Gordon Brown and how to heal broken Britain
Gordon Brown and how to heal broken Britain Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, January 27th 2021 Gordon Brown is coming to the rescue again - raising the alarm, saying that the UK is in danger of becoming a ‘failed union’ unless there is dramatic change. This is the same Gordon Brown who was centrestage in the latter stages of the indyref and pivotal to ‘The Vow’, and who promised a ‘near-federal union’ for the UK within two years of 2014. Before that he was at the apex of New Labour - as Chancellor, then Prime Minister, over thirteen years. Gordon Brown
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Leadership in a Cold Climate: COVID-19 and the Emerging New World
Leadership in a Cold Climate: COVID-19 and the Emerging New World Gerry Hassan Sunday National, January 24th 2021 The inauguration of Joe Biden as US President is part ritual, part celebration. At its heart is a reaffirmation of the power of democracy and the belief that even in divided, difficult times leadership can make a difference. This raises questions about the role and expectations of political leadership – not just in the US, but in the UK and here in Scotland. We live in an age where traditional models of leadership and the attitudes around them are discredited, but
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I am a European and want to live in a country which calls itself European
I am a European and want to live in a country which calls itself European Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, January 13th 2021 I am a European. In the past few years of Brexit, and many of the ridiculous posturing positions of the UK Government, I have never felt more European. Of course the EU and Europe are different things. And there is in places a logical, coherent argument for Brexit – which while I disagree with I can respect and understand. But the events of the past four and a half years have brought to the fore an intemperate,
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The Attack on Democracy and Breaking Out of the Empire State in the US and UK
The Attack on Democracy and Breaking Out of the Empire State in the US and UK Gerry Hassan Sunday National, January 10th 2021 Democracy is under attack. It is being challenged by the likes of Trump and his fascist supporters and by authoritarians the world over – testing its strength and legitimacy. And it is not in great shape in the UK, with academic David Runciman saying that “American democracy is stuck and British democracy is stuck.” The events of 6th January 20201 and the storming of Congress by Trump’s far right supporters has appalled most of the world. Much
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The British Royal State is in terminal decline but still holds all of us back
The British Royal State is in terminal decline but still holds all of us back Gerry Hassan Sunday National, December 13th 2020 The Royal Family have been in the news of late with Kate and William’s three-day, whistle-stop ‘Royal Train Tour’ making just nine stops in Scotland, Wales and England. This marks an end to a very uneasy year for the Royals, defined by personal difficulty, crisis and continued scandal. In terms of supporting their subjects, the Royals have effectively been invisible this past pandemic year. There was the Queen’s TV address in early April; she commented in May
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Independence is a story about all of us – and there is serious work to do
Independence is a story about all of us – and there is serious work to do Gerry Hassan Sunday National, December 6th 2020 2020 has been the year of many striking things. It has been a year of progress for Scottish independence. A raft of polls show a consistent majority for independence and the SNP is polling strongly. Nicola Sturgeon is massively more popular than Boris Johnson; while the SNP’s trust ratings on a range of issues is impressive. All of which points towards the likelihood of a pro-independence majority in seats and votes in the 2021 elections. Some independence
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Scotland and life after COVID-19
Scotland and life after COVID-19 Gerry Hassan Sunday National, November 29th 2020 2020 has been a year like no other in living memory. As our lives have been thrown upside down, politics and public life have struggled to keep up and find a language to convey the scale of human loss, tragedy and disruption. It goes without saying that the UK Government and Boris Johnson have had an appalling pandemic. The Prime Minister has been unable to find the right response, words and tone; while Downing Street has embodied chaos and farce. And shockingly, but hardly surprisingly, dozens of Tory
A Tour Inside Gordon Brown’s Britain
A Tour Inside Gordon Brown’s Britain Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, November 25th 2020 Gordon Brown in recent times has increasingly recognised that something is wrong, even rotten, in the state of Britain, regularly talking about ‘a dysfunctional UK’. This is part of Brown’s continual manoeuvres post-2014 to have a say in the future of Britain’s constitutional arrangements and to make the case that the status quo increasingly ill-serves the nations and regions of the UK. Thus it comes as no surprise that he has taken pen to paper and written a substantial New Statesman essay that makes his case of
Boris Johnson and the Tory attack on Devolution is about more than Johnson
Boris Johnson and the Tory attack on Devolution is about more than Johnson Gerry Hassan Sunday National, November 22nd 2020 Thirty years ago today Margaret Thatcher resigned as UK Prime Minister and yet still casts a shadow over British politics and the Tories. Fast forward to this week, with Boris Johnson revealing his true feelings about Scotland and devolution – saying that ‘devolution has been a disaster north of the border’ and that it was ‘Tony Blair’s biggest mistake’ - a bit of a tall statement given the Iraq war over which Johnson called for Blair’s impeachment. Cue lots of
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The Importance of ‘The Crown’ in understanding Post-War Britain
The Importance of ‘The Crown’ in understanding Post-War Britain Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, November 18th 2020 The British Royal Family sit at the centre of the British establishment and at the heart of British national identity and history. ‘The Crown’ series thus has an importance unlike most TV series, with the new season just released on Netflix and already creating waves. Previous episodes have caused significant ripples and comment. But this series has seen the Palace and its acolytes go into hyper-drive, taking issue with its overall portrayal of the Royal Family and disputing some of the details. Season Four
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