The Hidden Glasgow Forums

according to the London born Edinburgh based Ms Zoe Ross.

Visitors to Glasgow are being warned to expect sectarianism, relentless rain, drink-fuelled violence and locals who live on a diet of deep-fried food.....The book praises Glaswegians’ friendliness and sense of humour, but claims the city continues to be blighted by deprivation, violence and unhealthy lifestyles.

More cliches here.

You can catch Ms. Ross singing here. As with most karaoke singers she tackles a song just beyond here reach a criticism that could also be applied to her writing.

“Well-meant efforts to re-house the city’s workers in the 1950s and 1960s often backfired, with new housing estates such as Easterhouse displaying many of the same intractable social problems as the slums.

What intractable social problems were that then. Being squashed into a single end or room and kitchen. Sharing an outside toilet. A pub on every corner.

Could some geek transfer this video to You Tube to get it a wider circulation.

Zoe ROSS!!! Don't know where your mind was...

Thank you Mark. I think I should have removed my headphones or at least halted the video before the tenth replay of her tribute to Rihanna or was it Beyonce.

Sectarianism: Yes, it is a problem, however to suggest it is something that should overly concern visitors is a nonsense in my opinion. With the exception of on Old Firm derby days, I doubt there is a significant risk of visitors even witnessing an overtly sectarian act never mind directly experiencing one. If you go looking for it, sure you'll find it but why would you go looking for it? In all my life, I've only experienced one direct act of sectarianism and, unsurprisingly, the catalyst for this was the fact that I was wearing a football shirt at the time.

Relentless rain: To say the rain is relentless is definitely stretching a point but there's no getting away from the fact that Glasgow is by far the wettest city in Scotland. On average we experience considerably more rainfall than Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee or Inverness - at least 50% more in each case and almost double when compared to Edinburgh. Typically, nearly half of the days in the year are officially classed as wet.

Drink-fuelled violence: Is this an issue that is confined to Glasgow, or even Scotland for that matter? I could ask the same question of the assertion that "Drug and alcohol abuse and violent crime remain an issue in Glasgow's deprived suburbs even today".

Deep-fried diet: Okay, official statistics show we are the least healthy populace in Europe. I fail to see why that should be of concern to visitors though, unless bad diet/health can be spread like a virus and I've simply not caught onto that fact.

It does indeed appear that the seemingly Bet Lynch inspired Ms Ross has simply regurgitated over-used cliches in her appraisal of Glasgow. I would include urging "visitors to soak up the atmosphere at the Barras market" in that; I've never understood that - what exactly is so special about the atmosphere at the Barras? Am I the only one with this view?

I agree with her about the violence. The level of casual violence in this city is out-of-hand. Even the most peaceful and non-violent people use violence in their speech ("I nearly punched her" "I was going to put his lights out") as metaphors for extreme emotions. The nihilstic ned culture blights every public event, not to mention many a trip on public transport.

Oh yeah, we're so proud of how 'hard' we all are in Glasgow . . I do it myself when I'm out the city. Lots of jokes . . you know the kind of thing, having a meal with friends and a turkey or chicken is being carved and you make the inevitable "I'll carve, I'm from Glasgow" kind of joke.

The sectarianism would be just football rivalry and banter if it wasn't overlaid with constant real and threatened violence.

Admit it Glasgow . . we have a culture of violence that shames us.

Whitaloadapish!

Sectarian violence and discrimination - like racism, homophobia and misogyny - get worse, the further you get from Glasgow, at least in the West.
I've mentioned on here before, how hard it is for teenage boys in Kilmarnock to avoid violence - just because of which part of town they live. It's the same all over Ayrshire, but with smaller towns and villages, young boys take their lives in their hands in visiting a neighbouring town or village - unless they go mob handed.. I've often been asked which school I went to, so that some nosy bastard can work out whether or not I'm a Tim or a Hun. In Drongan I was casually asked "Ur ye a green grape?" Papes get their cunts kicked in here".

Violence exists in all big cities, but Glasgow is no worse than any other I've frequented.

