British politics

The Age of Rage and the Importance of Opposition - in Europe, UK and Scotland Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, May 21st 2014 This week will see from Thursday onward the Euro-elections which will witness the emergence of a host of populists, mavericks and independent voices being elected across the continent. The mainstream political class is in crisis across Europe. Conventional politicians and political parties are held in widespread and open contempt, often invoking more deep-seated and angry reactions. There are huge questions for the continent – on the economic front about jobs, growth and the role of markets,

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What does the rise of Ukip mean for Scotland? Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, May 7th 2014 A new national pastime now exists thanks to the existence and rise of Ukip. This is the round the clock coverage of the party: often mocking, filled with condescension and a barely concealed incredulity that sane citizens will consider supporting such a party. So far all this has seemed to do is feed the appeal that is the Teflon-like Ukip. The media of course love and hate Ukip in equal measure. Nigel Farage is the joint most frequent panelist on ‘BBC Question Time’ over

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Can Gordon Brown and Scottish Labour Save the Union? Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, April 29th 2014 In the past week two Scottish prominent public figures with significant stature, both of whom have had major domestic and international profile, and proved ultimately that they couldn’t cut it at the top, covered the airwaves. One was David Moyes, the short-lived manager of Manchester United, the other, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The similarities don’t end there. Moyes’ reign at Manchester United was defined by the shadow of Alex Ferguson’s domestic league and European Champions League triumphs over two decades of success. Brown

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The UK has failed but we have to address Scottish shortcomings Gerry Hassan Newsnet Scotland, April 26th 2014 The Scottish independence debate is about many things. It is about the state of modern Scotland and its different possible futures. But it is also about the condition of the UK, its multiple crises and how these impact north of the border. The state of the United Kingdom is one of the main drivers of the Scottish debate. It has become an accepted fact that the UK is one of the most unequal countries in the developed world, ranked fourth in a

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George Robertson and the Scots’ Crisis of Unionism Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, April 16th 2014 Something seems to be seriously wrong in the pro-union campaign, ‘Better Together’. They may still be ahead in the polls, but the gap has narrowed significantly. Two years of dire warnings about the perils of ‘separatism’ and ‘tearing Scotland out the United Kingdom’ have only exposed the threadbare, tetchy character of the pro-union argument so far. In November last year ‘The Economist’ declared the referendum won for the union; now it reflects on the ‘teflon’ qualities of Scottish nationalism, and the incessant ‘pessimism’ of the

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The Land of the Living Dead: Jeremy Paxman and Max Hasting’s Britain Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, February 19th 2014 Years ago I believed in Britain; in its future and some of its stories, values and institutions. I thought that those which did not match modern democratic times, could be changed. This was the beauty of Britain and its radical currents. Even as a teenager I knew there was some element of make belief and fantasy in this. The mythical stories of Britain as the land of liberty, rule of law and democracy jarred with too many of the facts. Such

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The Battle for Britain and Why Alex Salmond and Independence Has Already Won Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, February 7th 2014 This year is witnessing several battles for Britain – of numerous anniversaries of past military triumphs, of the Scottish independence referendum, and the rising tide of the Tory Party’s continued obsession with Europe. All of these are inter-related in the long-term, almost existential, crisis of what Britain is, what is it for, what kind of society and values it represents, and what kind of future it offers its people. This tumultuous moment we now find ourselves in is one with

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The Empathy Gap: Divided Scotland and the Problem of Fantasyland Britain Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, January 29th 2014 It has become part of the commonsense account of the independence campaign that there is a problem with some of the more vociferous, partisan supporters. In one perspective, frequently spun in the mainstream media, this problem is predominantly, if not exclusively, about the ‘cybernat’ phenomenon. Numerous examples are brought out, from comedian Susan Calman facing invective for comments on independence, to incidents with Chris Hoy and Susan Boyle being verbally abused online. Yet to pose the ‘cybernats’ as the sole problem, as

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Scotland International: A Letter from Istanbul Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, January 25th 2014 Europe from its edges, corners and fuzzy borderlands looks and feels rather different than it does from elsewhere. Here in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, Scotland’s debate and the UK’s never-ending turmoil with regard to its relationship with Europe, seems far removed. Yet what is striking is that there are commonalities between these examples as I contemplate life looking at the shores of the Bosphorus – that historic meeting and clashing point of cultures, and the crossroads between Europe and Asia. Scotland’s deliberations are about

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The Art of Living Together and the Art of Dying Gerry Hassan National Collective, January 22nd 2014 Sometimes it takes outside voices to reinforce what you already know. So it was with Fintan O’Toole and the second in the series of Glasgow School of Art-University of the West of Scotland ‘Cultures of Independence’ seminars. O’Toole is author of the acclaimed books, ‘Ship of Fools’ and ‘Enough is Enough’ (1), both wonderful and powerful counter blasts to the baloney and bubble of the Celtic Tiger and its excesses. He is of no doubt that Scotland is at a hugely important

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