BIGOTRY

After the tribal hatefest known as "the Old Firm derby" was screened on television throughout the UK, exposing both Celtic and Rangers fans at their bigoted best, and showing Scotland's darkest side to a watching world, First Minister Jack McConnell has vowed to "root out the cancer of bigotry".

Justice Minister Jim Wallace has also pledged to stamp out sectarianism, saying that it "has no place in a modern Scotland" and that he will do everything possible "to remove the ugly spectre of sectarianism from Scottish society." This would include the introduction of tough new laws to combat the bigots.

And so, the debate begins.