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You don't understand free speech mate, sorry. There is a massive difference between offensive and threatening language and the ability to argue a point. You will find that the dividing line comes usually when speech is discriminatory or incites violence. Oh and the distinction between 'physical' harm and verbal abuse is nonsense. A wee look at history will give you a clue how one leads to the other, and I'm sick of reading about young adults killing themselves at record rates because of verbal bullying. Who gets to decide? Yes, the state. That's because the state embodies the legislature that creates the laws and codes that allow a civil and safe society to function. In theory we elect representatives to create such laws and appoint trained legal and enforcement bodies to ensure that the laws are enacted. This is society ensure people can go about their business without having to be harassed, harangued and vilified based on whatever spurious reason I or anyone else feels like. In exactly the same way (and for the avoidance of doubt it is EXACTLY the same) I could not walk up to someone in the street and call them an offensive name based on their skin colour. Or paint 'no blacks' on someone's front door, as recently happened in Manchester. TL:DR 'Free speech' is not the right to say whatever the hell you like, to whoever you like, in any context without any sanction, and protecting people is not 'the nanny state'. Daily Mail for that pish. If you are genuinely advocating allowing (encouraging?) an atmosphere where children can attend a football match, and if you cannot honestly see the difference between someone being racially abused in front of their kids and 'arguing against bad ideas or concepts' then you've lost the plot and are, frankly, an enabler of racism. You also seem confused about China and seem to conflate a repressive state wishing to suppress anti-authority activities with a moron abusing someone at a football game.

Scottish clubs voted against introducing strict liability back in 2013, claiming it was a step too far (docking points, closing stands etc). Time to have another vote I reckon.

What about everyone else's right to attend a football match, or any other event, and not be subjected to abuse? Why is that not important? If someone in a football crowd spends the full 90 minutes yelling racist abuse at a player, should we not do anything about it? Personally I think that arguing against bad (or even good) ideas or concepts is fine; being abusive to others is not.

Nothing to fear from Aberdeen they as usual are over hyped by media I believe we are more than a match for them, hopefully we carry last weeks performance into this game if so I think we'll do them

get your coat

I know 2 or 3 people that moved back to Scotland Perth included I even helped the Perth lad pack up for his trip back then a while later he was back here. Its called the $15,000 mistake over here as that what it used to cost to find out you had made a mistake. But personally I think it depends on how long you've been gone and what your expectations are when you go back i.e. do you end up wie your auld mates same area same work opportunities. I got a call from Perth a few years ago to give a young couple from Perth a call who were over here and were homesick and were thinking of going back to Perrth the girl told she missed the Railway club on a Saturday night they missed the lifestyle they went back. Ill be honest we had been in Ontario a few years and my ex was homesick and wanted to go back I sent her and the kids home but I could not sell our house here and she had to come back with the kids. Must have been fate Im still here 53 years later sorry for the ramble.

I completely agree what you have put here, very well said, here's hoping you don't get a "it's political correctness gone mad" comment from someone.

i moved away for about 8 years not as long as many but found it easy to come back and glad I did. Was lucky the line of work I was in had a well paid job considering other companies when we decided. Otherwise could of been looking for the right employment for ages.

i moved back to Perth in 2013 after 30 yrs in London,but being mortgage free means any job will do, although its recommended moving back.

Why does the fact that it's a football match make it OK? Here's an alternative suggestion: maybe the person who shouldn't be going to football matches is the guy who can't go to them without randomly shrieking abuse at people? Honestly, some of the behaviour you see from grown men at football matches, under the bizarre excuse of "it's a football match", is just downright odd.

SportsMediaGB teams: Saints, Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Hearts, Hibs, Kilmarnock, Motherwell. Rangers and St Mirren do their own thing and AFAIK aren't going to be included in the reciprocal agreements. Livi and Hamilton don't have a streaming service yet.

On the radio on Sunday, they apparently said that Alston was a late addition to the Saints bench because of injury/illness. I know Gordon played on Monday but if it wasn't him that Alston replaced on the bench then who was it. The manager clearly rates LG and I think folk are overreacting to Keown's involvement against Celtic. I also think he (Keown) should be judged on what he does in a Saints shirt and not what has gone before at Thistle.