Where do we go from here? Part Three: Agency and self-determination, retaking the future without Marx
Where do we go from here? Part Three: Agency and self-determinations, retaking the future without Marx Gerry Hassan and Anthony Barnett Open Democracy, August 5th 2010 This is the third, final, exchange of a wide-ranging three part conversation between Anthony Barnett and Gerry Hassan, touching on the state of British politics and democracy and how the left - weak and disorganised in the face of a resurgent neoliberalism - can propose and build alternatives to the dominant dogmas of the past thirty years. You can read Part I 'The frustrations of British politics' here, and Part 2 'Challenging
Where do we go from here? Part Two: Challenging ‘the Official Future’
Where do we go from here? Part Two: Challenging 'the Official Future' Gerry Hassan and Anthony Barnett Open Democracy, August 4th 2010 This is the second of a wide-ranging three part conversation between Anthony Barnett and Gerry Hassan, touching on the state of British politics and democracy and how the left - weak and disorganised in the face of a resurgent neoliberalism - can propose and build alternatives to the dominant dogmas of the past thirty years. You can read Part I here. Thanks for the message Gerry! How am I supposed to get to sleep without an answer to
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Where do we go from here? Part One: The frustrations of British politics
Where do we go from here? Part One: The frustrations of British politics Gerry Hassan and Anthony Barnett Open Democracy, August 2nd 2010 In the first of a wide-ranging three part conversation, Anthony Barnett and Gerry Hassan discuss the state of British politics and democracy and how the left - weak and disorganised in the face of a resurgent neoliberalism - can propose and build alternatives to the dominant dogmas of the past thirty years. Hi Gerry, There is a strange mixture of moods here in political London. There is a Tory right, with Spectatorish leanings, used to
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The Next Left: A Transatlantic Conversation
The Next Left: A Transatlantic Conversation Jonathan Freedland and Michael Walzer Published in Gerry Hassan (ed.), After Blair: Politics after the New Labour Decade, Lawrence and Wishart in association with Compass 2006. London May 23rd 2005 Dear Michael, In the Clinton-Blair years, progressive parties in Britain and the US joined forces, trading electoral techniques and even the ‘New’ philosophy that saw them shed unpopular positions on welfare, crime etc in order to become more electable: New Labour, New Democrats. In Britain that approach has weathered better than it did in the US: Labour is still in government while Democrats
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Scotland in the Global Age: Rethinking Ukania, Europe and the New International Order
Scotland in the Global Age: Rethinking Ukania, Europe and the New International Order Tom Nairn and George Kerevan in conversation This is a longer version of a conversation of which an abridged edition appeared in Gerry Hassan, Eddie Gibb and Lydia Howland (eds), Scotland 2020: Hopeful Stories for a Northern Nation, Demos 2005. Edinburgh October 5th 2004 Dear Tom, I feel like an old soldier parading for the Armistice, medals proudly on show, but just a bit quizzical about what we achieved in the conflict. For you and I are battle-scarred veterans of the Second Devolutionary War. The
Scotland’s ‘Velvet Revolution’
Scotland’s ‘Velvet Revolution’ Carol Craig in conversation with Tom Devine Published in Gerry Hassan, Eddie Gibb and Lydia Howland (eds), Scotland 2020: Hopeful Stories for a Northern Nation, Demos 2005. CC: I would like to start with a general discussion about Scotland and transformational change. The author of The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell, argues that people tend to see change as slow and incremental when in fact it is often rapid and transformatory. He argues that snow is a good example of this. When snow falls the temperature change is often minimal yet within minutes the world looks different. As
Happiness, Well-Being and Economic Prosperity
Happiness, Well-Being and Economic Prosperity David Bell in conversation with Clive Hamilton Published in Gerry Hassan, Eddie Gibb and Lydia Howland (eds), Scotland 2020: Hopeful Stories for a Northern Nation, Demos 2005 Stirling September 27th 2004 Dear Clive, I enclose my opening gambit to you. 1. The growth record of the Scottish economy is somewhat below that of the UK as a whole. Nevertheless, during the 1990s and early part of the new century, the UK has experienced higher rates of growth than most of the other G8 countries with the exception of the USA. Scottish GDP per
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