The last week has seen a rash of rumours about the prospect of major restructuring at Celtic Park.
Many of them have revolved around the future rule of Dermot Desmond … or rather, the members of his family.
I have to wonder who thinks this is a good idea.
I have done articles on two of the key members of the Celtic board already.
I have a big piece on Lawwell to do soon.
(I keep saying next week and then next week comes and I have something else on my mind. But it’s coming, for sure.)
The one on Dermot Desmond will be the really important one, I think, because it’s proper to scrutinise him closely.
I have questioned Desmond’s role at the club at length in other pieces.
I’ve wondered how a guy who does not have a majority of the shares and who doesn’t bankroll the club can have total power in the boardroom.
As far as I’m concerned that’s an abrogation of responsibility on the part of our other directors.
Why do they allow it? I cannot answer that.
The rumours that surround Desmond are disquieting.
They suggest that he might be replaced on the board by his son, and that other members of his family might move into key roles.
Why exactly would the rest of our board stand for that?
Where would be the open process that would assure we had the very best people in charge?
It’s all very well for these people to get there by presenting the fans with a plan to let us decide … but for this to be done, behind closed doors, with us having no opportunity to scrutinise these people or their bona-fides … it’s scandalous.
This club was run on the basis of dynastic succession once before.
You remember what that resulted in, I’m sure.
With the bank ready to foreclose as we sat third in the league with a dilapidated stadium.
That’s what happens when your leaders assume a right to rule.
It was precisely what Fergus wanted to make sure never happened to us again.
If Desmond believes he can simply hand this club – which I will remind you again, and again, and again, he does not own – over to his kids as if it were his personal plaything then I would hope we’d be united in showing him just how unacceptable that is.
The Celtic Trust is clearly worried about this prospect.
They have finally begun the long march towards giving the fans some level of control over the club. It is so overdue and the task is not going to be completed quickly or cheaply or particularly easily.
But it needs to be done.
It needs to be done because the current board seems perfectly willing to have a single shareholder dominate proceedings, and if he’s allowed to appoint his family members and further marginalise any dissenting voices we’re once again back in the hands of a tiny group of people with authority and responsibility and position not being earned but passed down from father to son like some European monarchy.
We know how they turned out as well.
That is not Celtic.
It was once, but it must never be allowed to happen again.