A Tale of Two Nations. And Two Leaders
A Tale of Two Nations. And Two Leaders Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, May 10th 2015 We awoke on Friday morning to a very different world. A nearly completely yellow Scotland. A bluer England. And a patchwork Wales. The first majority Tory Government elected since 1992 whilst Scotland passed in one night from Labour dominance to an even more impressive SNP strength. These and more things weren’t meant to happen. David Cameron’s re-election as Prime Minister with a majority has taken many people by surprise. No UK Government sitting for a full term has seen its vote rise since Anthony
Scotland embarks on a New Era
Scotland embarks on a New Era Gerry Hassan Irish Times, May 9th 2015 Scotland has had landmark Westminster elections before. There was 1997 when Scotland voted out every Tory MP. Then in October 1974 there was the first ever Scottish-wide Nationalist surge; in 1955 there was the high tide of Tory Unionism when they won over half the votes and seats; and in 1922 Labour broke through for the first time and ‘Red Clydeside’ went to Westminster. This is one of those moments - and more. History has been made by the collective expression of the Scottish people. Records have
‘Peak SNP’ and how Scotland and the UK are changing
‘Peak SNP’ and how Scotland and the UK are changing Gerry Hassan New Statesman, April 28th 2015 Scotland is everywhere in the news only a few months after the indyref. Scotland and its politics are being widely discussed and portrayed not just north of the border, but by UK media and politicians, as well as getting significant international coverage. Scotland feels different. It is as if something fundamental has shifted in how voters see politics, the consequences of their votes, and themselves. For years a sizeable segment of voters have thought at Westminster elections that the most important issue was
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Britain’s Political Classes are living in a Fantasyland
Britain’s Political Classes are living in a Fantasyland Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, April 19th 2015 What is this election about? To Westminster politicians it seems centred on the claims and counter-claims of monies: public spending, the deficit and debt. Take Labour, Tories and Lib Dems. The Tories are openly committed to £30 billion of cuts in the next Parliament. The SNP and many left-wingers say the same of Labour who flatly deny this. There is ambiguity on whether Labour are pro or anti-cuts. Jim Murphy has said that Labour would not need to make ‘further cuts to achieve our spending
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Scotland isn’t Mad, but Animated and Engaged
Scotland isn’t Mad, but Animated and Engaged Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, April 12th 2015 The election has definitely taken off this week. There were the two Scottish leader debates. The Tories getting personal with Ed Miliband. Labour daring to talk about tax. Scotland is in a different place. Some once thoughtful pro-union commentators have scratched their heads and come to the conclusion – ‘Scotland has gone mad’ and talked of ‘the madness of Scottish politics’. It is never good to start citing ‘madness’ and nearly always reflects back on who said it. The fact that pro-union commentators think this
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Scotland, the Clash of Two Nationalisms and ‘the Children of the Echo’
Scotland, the Clash of Two Nationalisms and ‘the Children of the Echo’ Gerry Hassan New Statesman, April 7th 2015 Scotland has always had a reputation for tempestuous disagreements – for fighting and flyting. Power, passion, tribalism and men staying in pubs for long hours drinking and insulting each other are long-standing notions. Last Saturday I went to Glasgow Citizen’s Theatre to see David Hare’s ‘The Absence of War’ set in the run-up to Neil Kinnock’s ill-fated campaign in the 1992 general election. Watching it in the turmoil of the current election campaign, and on the day of the ‘Daily
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The disunited Kingdom and the confusion in Britain’s political elites
The disunited Kingdom and the confusion in Britain's political elites Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, April 5th 2015 Scotland is still making the news. The tartan tsunami that is the SNP surge shows little to no sign of abating as election day approaches. Beyond Scotland’s shores the UK and international media are making frequent references to the debate north of the border. Strangely some of this coverage – mostly in London based outlets – is even more ill-informed and inaccurate than was seen during the indyref. This is itself no mean feat. Then most neutral and pro-union opinion thought No would win.
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Where are the Politics of Hope and the Britain of the Future?
Where are the Politics of Hope and the Country of the Future? Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, April 5th 2015 British politics are in a state of flux. Many of the assumptions which defined it no longer hold. This can be seen in the Westminster political class obsession talking about process: coalitions, deals and post-election arrangements. The age of majority government is gone for now. The two ‘big’ parties Labour and Tory are struggling with this world. That’s the logic behind the Labour slogan ‘vote SNP, get Cameron’ and the Tory message ‘vote UKIP, get Ed Miliband’. This is a mixture
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An Exchange with ‘the Economist’ on Scottish Independence
An Exchange with ‘the Economist’ on Scottish Independence Gerry Hassan April 2nd 2015 ‘The Economist’ has a problem with Scottish independence from its infamous ‘Skintland’ front cover to its editorial view and general language it chooses to use. In the last three years, it has consistently used a pejorative language to describe the Scottish independence case, moving me to write pointing this out. They did not publish my letter, but felt moved to reply attempting to rebuff my points. (more…)
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British Politics Hung Out To Dry
British Politics Hung Out To Dry Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, March 29th 2015 A House of Commons where no one party gains an overall majority looks an increasingly likely outcome of the May election. This has happened before, most recently in 2010, but also in February 1974; similarly, in the late 1970s and post-1992 Labour and Tory administrations respectively elected with majorities, lost them, and had to govern without them. The outcome of the May election and the parliamentary landscape looks likely to resemble the dog days of the Callaghan and Major governments, rather than 2010 when the Tories and
