Changin' Scotland

Changin Scotland: March 28th-30th

Changin Scotland A weekend of politics, culture and ideas …. And fun! Friday March 28th-Sunday March 30th The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool WHO HAS POWER IN MODERN SCOTLAND? In association with the Reid Foundation Friday March 28th 8.00-9.30pm: Welcome: Gerry Hassan and Jean Urquhart Scotland after the Crash: The Collapse of RBS Ian Fraser, author, forthcoming ‘Shredded: The Rise and Fall of RBS’ (more…)

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Changin Scotland November 1st-3rd at Newbattle Abbey College

Changin Scotland Scotland’s alternative festival of ideas, culture and politics Friday November 1st-Sunday November 3rd     Newbattle Abbey College, by Dalkeith This November Gerry Hassan and Jean Urquhart are at Newbattle Abbey College just south of Edinburgh for a weekend on how to do social change, activism and campaigning in a different way! This weekend will be a departure in feel, style and setting – and is facilitated and led by Stephen Duncombe and Steve Lambert of the Centre for Artistic Activism who are based at New York University. This will be a participatory weekend bringing together community politics with

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Changin’ Scotland Weekends

What is Changin’ Scotland? Changin’ Scotland has been a regular event at The Ceilidh Place since 2002. Run twice a year – every March and November – each weekend is put together and hosted by Gerry Hassan and Jean Urquhart – and covers a range of discussions and happenings on politics, culture, music and film, with the intention of having a good time. Weekends cover the entire universe of political and cultural thought, artistic endeavour, community activism, philosophical investigations, international campaigning and imagining new possibilities. Sometimes we just like to have a bit of fun! The story continues into what

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A few reflections and found memories from the weekends

A few reflections and found memories from the weekends …. Some of the best moments …. The nervousness of the first one. Hiring a minivan to take people up from Glasgow to Ullapool for it. The experience of seeing Croft No. 5 that first weekend – on the Saturday. An intoxicating mixture of traditional, jazz and dance music in a Ceilidh Place packed with young people enjoying themselves: a harbinger for future weekends and our country! The Wendy Alexander/Fiona Hyslop discussion on Labour-SNP lack of understanding. This was originally going to be Wendy and Jim Sillars after their legendary

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Changin’ Scotland No.14: November 6th-8th 2009

Changin’ Scotland No.  14  November 6-8th 2009 Action packed and diverse as ever! James Robertson on the Scots language, A. L. Kennedy and Stuart Kelly on stories and the future, Gerry Hassan, Jim and Margaret Cuthbert and Stephen Maxwell with Iain Macwhirter on the politics of the SNP post-crash. Andy Wightman on landownership from Princes Street to Rockall, Dennis Canavan on his political life, Wiliam Walker on Scots and the nuclear question, Christopher Whatley on the meaning of 1707 and why it matters today, and Antje Bednare on her research speaking to Scottish Tories. Plus and how do we

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Changin Scotland No.13: March 20st-22nd 2009

Changin’ Scotland No.  13  March 20-22nd 2009 Phillip Blond on the Conservatives and ‘Red Toryism’, David Torrance on Thatcherism and the Scots, Graeme Turner on economics and finance after the crash, Douglas Robertson on what happened to council housing, David Purdy and Pat Devine on what happened to Britain, Martin Cloonan on the Scots music scene, Janet Paisley on the Scots and stories and Alex Bell on civilisation and water.

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Changin Scotland No. 12: November 21st-23rd 2008

Changin’ Scotland No.  12  November 21-23rd 2008 Iain Hamilton on the Stone of Destiny (and ‘stealing it’ in his words), Chris Carmen on Obama and what happened in the US Presidential Elections, John McLaren, Barbara MacLennan and Alex Bell on making sense of the economic meltdown,  Gerry Hassan and Iain Macwhirter talk about Scottish politics after Glasgow East and Glenrothes, Neil Mulholland on creativity, independents and the Scots, Murray Pittock on tartan from past to present and Nick Higgins presents his film ‘The Ten Commandments’. Plus the presentation of the first ever Changin’ Scotland Somhairle Award – for being

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