The Pope

[Mr Plod]

Just noticed this very interesting post there and I recalled my experiences from the first papal visit back in 1982.

As a very young Police officer I performed duties in Bellahouston Park that day along with nearly every other cop in Glasgow, and the atmosphere was pretty electric, like a big cup final at Hampden. I remember standing for hours on a wee tree-topped hillock in the park, in a crowd of cops 4 deep, surrounding Glasgow's very own Guardian of the City's morals, Pastor Jack Glass and his band of religious zealots. They were atop the hillock under a wee tree, in full view of the Popes stage, bedecked in sandwich boards and placards, screaming about the Antichrist and any other biblical insults that came to mind. Pastor Jack himself was in full flow, hardly stopping for a second. I think the man must breathe through his ears. The Reverend Ian Paisley was nowhere to be seen but we knew he had arrived in Glasgow and were expecting him to appear, but he never appeared in the park itself. Eventually somebody on high had a brain-fart and decided Pastor Jack had to go. So Pastor Jack and the glums were lifted and forcibly removed from the park to cheers from the Lord's Faithful Flock doon the hill a bit. The first time the Polis ever got a cheer from the Celtic end I think.

But before we could get the fags oot for a fly puff we were told we were off to Govan, as Mr paisley had decided to hold an impromptu protest in George Square and the Govan lodge of the Orange Order were marching there with him.

So off we go to the Orange Lodge in Govan to find Mr Paisley is already away. The powers that be decide it's better to allow the Orange Order to have a small parade from Govan to George Square to keep the peace, and we won a watch, we were to escort it. Happy days.

So a group of Orangemen, in varying degrees of alcohol fueled fervour, gathered outside the Lodge - only to discover it was locked, the keyholder was steamin, and dinae know where the keys were. And, no-one else had keys. Time was marching on, and the Orangemen were getting fired up for a boxin match wi the Polis. And we were lookin forward to the prospect of a rammy wi the great unwashed. So oor high heid yins, mindful of the need to maintain order, had a pow wow with the Grand Poohbar and they decided to form up and march there any way. So off they stagger-marched, surrounded by an army of bemused cops, to Mr Paisley's protest in George Square, singing the Sash all the way there, since they had no musical instruments, them being locked in the Lodge. It must have been an interesting sight for the tourists.

We finally arrive there to find the big man himself on a wee stage, givng it pelters in his special impassioned manner. So we ringed the Square and the wee gathering of Orangemen, listening to the reverend, till someone on high decided that Mr Paisley had had his tuppence worth and it was time for him to go home. The Orange order thought differently, and it was the usual bedlam, with scuffles, Polis bunnets in the air and arrests. The Black Maria arrived, and we obligingly filled it to the roof with disgruntled Orangemen until the Queen's peace was restored, and then all was quiet and we could return to Partick Marine. On the plus side, arresting them all saved us having to suffer their singing all the way back to the Govan Orange Lodge.

My shift had started at 4am at Partick Marine Police Office that day and I finally got home at 9pm that evening. And you know what? - I never saw the Pope once.

What a change this time from last. Everyone expected massive protests with regards to the ongoing paedophile scandals and the Popes envoy calling England a 3rd world country (nice one squirrell!). But not a peep.

[Govangirl]

Brilliant bit of writing!!!!