Scottish Independence

The Birth Pains of Scottish Democracy and the Anguish of ‘Posh Scotland’ Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, February 26th 2014 Many strange things will be written about Scotland this year. Some will be uncomprehending, some inappropriate or wrong, with others likely to be malevolent and wishing to sew seeds of confusion or distrust. One existing strand is the pain expressed by some English media voices. There is the liberal ‘Guardian’ reading classes, some of whom have just bothered in the last few weeks to look north from their cosmopolitan concerns and to plea, ‘don’t leave us alone with the wicked Tories’.

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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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Radical Nostalgia Scotland and Why We Can’t Go Back to the 1970s Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, February 5th 2014 Scotland’s current debate on independence comprises many conversations. They centre on what we were, are and could be, and who did what to whom in the past, and what it means about where we are now, and what we could become in the future. Many of these aspects were to the fore last week at a Jim Sillars-Alex Neil event to launch Jim’s new book, ‘In Place of Fear II’, under the auspices of ‘Yes Airdrie’. On a cold Thursday night,

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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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Be Clear Who Britain is Great For Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, January 18th 2014 The independence debate is about many things - politics, practicalities, personalities. More than this it is about emotions – ranging from hope and fear, to anger, indignation and even incomprehension. We have heard enough about the supposedly ‘Braveheart’ idea of Scottish independence, but what of the emotional case for Britain and the union? There is still a powerful, resonant argument for the UK in its present form which has appeal and a rationale, albeit a declining one. This week Chris Deerin in ‘The Guardian’ (in a

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Why the Politics of Hope not Optimism are the Future Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, January 4th 2014 One of the great myths of modern life is the power of optimism. Optimism, so the argument goes, can get you far. It can make you a winner, change individual life circumstances, make people rich or help them battle out of poverty. In the world of politics and campaigning, optimism is seen by many as the key particularly in American Presidential elections – such as Ronald Reagan in 1984 (‘It’s morning again in America’), and Barack Obama in 2008 (‘Yes We Can’) 

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Does Scotland Really Want to be the Land of Equality it tells itself it is? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, December 28th 2013 There  is a deeply rooted belief in Scotland that we as a society and community, prioritise and value the idea of equality. This is something found in modern politics, and also in history, tradition and myth. From Burns and ‘We’re a’ Jock Tamson’s Bairns’ to the Declaration of Arbroath as an expression of popular sovereignty, each year these are told and reaffirmed at Christmas and New Year. This is who we are - inclusive, less individualistic and more

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Where is the United Kingdom going in relation to Europe and the world? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, December 21st 2013 The United Kingdom is on the move. Firstly, in how it sees itself in relation to Europe, and secondly, in how it understands and places itself in the world. Take Europe. There is now a rising Euro-scepticism which is very different and more thoughtful, compared to ‘the swivel-eyed loons’ of Tory leadership nightmares, or the retired Colonel Blimp image of Ukip’s unqualified anti-Europeanism. This more nuanced Euro-scepticism is seen in the ‘Fresh Start’ group of Tory parliamentarians, chaired by Andrea

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