How Scotland is Governed Matters Just as Much as Who Governs It Sunday National, 27 September 2026 Gerry Hassan The past week saw several landmark moments in Scotland and its politics: the election of Scottish Labour’s eleventh leader, Michael Marra, since the advent of devolution; the Scottish Parliament vote affirming Scotland’s right to decide its future; the lamentable rise in the tragic number of Scottish drug-related deaths; and Glasgow City Council threatening to hire and refire 23,000 of its workforce. The latter underlined if needed the perilous position and finances of local councils – one which has been cumulatively getting

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The State of Scottish Football and can it change for the better? Sunday National, 30 August 2026 Gerry Hassan Another week, another set of controversies about Scottish football. Celtic humiliated in Europe; Rangers looking hopeless and Hibs and Motherwell out, while Hearts continue to fly the flag after a decent away result. The co-efficient of Scottish teams in Europe has fallen from 9^th to 19^th in four years. Broadcaster Danny Baker was overstating things describing this as “a collapse of Scottish football” but journalist Graham Spiers is correct to talk of “the horrifying humiliation” of Celtic and Rangers in another

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Taking the High Road to Independence Sunday National, 16 August 2026 Gerry Hassan Talk of Scottish independence is in the air; in these columns, on social media and among independence supporters. But here is a reality check - the vast majority of Scotland do not persistently talk about independence as they have more immediate things on their minds. Independence has become divorced from reality: namely the reality of most Scots. Some may think that harsh, but it is true and needs acknowledging for anything to change. There has been a vacuum at the heart of independence since 2014 with no

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The Summer of Scotland after Sarwar, Sturgeon and Swinney Bella Caledonia, 4 August 2026 Gerry Hassan The Andy Burnham administration has taken office. It faces huge challenges - economic, political, geopolitical - along with no direct popular mandate and the rising storm of radicalised right-wing opinion in the UK waiting to devour anything that gets in its way. At the same time implicit in this is a challenge to Scottish politics: its assumptions, beliefs and dynamics of recent decades and the present. This is particularly true of those of an independence persuasion who are used to treating all things Labour

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