should we have a banner at St James Park?

[tavyred]

I thought football in this City was about people coming together in mutual benefit, but may have dreamt it.

Yep, I think you did dream that. Let's keep our match days about the football.

 

[Terryhall]

Continental style politicised fan culture seems to be attractive to some for some reason. Football in this country has always been about the working 'man' spending an all to brief time away from the day to day stresses and the thought of a bunch of over earnest lefties poncing about the Big Bank with a meaningless banner is laughable.

Apart from the post war period, when it was about the working woman until the FA stepped in. And apart from the last couple of decades, where it has been about Sky TV and corporate sponsors and billionaire owners and "the matchday experience".

If you want to pine for your lost youth then go ahead and do so, but don't wrap it up as moral justification for football ignoring society's ills.

You mention continental politicised fan culture here in the context of "over earnest lefties poncing about" - in your next post you reference the same thing in the context of hard right wing violent ultras. Perhaps you have a very short memory or a very poor understanding of things, but your posts ultimately disprove your own point - these kind of situations demonstrate that football can, and does, have a real impact on the minds and opinions of football supporters, and a football club at the heart of a community can therefore have an impact on that community, whether positive or negative.

As a direct yes no question, would you personally prefer Exeter City's impact on the local community to be a positive one, or a negative one? Not interested at this point in how / where / why, just genuinely interested to know what you think.

 

[BigBanker]

As a direct yes no question, would you personally prefer Exeter City's impact on the local community to be a positive one, or a negative one?

...I think you need a third option of 'no impact at all'

 

[WXF]

I don't know why you single The English out though.

The ones that really get me are the Beaker Folk - coming over here, forcing their ways, stopping us drinking out of our hands. Things used to be so much better.

 

[tavyred]

Apart from the post war period, when it was about the working woman until the FA stepped in. And apart from the last couple of decades, where it has been about Sky TV and corporate sponsors and billionaire owners and "the matchday experience".

If you want to pine for your lost youth then go ahead and do so, but don't wrap it up as moral justification for football ignoring society's ills.

That`s a tad unfair, if individuals have a moral or a political standpoint on anything, what`s its got to do with Exeter City Football Club?

You mention continental politicised fan culture here in the context of "over earnest lefties poncing about" - in your next post you reference the same thing in the context of hard right wing violent ultras. Perhaps you have a very short memory or a very poor understanding of things, but your posts ultimately disprove your own point - these kind of situations demonstrate that football can, and does, have a real impact on the minds and opinions of football supporters, and a football club at the heart of a community can therefore have an impact on that community, whether positive or negative.

No, I`m saying that English football is mercifully free from any form of politics and moral grandstanding and would prefer it to stay that way.

As a direct yes no question, would you personally prefer Exeter City's impact on the local community to be a positive one, or a negative one? Not interested at this point in how / where / why, just genuinely interested to know what you think.

I would prefer the club to have a positive impact on the local community, although what that`s got to do with banners I don`t know.

 

[ECFC traveller]

As a direct yes no question, would you personally prefer Exeter City's impact on the local community to be a positive one, or a negative one?

This is subjective. Who's to suggest a banner would make the local community good/bad? I'd look negatively on the fact the local community is jumping on the 'lets look good' band wagon just to look good to the rest of the world. When I walk around Exeter and see plenty of British homeless people we haven't housed, it shows me the 'local community' has its priorities completely wrong.

 

[Terryhall]

This is subjective. Who's to suggest a banner would make the local community good/bad? I'd look negatively on the fact the local community is jumping on the 'lets look good' band wagon just to look good to the rest of the world. When I walk around Exeter and see plenty of British homeless people we haven't housed, it shows me the 'local community' has its priorities completely wrong.

I didn't suggest it would. I didn't ask that question. I just asked if you want ECFC to be a positive influence on the community.

 

[Terryhall]

That`s a tad unfair, if individuals have a moral or a political standpoint on anything, what`s its got to do with Exeter City Football Club?

I like that ECFC is a community club. On a wider scale, I like that football embraces campaigns such as Kick It Out and One Game One Community. These kind of movements and the specific local events that support them are a clear example that football can, and does, contribute to the awareness of the national society and the local community on issues that affect that society / community.

No, I`m saying that English football is mercifully free from any form of politics and moral grandstanding and would prefer it to stay that way.

I respectfully disagree with you on that - whether it's the campaigns I referenced above, or Sol Campbell running for London Mayor, or David Cameron professing his love for Aston Villa, no wait West Ham, no wait Aston Villa - football in the UK is by no means free from politics. I respect your view that you wish it wasn't, but I would reserve the right to disagree with you on that as well.

I would prefer the club to have a positive impact on the local community, although what that`s got to do with banners I don`t know.

In a roundabout way, what it has to do with banners is that where the banner supports a positive cause (and I do recognise that not everyone would agree that it does), by having a banner at the park, ECFC would be demonstrating support for that cause and raising awareness for that cause at the very least amongst the 3,000 - 4,000 paying punters on a Saturday.

 

[WXF]

No, I`m saying that English football is mercifully free from any form of politics and moral grandstanding and would prefer it to stay that way.

The last time I looked ECFC was the poster boy for the fan ownership movement, though I guess you're either not a trust member or take the club's ownership model for granted

 

[tavyred]

The last time I looked ECFC was the poster boy for the fan ownership movement, though I guess you're either not a trust member or take the club's ownership model for granted

Just a fan with a viewpoint WXF.
I don`t see why our ownership model means that the club or fanbase should be making public pronouncements on the refugee/migrant crisis though.