Some Thoughts on James Naughtie’s Sunshine on Scotland
Some Thoughts on James Naughtie’s Sunshine on Scotland Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, November 26th 2009 Have just listened to Jim Naughtie’s deliberately downbeat, dour and depressive journey north to Kilmarnock for the Today programme (1), searching everywhere for doom and gloom and not surprisingly finding it. This was an awful stereotypical kind of item and one which makes you wonder if an intelligent debate is possible about the future of the UK and Scotland’s aspirations in it. Certainly something, which makes you, question the BBC’s capacity to contribute to such an important debate. Continue Reading Some Thoughts on James Naughtie’s Sunshine on Scotland
Where is Scotland Going? Foreign Lands and Forgotten Places
Where is Scotland Going? Foreign Lands and Forgotten Places Anthony Barnett in discussion with Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, November 24th 2009 Scottish politics often seem like a foreign land to the Westminster cognoscenti, its political class and media. Where is Scottish politics and where is it going? After all the talk of the popularity of the SNP and Alex Salmond and problems of Scottish Labour what was the significance of the recent Glasgow NE by-election? Labour got an unexpectedly large majority, confounding expectations in a constituency held by Speaker Martin and was tainted by the expenses scandal. It seems to
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Churchill’s Continual Shadow
Churchill’s Continual Shadow Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, November 4th 2009 Churchill is everywhere – claimed by Nick Griffin and the BNP, praised by historian Andrew Roberts, and the subject of two recent biographies on his war years by the American writer Carlo d’Este and Max Hastings (1). As the Second World War nostalgia industry gets into gear – passing the 70th anniversary of the European branch of the war (the Chinese-Japanese war starting earlier) – the build up goes on towards the marking of the Battle of Britain and ‘our finest hour’ next summer. ‘Into the Storm’ was a timely
The Next Wave of Scottish Nationalism and the Campaign for Self-Government
The Next Wave of Scottish Nationalism and the Campaign for Self-Government Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, October 19th 2009 Scottish politics seem to be at a key moment, attracting interest from across the UK and internationally, even winning the accolade of an editorial from the famously Londoncentric ‘Guardian’ and columns from Jackie Ashley and Martin Kettle. The SNP, according to ‘The Guardian’, is a party which is ‘a far cry from the era of Winnie Ewing and Margo MacDonald’ and ‘today’s SNP is now a professional political party of a recognisably modern kind’ (1). If the party’s metamorphosis has
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The Rise of the Scottish Nationalists, the Scottish Dimension and What Happens to England and the UK: A Symposium
The Rise of the Scottish Nationalists, the Scottish Dimension and What Happens to England and the UK: A Symposium Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, October 15th 2009 In a series of newly commissioned essays to mark the opening of the SNP’s Annual Conference in Inverness, the party’s 75th anniversary and the publication of the first ever study of the contemporary party, ‘The Modern SNP: From Protest to Power’ this week, Our Kingdom brings together four commentators on the changing nature of the politics of Scotland and the UK (1). In an introductory essay, Gerry Hassan, editor of ‘The Modern
The Scottish Nationalists, Alex Salmond and the Slur of Fascism
The Scottish Nationalists, Alex Salmond and the Slur of Fascism Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, September 30th 2009 It is not often that you come across an essay so wrong-headed, opinionated and inaccurate that it is worth drawing attention too – in part because the writer is one with an influential past, and because it validates English and centre-left xenophobic traditions of Scotland and these isles. That sadly is the fate of Tom Gallagher’s ‘The Scottish Piazza Echoes to the Liberation Beat’, published on Harry’s Place (1). Gallagher has written several books on Scottish society over the years, albeit all of
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Scottish Labour Changes its Position Yet Again on the Independence Vote!
Scottish Labour Changes its Position Yet Again on the Independence Vote! Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, September 28th 2009 Just as British Labour is gearing itself up as best as it can for the forthcoming election, without money, resources or much hope - the Scottish Labour Party is doing the same. The attack lines are being drawn and the old battle cries dusted off and rehearsed. The Monday of Labour Party Conference saw addresses from Jim Murphy, Scottish Secretary of State, and Iain Gray, technically, ‘Leader of the Labour Group of the Scottish Parliament’ lay out the ground of Labour versus
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Gordon Brown’s ‘Fightback’ and the Wreck of Brighton Pier
Gordon Brown’s ‘Fightback’ and the Wreck of Brighton Pier Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, September 27th 2009 Gordon Brown’s latest ‘fightback’ began with his interview with Andrew Marr this morning on the opening day of Labour Conference. It was fitting that as the two Scots sat in one of the Brighton seafront hotels the main backdrop between them was the withered wreck of the Brighton West Pier. A more fitting symbol of post-war Britain it would be hard to find. The West Pier was damaged in the Second World War, had a seedy post-war afterlife, was finally shut in 1975, and
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The Difficulties of a Pan-British Conversation on Independence: Michael Portillo’s Table Talk
The Difficulties of a Pan-British Conversation on Independence: Michael Portillo’s Table Talk Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, September 18th 2009 Michael Portillo, once arch-Thatcherite and now permanent member of the chattering classes and the world of TV luvvies, themed an episode of his ‘Dinner with Portillo’ series on ‘Why Should We Care About Scottish Independence?’ (1). Drawing together seven middle-aged, middle class men like himself for some fine food and wine and the occasional conversation, the group hardly embodied ‘social inclusion’ - ranging from members of the British establishment such as Timothy Garton Ash and Vernon Bogdanor to media wannabees such
The Slow Demise of Labour Britain: New Evidence from Wales
The Slow Demise of Labour Britain: New Evidence From Wales Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, September 17th 2009 Another indication of the unravelling of the British political system as we have known it is the crisis Welsh Labour has found itself in – along with Scottish Labour. Both of these were two of the main pillars of the British Labour Party and hence the Labour story of Britain, and with it of course, ‘the British dimension’ of Labour. The crisis of Welsh Labour is the subject of a short, revealing piece by Martin Kettle in Wednesday’s ‘Guardian’ (1). He explores the
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