Rising to the Occasion
I listened to First Minister's question time earlier today - and found myself in strange company - in complete agreement with Scottish Tory leader, Annabel Goldie, and First Minister, Alex Salmond.
Annabel Goldie was spot on with her question about the disgraceful scenes at last night's Old Firm in Glasgow - and the impact this kind of behaviour has on so many people's lives.
Alex Salmond gave a dignified and measured reply - wisely refusing to apportion blame and eschewing a knee-jerk response.
But he also announced that the two football clubs would be called to a summit - with the Scottish government and Strathclyde Police - to discuss the violent events that regularly accompany these football games.
The First Minister went on to say: "I'm happy to confirm that this summit will take place and that all parties have agreed to attend."
"In terms of how people's actions have an impact on society, the fans of football matches are representatives of their clubs, the players at football matches are role models for society, and the management of football clubs have a particular responsibility. They are people in positions of responsibility and they must - absolutely must - behave responsibly."
So far so good.
Let's hope the parties attending the summit can put petty point scoring aside - by rising to the occasion and dealing with the underlying issue - which is drink fuelled violence.
Annabel Goldie was spot on with her question about the disgraceful scenes at last night's Old Firm in Glasgow - and the impact this kind of behaviour has on so many people's lives.
Alex Salmond gave a dignified and measured reply - wisely refusing to apportion blame and eschewing a knee-jerk response.
But he also announced that the two football clubs would be called to a summit - with the Scottish government and Strathclyde Police - to discuss the violent events that regularly accompany these football games.
The First Minister went on to say: "I'm happy to confirm that this summit will take place and that all parties have agreed to attend."
"In terms of how people's actions have an impact on society, the fans of football matches are representatives of their clubs, the players at football matches are role models for society, and the management of football clubs have a particular responsibility. They are people in positions of responsibility and they must - absolutely must - behave responsibly."
So far so good.
Meanwhile, Iain Gray - Labour's Scottish leader - failed to rise to the occasion - asking some party political question about 'The Gathering' event in Edinburgh - which did nothing to reflect the public mood or major issues of the day.
Football and Glasgow are now in the spotlight - and rightly so.Let's hope the parties attending the summit can put petty point scoring aside - by rising to the occasion and dealing with the underlying issue - which is drink fuelled violence.