Recently I mentioned to someone that I came from Glasgow and I got the reaction that I hadn't had for a long time - an intake of breath and ;
"Oh my, you must be glad to have left there"
A totally negative write up like this (Thomas Cook) only reinforces the idiots who hang onto old platitudes about Glasgow and haven't caught up with the last thirty years.

A city that has plenty to be proud of any has no pretension. Try living in other cities which have some of the same but are unfriendly and pretentious. emmm London/Edinburgh

The problem lies in the 'how dare she say that about Glasgow' replies.

We're just kidding ourselves if we think we've nothing to worry about because 'the problem isn't as bad as it used to be' or 'it isn't just Glasgow, it happens all over the place'.

The Egg Man wrote:The problem lies in the 'how dare she say that about Glasgow' replies.

We're just kidding ourselves if we think we've nothing to worry about because 'the problem isn't as bad as it used to be' or 'it isn't just Glasgow, it happens all over the place'.

I don't think anyone who has replied so far has adopted an indignant attitude.

Did anyone say we have nothing to worry about? Did anyone say it's ok because it's not as bad as decades ago or it happens elsewhere? This isn't a report on Glasgow's social problems we are talking about, it's a bloody travel guide and, by the sounds of it, much of the stuff written in it is sensationalist or irrelevant.

I repeat - it's a TRAVEL GUIDE. As far as I'm concerned, the only issue covered (in terms of what the newspaper article quoted) that is relevent is the weather. Does anyone think sectarianism is something that should concern visitors or have I got rose-tinted specs on? Violence (drink fuelled or otherwise) is a problem but, as I said, it is also a problem in most other towns and cities - do Thomas Cook intend to mention this for EVERY city guide it produces? As for the health/diet issue - completely irrelevant!!

As I said some time ago.

The Egg Man wrote:I've just got off a bus. When I got on there were a number (I didn't look too closely) of 20/30 somethings up the back whistling tunes associated with one half of the sectarian divide which curses our city.

A wee chap of about 8 and his mum got on outside a popular tourist attraction. He was wearing a football shirt of the team of the other persuasion and immediately the verbal abuse began. The wee boy was obviously illegitimate, his mother a sex worker and his father a serial child abuser. I don't think mother and son were from Glasgow because they were clearly bewildered at what was going on. After a few stops they got off and, as they walked away, the banging on the bus windows and vicky signs began. If they were visitors to Glasgow I doubt they'll be back.

Next time you hear 'I belong to Glasgow' and the line 'there's something the matter wi' Glasgow' - that's what's the matter with Glasgow.

A straightforward example of how sectarianism threatens tourism.

Its true we have a Sectarianism problem in Glasgow,I have been on the receiving end more than once and im not proud to say i gave it out when i was MUCH younger.
but having worked in most towns a city's in Scotland I to find that its the towns on the outskirts of the city that the problem is much worse(from both sides of the divide).

From a travellers perspective. Glasgow is similar to most post industrial cities e.g. Belfast, Baltimore or Newcastle(NSW). Only worthwhile visiting if you have the time/money/inclination after visiting the main attraction e.g. Dublin, Washington, Sydney or in our case Edinburgh.

It's tourism, not sociology and in that sense, Glasgow is in Division 2. To think otherwise is kiddology.

I wonder just how many tourists never see any of the major Scottish cities. How many fly into any of the airports and head straight for Turnberry or Troon, St Andrews or Carnoustie and fly home without sampling the delights of Union St, The Overgait, Lothian Rd or Sauchiehall St on a Saturday night.

Having taught "Adults" in Glasgow for the last 10 years,I am still amazed when a class check and refuse/prefer to use pens which are green/ blue --- get a life

The murder rate in Glasgow remains higher than in any other Western European nation.

Few tourists are killed - mostly it's men killing their wives or young people stabbing their friends or gang rivals to death - but the neds who perpetuate most of the violence are a blight on our city. The violence does not exist in a vacuum; it is a product of that violence. And the sectarianism thing is just another part of that ned 'hard man' culture.

Glasgow is so fantastic. The architecture and buildings are amazing. We have topnotch restaurants and bars, cosmopolitan and catering to all tastes. The weather is mild - a bit wet sometimes, sure, but often it's nice soft rain.

But walking around the city or using public transport you - or me actually - are constantly on edge waiting for something to kick off.