Zygmunt Bauman on this essay: Combining 'the practical wisdom of an insider/actor with the detached/critical perspective of an outsider/thinker - an ability rarely nowadays encountered either among the practitioners or visioners of the polis.' The Politics of Liberty in the Age of ‘Liquid Democracy’ Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, March 27th 2009 It wasn’t, I realised after all, that the world had run out of ideas. It was simply that the world had forgotten how good ideas were created in the first place. Gordon Torr, Managing Creative People (1) The world has been turned upside down. Assumptions long held

Continue Reading The Politics of Liberty in the Age of ‘Liquid Democracy’

Changin’ Scotland No.  13  March 20-22nd 2009 Phillip Blond on the Conservatives and ‘Red Toryism’, David Torrance on Thatcherism and the Scots, Graeme Turner on economics and finance after the crash, Douglas Robertson on what happened to council housing, David Purdy and Pat Devine on what happened to Britain, Martin Cloonan on the Scots music scene, Janet Paisley on the Scots and stories and Alex Bell on civilisation and water.

Continue Reading Changin Scotland No.13: March 20st-22nd 2009

Why we need a very British Democratic Revolution! Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, February 19th 2009 Review of Peter Facey, Betham Rigby and Alexandra Runswick (eds), Unlocking Democracy: 20 Years of Charter 88, Politico’s Publishing 2008 You got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away and know when to run. Kenny Rodgers, The Gambler British politics are going through a rapid period of change, at once profoundly disorientating and emphasising the dislocation and disengagement at its heart between people and the system. In the last few weeks, we have seen the

Continue Reading Why we need a very British Democratic Revolution!

Breaking out of Britain’s Neo-Liberal State Gerry Hassan and Anthony Barnett Compass Epamphlet, January 2009 The world we have lived in, created from the twin oil-price shockwaves of 1973 and 1979 and validated in the eyes of many by the events of 1989, is at last suffering its own crash. The era of Thatcher and Reagan, inflated by their offspring Clinton, Bush and Blair; the era of unfettered financial capitalism, unrestrained consumerism and a near mystical belief in the power of markets; the neo-liberal epoch of corporate conceit and neo-con adventurism, is drawing to a close.

Continue Reading Breaking out of Britain’s Neo-Liberal State

Britain’s neo-liberal state Gerry Hassan and Anthony Barnett Open Democracy, December 16th 2008 The global financial crisis exposes anew the flaws of a British polity that resists democratic modernisation. In a long, sweeping overview, Gerry Hassan & Anthony Barnett declare the United Kingdom state unfit for purpose. The world we have lived in, created from the twin oil-price shockwaves of 1973 and 1979 and validated in the eyes of many by the events of 1989, is at last suffering its own crash. The era of Thatcher and Reagan, inflated by their offspring Clinton, Bush and Blair; the era of

Continue Reading Britain’s neo-liberal state

A Scottish Story of Spirit and Grace Gerry Hassan Sunday Times, December 7th 2008 Gil Heron’s death at the age of 86 marks the demise of not just a trailblazer who was the first prominent black player in Scottish game. It represents the passing of someone who not only gave the world his footballing skills, but the gift of his son, Gil Scott Heron, musician, author and campaigner, who was one of the forefather’s of modern hip hop and rap. (more…)

Continue Reading Gil Scott Heron: A Scottish Story of Spirit and Grace

Changin’ Scotland No.  12  November 21-23rd 2008 Iain Hamilton on the Stone of Destiny (and ‘stealing it’ in his words), Chris Carmen on Obama and what happened in the US Presidential Elections, John McLaren, Barbara MacLennan and Alex Bell on making sense of the economic meltdown,  Gerry Hassan and Iain Macwhirter talk about Scottish politics after Glasgow East and Glenrothes, Neil Mulholland on creativity, independents and the Scots, Murray Pittock on tartan from past to present and Nick Higgins presents his film ‘The Ten Commandments’. Plus the presentation of the first ever Changin’ Scotland Somhairle Award – for being

Continue Reading Changin Scotland No. 12: November 21st-23rd 2008

After Glenrothes: The Continuing Struggle for Scotland’s Soul Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, November 8th 2008 Labour's surprise victory in the Glenrothes by-election bespeaks a new fluidity in Scottish politics, argues Gerry Hassan. The Glenrothes by-election has shown that Scottish and British politics are on the move. Gordon Brown is clearly back from the dead; David Cameron and George Osborne have been wrong-footed, while Alex Salmond, that other thorn in Labour’s flesh, has seemingly misjudged the economic and political moment, and the SNP honeymoon is over. Has ‘the Brown bounce’ led to ‘the Salmond trounce’? Continue Reading After Glenrothes: The Continuing Struggle for Scotland’s Soul

A Tale of Two Nations: How the UK is Influenced and Shaped by US Presidential Elections Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, November 4th 2008 Gerry Hassan looks at how past presidential elections have played out on this side of the Atlantic. This is a momentous week for democracy, the future of America and the world, but it is also a week which yet again shows the inter-connections and differences between US and UK politics. (more…)

Continue Reading A Tale of Two Nations: How the UK is Influenced and Shaped by US Presidential Elections

The City of Hope: The first step to a better future is imagining one Gerry Hassan The Point, November 2nd 2008 Hope is not ignoring … the challenges that stand between you and your dreams. Hope is imagining, and then fighting for, and then working for, struggling for what did not seem possible before. Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope Thinking of the future is one of the characteristics of being human. It can be seen in the visions of the future of H. G. Wells, Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’, George Orwell’s ‘1984’ and films such as Tom Cruise’s

Continue Reading The City of Hope: The first step to a better future is imagining one