Tongs Ya Bas: The Explosive History of Glasgow's Street Gangs

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Cassidy, Peter (12 November 2018). "The history of Glasgow's street gangs: Tongs ya bass". GlasgowLive . Retrieved 25 February 2021. A tie-in to the film written by Jimmy Sangster and based upon his screenplay was published by Digit Books in 1961. If a possibly-fictional child-eating vampire wasn’t bad enough the 60s brought a real monster into the Gorbals.

Includem, who work with kids other groups have given up on, have seen offending drop by nearly half among the gang members they have helped. But intelligence and measurements of the gang's activities show they have virtually disappeared in their form since the clampdown started in 2007. There is a well-executed, pardon the pun, killing at an ice-rink, but I was otherwise unconvinced by the dialogue and thought there was an over-dilution of the way things really were (for instance, I didn't see one razor-slashing) and I can guarantee that the language and actual violence of the times was much stronger than we see here, although I can understand this may have been done for certification purposes.The application of the phrase caused some dispute at first. Nobody doubted ya bass meant you bastard. But the grammarians who discussed it were undecided about its vocative or apostrophic use. Some said cogs ya bass meant O Cogs! You are bastards! Others said it meant we are the Cogs, o you bastards! Gsw. 1979 Maurice Lindsay Collected Poems 77:

Billy Fullerton died in poverty in 1962 aged 57 years in a single roomed tenement home in Brook Street, Mile-End, just to the north of Bridgeton Cross. He was given a spectacular send-off as around 1000 marched in his funeral cortege - including flute bands - from Bridgeton Cross to the cemetery at Riddrie in the north east of Glasgow. There were even a few Catholics from Glasgow's east end and the city's boxing fraternity - including Peter Keenan - who quietly attended his funeral, such was their begrudging respect for this Glasgow hard man. Nowadays parts of The Gorbals are unrecognisable. 'The New Gorbals', as some parts are dubbed, feature some of the most sought after modern houses on the outskirts of the city. The youngster's plan doesn't go well however when he accidentally shoots the leader of the gang, (played by Kevin Kidd) he wants to join and when into the bargain the artist brother also starts romancing the guy's girl-friend too, clearly there will be recriminations for the brothers down the line. He said:"We don't really get trouble any more, nothing worth mentioning. The vast majority of people around here are really decent and want a quiet life." Some early reports suggest a sectarian aspect to The San Toys in the early 1900’s with a grievance against the large numbers of Irish Catholic immigrants that were arriving in the area in large numbers.

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In 2011 Police praised a community initiative to reduce violence. They hadn't just chipped away at the problem, they had smashed the structure completely with an almost instant 78% drop in murder and serious assault. Lex is the youngest of three brothers MacLean being brought up by a single mother in a grubby tenement flat. His brothers are greatly contrasting in character; Alan a sensitive, aspiring artist, and Bobby an illiterate and unpredictable gang member. It is the former that Lex looks up to rather than Bobby who he sees as a "moron". Much of the film's central concerns seem to lie in these two contrasting sides of Lex's up-bringing. He lives in a world where artistic expression, or any such kind of creativity, is stifled. This being graphically represented by the beating of a young artist at the hands of a local gang. We also learn of this character's father's fruitless attempts to produce grapes in the middle of Glasgow. The only escapism and means of capturing anything remotely extrisnic for the likes of Lex and Alan is through their art. Ultimately though it is intelligence which prevails when Malky's ignorant act leads directly to his destruction.

The Glasgow gangster hard man stereotype has become as synonymous with Scotland as the deep fried Mars bar and holds as much mythical status as the Loch Ness monster. Sorry, bit of a weird thread... and I'm probably at risk of losing many 'man points' here but here goes The scores for the members linked to the Calton Tongs dropped off. Their scoring now pales into insignificance compared to three years have been practically wiped our radar." The acting was mostly acceptable, especially given the relative youth and inexperience of the cast, although some did show some gaucheness and inexperience.Sale continues to investigate the Tong, who eventually kidnap and torture him, wanting to know what he knows. Sale is rescued by the Beggar, another member of the resistance. A beaten Sale is brought home to the care of Lee, who is developing feelings for him. While recovering, Sale starts a relationship with Lee.

The policy was even praised by then Prime Minister David Cameron who gave it as an example of a way to fight gang violence in London after the riots that took place there that year. Early in 2011 Strathclyde Police announced the demise of one of the city’s most infamous and biggest gangs The Calton Tongs. The gang, known for their “Tongs ya bass” chants, who had been roaming the streets of Calton in one form of another since the 1920’s had now, according to the Police, finally been defeated. The thought that someone would to want to fight someone purely because they stay in another area of the same city is now thankfully a completely alien and absurd concept to most of today’s generation. A Glasgow Live survey of 400 people aged 16-80 showed that 97% of those in areas such Easterhouse, Castlemilk, Dennistoun and The Gorbals think that there are less gangs than ever. 71% of those surveyed also say their local area is a lot safer than it was a decade ago. It was in 2004 when long held stereotypes were confirmed in the eyes of many when Glasgow was named as the murder capital of Europe with 6.5 murders per 100,000 people. Violent crime levels were also at a record high with 80 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

Local rumour has it that an ambush was planned by the Cumbie gang and was due to take place just days after the Castlemilk death. Pouring fuel on the fire were stories that he had been acting inappropriately towards a Cumbie gang member’s 14-year-old sister who worked a Saturday shift in his van. If former members of the IRA can sit in parliament, why can't members of the Calton Tongs be in the Calton swimming club, football club or whatever, instead? There is nothing here - schools have closed, churches have closed. Alternatives for these kids is the only option."