COVID-19

Life after Boris Johnson: The Tories, “Freedom” and the rise of authoritarianism Gerry Hassan The National, 21 December 2021 For many on the left and pro-independence describing Toryism is simple - it is callous, lacks compassion and is about a brutal class politics looking after its own and shafting others. Yet understanding your opponents is key to successful politics, a point that Kennedy and LBJ’s Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara observed in The Fog of War documentary saying you should “never dehumanise your opponents.” That said British Toryism is in an advance stage of degeneration, distortion and bitter division. This

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The world turned upside down and living with hurt and loss Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, 22 September 2021 The past eighteen months have witnessed tumultuous, unprecedented times for everyone on this planet. A global pandemic has ripped through our lives turning them upside down and in the process killing nearly five million people globally on official records, alongside just under 250 million people falling ill. In the face of this government, scientists, public health experts and media have struggled to comprehend the complexity, epidemiology of the virus, and role of government in temporarily restricting freedoms to reduce death and protect

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The Olympian dream has sadly turned sour and urgently needs a reset Gerry Hassan The National, July 28th 2021 The Summer Olympics are a global festival of the best of most professional sports, the only equivalent in scale and spectacle is the football World Cup – a sport which is marginal in the Olympics. The modern games began in Athens in 1896 and has taken place every four years since, with the exception of the interruptions caused by World War One and World War Two - until now. The Tokyo Games - the Games of the XXXII (32^nd) Olympiad –

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Toryism is bad for your health. Literally it kills Gerry Hassan The National, July 20th 2021 Boris Johnson and his administration have presided over the biggest domestic disaster to befell a UK Government in living memory - arguably since the UK began. There have been terrible calamities before such as Blair and the Iraq war, Eden and Suez, Chamberlain and appeasement, Salisbury and the Boer war. But these are all foreign policy disasters which cost the UK’s reputation severely – and all saw military conflict in which many died including UK citizens. The current Tory Government’s miscalculations, mistakes and arrogances

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Freedom is everywhere but why don’t we feel really free? Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, June 16th 2021 Freedom is everywhere it seems. The term is bandied about across our airwaves and public discussions, politics and the many controversies which define modern societies. Boris Johnson earlier defined the lifting of COVID restrictions in England on 21^st June as ‘Freedom Day’ – phraseology which touched on issues of freedom and liberty at the core of COVID debates, the effectiveness of lockdowns and balance between public health and economic concerns. Even more than that, the clarion call of freedom can be seen in

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Glasgow’s future after COVID Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, June 2nd 2021 Glasgow it was announced this week would finally come out of Level 3 restrictions. By Friday Scotland’s biggest city will have endured 277 days of severe limitations on our freedoms that have come at an increasingly cost to the people and fabric of the city – the only place in the UK where people could not meet their friends in their homes, hug friends and relatives, or travel out of the city. It has begun to feel like a city under siege, where the pressures and restrictions have really

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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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More than ever we need to come together and celebrate collective joy Gerry Hassan Sunday National, December 27th 2020 These are not exactly the happiest of times the world over - with crises, worry and anxiety all around us. In such circumstances never more have we needed to find light and hope, optimism and joy. As important in an age of loneliness and isolation is reaching out to others, recognising that we are more than mere individuals and are part of something bigger than ourselves – whether it be different communities and places. Over a decade ago the American writer

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The Great Big Lie of the British Royal Family  Gerry Hassan The National, December 6th 2020 Feeling a bit blue as the nights grow colder and darker? Worried about all those avoidable COVID-19 deaths and the threat of a chaotic Brexit? Are you worried about Boris Johnson and his hapless government being in charge of anything - let alone a vaccine roll-out - as they shamelessly reward their corporate pals with billions of our monies with no due process and diligence? Never fear because such inauspicious circumstances are the perfect conditions for a royal tour. And not just that,

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The SNP, independence and the politics of solidarity Gerry Hassan The National, November 30th 2020 The SNP annual conference was, like all party gatherings at the moment, a strange affair conducted through virtual discussions connecting thousands of homes and living rooms. This gave it a decent social media footprint, but restricted what broadcasters had to cover and portray to the wider nation. This conference was the starting gun for the 2021 elections, with the major chance for any cut through being Nicola Sturgeon’s keynote address on St. Andrew’s Day. This was carried by most broadcasters - with the right-wing

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