Breaking the Grip of ‘Fantasy Island Britain’: Social Justice, Scotland and the UK Compass, March 15th 2012 Gerry Hassan The Scottish independence debate has many dimensions, Scottish, English, British, European and global. It is also one that the insular London political class and media have only episodically covered the last forty years, being content to rest on ‘Braveheart’ and romantic, restless nationalist stereotypes. It is then timely and apposite that the Fabian Society in association with Compass held a discussion under the theme, ‘Debating the Scottish Independence Referendum: What Future for the United Kingdom?’ with Labour

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They Might Be Giants: Social Justice and the Forgotten Scotland Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 10th 2012 A new vogue has swept across the globe: concern about inequality. From the Davos World Economic Forum to Occupy Wall Street, from Barack Obama to David Cameron and Ed Miliband, there is an acute awareness of this issue, from talking about the superabundant wealth of the top 1% to the constant political chatter about ‘fairness’. The world is perilously unequal and growing more so. One billion people per day go hungry while another one billion are obese. GDP per capita of the

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Go East Young Man and Woman: The Changing Face of Scotland Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 3rd 2012 Scotland’s population is changing, its mix and its make up, and who and where we are, with huge consequences for the future. General Register Office for Scotland population predictions estimate a Scotland of 5.8 million people in 2035, the highest ever figure for the nation; a rise of 10.2% overall in numbers, made up of 8.9% through migration and 1.3% in natural change. The population will have more people of pensioner age (up 26.2%) and more young people aged 0-15 years

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Scotland Names the Big Day and the Alex Salmond-Rupert Murdoch Relationship Gerry Hassan The Guardian Comment, February 26th 2012 The launch of ‘the Sun on Sunday’ may have caused shockwaves in media and political circles in the corridors of power in London, but its headline about an Amanda Holden exclusive surely didn’t. North of the border things were very different where a distinct Scottish version of ‘the Sun on Sunday’ was even more eagerly awaited and didn’t disappoint. This was following Rupert Murdoch’s tweet this week that he was in favour of Scottish independence, declaring, ‘Let Scotland go and

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Do we really want a Socially Just Scotland? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, February 25th 2012 We all like to think that one of the most proud Scottish traditions is our commitment to social justice, caring about and acting to aid those in disadvantage and poverty. If the ongoing debate about Scotland’s constitutional status is to be meaningful and relevant beyond the political classes, one powerful argument is that it should put at its centre the promotion of social justice. Poverty fell over the Labour decade of growth; from 1998-99 to 2008-9 Scots poverty rates fell by more than in

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Stop the World, Scotland wants to get on! Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, February 18th 2012 Scotland has been all over the world news these last few weeks: the independence debate, David Cameron’s high profile intervention, and of course the saga of Glasgow Rangers FC. What has been missing from the Scottish debate is an engagement with the wider environment beyond Scotland, both in relation to the UK and internationally. In times it almost seems as if the debate is being undertaken, irrespective of opinion, in a vacuum. The prevalent Scottish debate amongst politicians, commentators and seasoned observers is to

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What Do 'Fred the Shred' and David Murray Tell Us About Scotland? Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, February 17th 2012 This is not another article on football. The Rangers crisis has filled the airwaves and media this week. For the second time this year Scotland has gone international and viral, spreading across the globe connecting the diaspora and other interested parties. Many people ask how this came to pass with Rangers. All kinds of reasons and conspiracies are proposed: pro-Rangers bias, anti-Celtic opinion, Protestantism/anti-Catholicism, and the carve up of ‘the Old Firm’ duopoly. We need to lift our heads from

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The Long Revolution: Scottish Self-Government and the Case for the Union Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, February 17th 2012 David Cameron came north to Scotland speaking with the authority of Prime Minister of the UK and the status of leading a party with one MP out of 59 Westminster representatives. He delivered an important speech and intervention and met with First Minister Alex Salmond; this can be seen as part of the long campaign and positioning of each man and side seeing himself as a long distance runner, pacing themselves, sizing up and trying to get the better of their

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Changin Scotland A weekend of politics, culture and ideas …. And fun! Friday March 23^rd-Sunday March 25^th The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool   The Independence Weekend (more…)

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Men must learn what it takes to ask for help Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, February 11th 2012 The Scottish suicide figures reported in ‘The Scotsman’ this week illustrate that we have a deep, challenging set of problems as a society. ‘British Journal of Psychiatry’ research revealed that the Scottish male suicide rate was 31 per 100,000 compared to 17 per 100,000 south of the border. It showed an increasing problem with 15-34 year old men in particular. This alarming story can be used to suggest something pre-determined about Scotland, painting a predictable picture about Scottish society and lifestyles

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