Why does the story of the Beatles and Lennon and McCartney still matter?
John & Paul: A Love Story in Song, Ian Leslie, Faber & Faber £25 Bella Caledonia, 4 April 2025 Gerry Hassan The Beatles story is one of the most enduring, beguiling and seemingly never-ending of our modern age. What else is there to be said? Ian Leslie thinks he has an answer in exploring the relationship, inner workings and chemistry between John Lennon and Paul McCartney - the central axis of the phenomenon that was the Beatles. This is a riveting, well-written account throwing new light on old stones – the band, John and Paul, songwriting and creativity, and the
Continue Reading Why does the story of the Beatles and Lennon and McCartney still matter?
Not doing the Labour thing is what Labour do
Not doing the Labour thing is what Labour do Scottish National, 30 March 2025 Gerry Hassan This Labour government faces tough choices. Constrained domestically and internationally, they are hampered by the structural weaknesses of the UK economy; the legacy of fourteen Tory years; by Brexit and by Trump, along with the limits of Starmer and Reeves’ agenda. Allowing for all this there is also the inherent conservatism of Labour; its lack of understanding of the British state; and the lack of political touch of this Labour government. Reeves has shown a complete absence of political antenna and sensitivity. Combined with
Continue Reading Not doing the Labour thing is what Labour do
After Sturgeon and ‘Sturgeonism’: Facing Up to the Democracy of Scotland
After Sturgeon and ‘Sturgeonism’: Facing Up to the Undemocracy of Scotland Bella Caledonia, 25 March 2025 Gerry Hassan The past week has seen the end of a monumental era of Scottish politics: of Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP and of ‘Sturgeonism’. This has generated a welter of instant commentary as expected but with much of it focusing only on the immediate, the party’s prospects for 2026 and what Sturgeon might do post-politics, rather than look at the longer story in addressing how we got here and where this might take us. There was lots of over-the-top commentary as there always has been
Continue Reading After Sturgeon and ‘Sturgeonism’: Facing Up to the Democracy of Scotland
Welcome to the Age of Disruption: Time for a New Radicalism
Welcome to the Age of Disruption: Time for a New Radicalism Sunday National, 23 February 2025 Gerry Hassan The world is living through unparalleled times. The post-war international order created by and for the USA is being unilaterally ripped up and trashed by the USA. In so doing it is establishing a new world order which looks less like the 1930s and the spectre of fascism and more like pre-1914 and the age of rival great power rivalries and competing imperialisms. The failure of the mainstream Across Europe, North and South America, Israel and elsewhere the march of right-wing populists
Continue Reading Welcome to the Age of Disruption: Time for a New Radicalism
Trump and Trumpism: How did we get here and what are the lessons for all of us?
Trump and Trumpism: How did we get here and what are the lessons for all of us? Sunday National, 26 January 2025 Gerry Hassan There has only been one international political story this week - the return of Donald Trump as US President. Beyond the bombastic inauguration and plethora of executive orders is the story of how we got to this sorry state. Long term factors about the founding and nature of America combined with a more immediate set of reasons relevant to the UK and West provide insights about what the Trump phenomenon means for politics and leadership and
Continue Reading Trump and Trumpism: How did we get here and what are the lessons for all of us?
My Music Albums of the Year
My Music Albums of the Year January 2nd 2025 Gerry Hassan Back by popular demand (from a few folk who like me love their music). Divided into three main sections: new, compilations and box sets, and older issues I have turned to for the first time. And a few minus and positive points about releases to round things up. NEW ALBUMS
- Fine Art, Kneecap
Books of the Year: Politics, History, Culture and Ideas
Books of the Year: Politics, History, Culture and Ideas Bella Caledonia, December 24 2024 Gerry Hassan As Christmas approaches and people have bought their presents here is my review of my books of the year. Perfect for all those post-Christmas and New Year presents, book tokens and people who you forgot about and know you shouldn’t have! Nearly every book listed below was published in 2024 but there a couple of exceptions published in 2022 and 2023 which I only got around to this year – and which I think are very relevant! Corrine Fowler, Our Island Stories:
Continue Reading Books of the Year: Politics, History, Culture and Ideas
Labour, the Starmer Project, the Battle for Britain and Our Collective Future
Labour, the Starmer Project, the Battle for Britain and Our Collective Future Gerry Hassan Sunday National, 24 November 2024 We are nearly five months into this Labour government - elected after 14 years of Tory government mired in scandal, division and failure which the public were desperate to see the back of. Why then does it already feel as if this government is running to stand still, barely able to articulate what its vision, and nervous about the kind of Britain it wants to bring about? What consequences does this have for challenging the status quo; for healing a broken
Continue Reading Labour, the Starmer Project, the Battle for Britain and Our Collective Future
How to defeat fascism and the far-right in Britain and elsewhere
How to defeat fascism and the far-right in Britain and elsewhere Gerry Hassan Sunday National, 27 October 2024 Twenty-five years ago, at the height of Blair, Bill Clinton and “The Third Way”, many felt that the future direction and progress of the world was safe and secure. Widespread optimism and belief in globalisation and economic freedom leading to political liberty ran from Thomas Friedman in the New York Times and Malcolm Gladwell in the New Yorker to cliché-filled PowerPoints by public agencies such as Scottish Enterprise. This was a mixture of projection, groupthink and propaganda. Fast forward to the present
Continue Reading How to defeat fascism and the far-right in Britain and elsewhere
Ten Years on from 2014: Making Sense of the Next Ten Years of Scotland
Ten Years on from 2014: Making Sense of the Next Ten Years of Scotland Gerry Hassan Sunday National, 29 September 2024 The ten-year anniversary of Scotland’s indyref has come and gone relatively unmarked. For something which shook things up so much it was very quiet and understated, a low-key affair from every political persuasion, media and academia. This does not mean that the ten-year point is not significant. Rather it is a time to pause, to draw breath and reflect on what has passed, on the bigger context and forces changing Scotland and the UK, and what the future may
Continue Reading Ten Years on from 2014: Making Sense of the Next Ten Years of Scotland
