What is Scotland’s Big Story? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 26th 2011 What is the Big Story of Scotland: as a nation, society, and politically? Like William Hague’s mojo, we know we once had one and that we have now lost it. Scotland has had a number of big stories over the years: Empire Scotland, kirk Scotland, Red Clydeside, and the nationalist dream of independence. Now we mostly have muddle and confusion. The next few weeks are going to see an awful lot of sound and fury. Politicians will make jabbing points not listening to each other; men will make

Continue Reading What is Scotland’s Big Story?

Changin Scotland A weekend of politics, culture and ideas …. And fun! Friday March 25^th-Sunday March 27^th Come and join us in our ninth year of discussion, blether, listening, having fun and a good time, and even occasionally admiring the beautiful scenery! Yes we now prepare for the year before our tenth anniversary … so come along and contribute to changing Scotland. Andy Wightman on land, power and politics Author of ‘The Poor Had No Lawyers’ Drew Scott on why Scotland needs Fiscal Autonomy The man that Wendy Alexander tried to silence! Robin Callander on the Scottish Crown Estates Author

Continue Reading Changin Scotland: A weekend of politics, culture and ideas

How do we stop the Forward March of the New Revolutionaries? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 19th 2011 Once upon a time we had a powerful left which shaped a large part of 20^th century Scotland: Red Clydeside, the rise of Labour, the creation of the welfare state, and part of the home rule movement. What has happened to this politics, idealism and radicalism today, and what do we do without it? The memory, folklore and language of parts of the left still influences a large, although dwindling part of society. These questions and more were touched on by

Continue Reading How do we stop the Forward March of the New Revolutionaries?

Scotland and the Japanese Earthquake: The World According to Matthew Taylor Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, March 18th 2011 We know that there is a tradition of criticising Scotland from afar or in the briefest of visits north bringing your prejudices with you unchallenged. This used to be the terrain of the centre-right, of Thatcherites such as Nigel Lawson in the 1980s and The Spectator, but now what remains of the British centre-left has begun to join in. Recently Nick Pearce of the IPPR had a whistle wind Scottish tour checking out Scottish Labour’s preparation for returning to power, which led

Continue Reading Scotland and the Japanese Earthquake: The World According to Matthew Taylor

The Divine Right to Rule: Power and the Scots Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 12th 2011 Scotland likes to see itself as a land of passion, romance and rebellion: a disputatious society where no one is allowed to get too big for their boots: a permanent ‘diverse assembly’ in Robert Crawford’s telling phrase. At the same time the Scots have displayed a curious attitude towards power, who has it, how they exercise it, and what it means. One could characterise it as an indifference, but it slips over into something much stronger: acquiescence. One account, found in the Scottish Government

Continue Reading The Divine Right to Rule: Power and the Scots

Scotland and the Politics of Change after Social Democracy Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, March 9th 2011 Scotland likes to see itself as a radical nation. An egalitarian country. A country of socialism and more latterly social democratic and progressive values. A nation which never voted for the Tories in large numbers in recent decades, didn’t like Mrs. Thatcher and didn’t buy into Thatcherism. A political community which has stood for timeless Scottish values of caring for the vulnerable, compassion and not buying into the certainties of the last few decades which have obsessed Westminster and Washington. It is a

Continue Reading Scottish Politics and the Politics of Change after Social Democracy

After Devolution: How Do We Change Scotland? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 8th 2011 The last decade of Scotland has shown the limits of devolution and the power of the forces of caution and conservatism – despite our belief that we are radicals, rebels and challengers of orthodoxy. There were several accounts of devolution, but the dominant, prevailing one was not about transforming Scottish society or a supposed ‘new politics’. Instead, it was about legitimising the existing vested interests and forces of institutional Scotland. There have been many positives in the last decade: the effortless establishment of the

Continue Reading After Devolution: How Do We Change Scotland?

Scotland’s Shame Deniers and the Silence of Men Gerry Hassan Open Democracy. March 7th 2011 The power and pull of Scottish football reaches into every nook and cranny of Scottish society for good and ill. It obsesses us, transfixes us and blinds us to addressing so many things in our country. The most recent Celtic v Rangers game has shown that football has a life force of its own which takes over most of Scotland: three Rangers players sent off, 13 yellow cards, the Celtic manager and Rangers assistant in a bitter exchange, hundreds of arrests, and the number of

Continue Reading Scotland’s Shame Deniers and the Silence of Men

How We Grow Up in Scotland Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 5th 2011 Scotland we know has its fair share of problems, but we used to tell ourselves a set of comforting stories to disguise this. One was that we were an egalitarian nation. Another was that this was a child friendly society – due to things like Children’s Panels – but fortunately you don’t hear that much anymore. Susan Deacon, former Labour minister was commissioned by the Scottish Government to look at early life experiences - with ‘Joining the Dots: A Better Start for Scotland’s Children’ the result. Deacon

Continue Reading How We Grow Up in Scotland

The Last Utopia: Thatcher, New Labour and the Cameron Conservatives and the Demise of Social Democratic Britain Gerry Hassan University de Nice-Sophia Antipolis Keynote Lecture January 29th 2011; reprinted by Open Democracy February 28th 2011 The question that hovers above the Iraq inquiry is – since the evidence on Saddam Hussein’s weaponry was so flaky and the post-war planning so atrocious – why on earth Tony Blair did it. One theory, albeit not the one likely to be offered by Mr Blair himself, is that his militarism and messianism, the mix of responsibility and entitlement that he evinced,

Continue Reading The Last Utopia: Thatcher, New Labour and the Cameron Conservatives and the Demise of Social Democratic Britain