and soft power. 'The world will be less secure and more volatile. And, just weeks after the new Government has launched a new soft power council recognising the importance of this work, our strategic positioning across this new world will be diminished.' It would be a 'false choice' to believe the UK can only invest in either aid or defence as opposed to both, he added, stressing the British people are 'ready for tough, fair decisions'. He added: 'I hope the Government will rethink these decisions and decide that both have to go hand in hand. 'Then we can engage, defend, influence and invest to be a force for good in this dangerous and uncertain world.' Announcing the move on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said the UK had to respond to a 'generational' threat which would 'demand some extremely difficult and painful choices'. He told MPs: 'Through those choices, as hard as they are, we must also seek unity, a whole society effort that will reach into the lives, industries and the homes of the British people.'
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Foreign aid budget cut will cost lives, warns Labour former first minister
The cut to the foreign aid budget announced this week will 'cost lives and create chaos', the last Labour first minister in Scotland has claimed. Lord Jack McConnell urged Number 10 to rethink the decision taken this week, which will see the international development budget cut from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in an effort to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the move ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump. The hike in defence spending comes in response to the threat of Russia and uncertainty over the US administration's commitment to European security. But Lord McConnell – who served as Scotland's first minister between 2001 and 2007 – criticised the move in an article for HuffPost. 'I am not proud that the UK will finance that expansion of our national defence forces by reducing our investment in the lives and opportunities of the poorest people on the planet,' he said. 'To do so without warning or a proper transition will cost lives and create chaos in fragile states that are already too vulnerable to the influence and money of the malign forces we seek to combat. 'Schools will close, medical supplies will stop and economic programmes helping the least developed countries stand on their own feet will come to an end. It is bad in principle, but it is also bad strategically. 'The focus on Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine does prioritise the most significant humanitarian emergencies of our time. 'But UK withdrawal from everywhere else, and substantial cuts to multilateral programmes that generate billions more from donors and the private sector, will reduce our influence and soft power. 'The world will be less secure and more volatile. And, just weeks after the new Government has launched a new soft power council recognising the importance of this work, our strategic positioning across this new world will be diminished.' It would be a 'false choice' to believe the UK can only invest in either aid or defence as opposed to both, he added, stressing the British people are 'ready for tough, fair decisions'. He added: 'I hope the Government will rethink these decisions and decide that both have to go hand in hand. 'Then we can engage, defend, influence and invest to be a force for good in this dangerous and uncertain world.' Announcing the move on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said the UK had to respond to a 'generational' threat which would 'demand some extremely difficult and painful choices'. He told MPs: 'Through those choices, as hard as they are, we must also seek unity, a whole society effort that will reach into the lives, industries and the homes of the British people.'
