Notes on a Scottish Republic of Letters
Notes on a Scottish Republic of Letters Bella Caledonia, 7 July 2025 Gerry Hassan The health and vibrancy of the Scottish cultural landscape was once acclaimed across public life. Not so long ago many folk felt that we had been living through a renaissance of expression and talent, not unlike such periods as the 1930s, and that this had lasting import on how we viewed ourselves and on our political disposition. Today things are a lot less rosy and sure-footed. Instead of the above, there is now a discernible mood of angst, worry and negativity - centred particularly on funding,
After Hamilton, Scottish Politics and the Cause of Independence
After Hamilton, Scottish Politics and the Cause of Independence Bella Caledonia, 6 June 2025 Gerry Hassan Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehall has proven to be a consequential Scottish by-election. Not of the mythical levels of Hamilton 67 or Govan 73, but contests like that are few and far between. Yet in a world where by-election aren’t what they used to be, it has thrown significant light on Scottish politics and the major protagonists. Labour gained a seat from the SNP, against the expectations of the commentators and prevailing wisdom which says much about both. The SNP and Tories suffered major
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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
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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
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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:
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Scotland Ten Years on from the Indyref
Scotland Ten Years On from the Indyref Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, 18 September 2024 Ten years ago today Scotland voted 55% to 45% to remain in the UK union and against independence. This was a momentous, historic watershed under which we are still living, not yet having come to terms with its consequences and continued influence. Many across the political spectrum, pro and anti-independence, have struggled post-2014. But most of the mainstream politicians who participated in the 2014 campaign, including SNP senior figures and strategists, failed to see the indyref at the time in its wider context - of a
Where stands the SNP and independence?
Where stands the SNP and independence? Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, 2 September 2024 The SNP conference met in Edinburgh over the past weekend. It was an understated affair compared to the huge gatherings in the years post-2014. The mood was not surprisingly of a diminished party in numbers, appeal and rationale - but at the same time less demoralised and defeated than might have been expected. Rather party members at least on the surface appeared to still have some spirit and energy. This begs the question were they just putting on a brave face, do they have an inner core
Can a New SNP emerge which speaks a new story of Scotland?
Can a New SNP emerge which speaks a new story of Scotland? Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, 17 July 2024 The scale of SNP defeat should not have taken anyone by surprise. It has been a long time coming, and is a long way down from Peak Nat. But it still shocked many, whilst others too sensitive have looked away from the resulting carnage. This is what happens when parties experience defeat. Unity goes. The sense of shared purpose and direction diverges. And unless the SNP wake up, they could still fall much further. In particular, the 2026 Scottish elections now
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Anatomy of a Loveless Landslide: Labour’s Victory, the Nature of Britain and Post-Democracy
Anatomy of a Loveless Landside Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, 12 July 2024 One week ago the UK underwent a quiet kind of revolution. We drew the curtain on years of Tory chaos and psychodrama. A Labour Government was elected with a large overall majority; the Tories won their lowest ever vote in their history; the SNP suffered a significant reverse; while the Lib Dems, Reform and Greens increased their representation and votes. The UK election was an expression of multi-party politics in voting. It was a very European-style result with five GB-wide parties competing besides SNP and Plaid, along with
Barbarism Begins at Home: The Continuing Great Moving Right Show and War on Democracy
Barbarism Begins at Home Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, 2 July 2024 Across the West politics are fractured, divisive, and raise more questions than answers. Biden vs. Trump; the authoritarian US Supreme Court extending Trump’s Presidential immunity; the march of the far-right in the French legislative assembly elections; the UK election and emptiness of the mainstream – a trend reflected by Andrew Hindmoor in Haywire: A Political History of Britain since 2000 as ‘the growth of modern miserabilism’ and as evidence that ‘the country is in decline and everything is getting worse.’ Everywhere the forces of the populist right are either
