A Scottish Spring At Last!
A Scottish Spring At Last! Gerry Hassan May 7th 2011 It has been a very Scottish revolution. Peaceful, considered, calm, the mood almost indiscernible. And yet something profound and long lasting has changed. To the sages and cynics who said this was a ‘boring’ or ‘dire’ election, Scotland has spoken. This is a dramatic shift, a watershed and re-aligning election, and one which is the product of immediate and long-term factors. We have witnessed our ‘Were you up for Portillo?’ moments, although Andy Kerr and Des McNulty hardly cut it in class or importance. We have seen the West
A Scottish Watershed Election!
A Scottish Watershed Election! Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, May 6th 2011 Scotland emerges from its election completely and utterly changed. A huge historic Nationalist victory; the worst Labour result in seats since 1931; the Tories still despite a decent campaign in retreat; and the worst Liberal result since 1970s. This is a Scotland of surprises. The SNP won 45.4% of the constituency vote to Labour’s 31.7%, a lead of 13.7%; while on the regional list the SNP won 44.0% to Labour’s 26.3%, a lead of 17.7%. This has produced a Parliament of SNP 69 (+23), Labour 37 (-7), Con
A Time of Change and Hope in Scotland
A Time of Change and Hope in Scotland Gerry Hassan May 5th 2011 This has been an interesting, illuminating Scottish election; a transition between an old Scotland and a still unfinished new one. This can be seen in the slow shift from Labour to the SNP; in the balance between old voices and new; the role of mainstream media and new media platforms. Many of the mainstream media commentariat have missed this. Thus Katie Grant and Lorraine Davidson who I was on the eve of poll ‘Newsnight Scotland’ (1) called the election ‘dire’, ‘lifeless’ and ‘lacking in anything positive’,
After the Landslide? Scottish Labour Begins its Election Post-Mortem
After the Landslide? Scottish Labour Begins its Election Post-Mortem Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, May 3rd 2011 The Scottish Labour Party is - whatever you think of it - one of the great defining institutions of 20th century Scotland. It has contributed significantly to the public life, ideas and personalities of our nation. And it is in serious trouble. It has fought one of the most disastrous election campaigns in recent memory anywhere in the UK, although not quite on the same level of Labour’s self-destruction in 1983. The latest poll by TNS-BMRB for STV (1)
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Election could be big crunch for Labour and SNP
Election could be big crunch for Labour and SNP Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, April 30th 2011 The Scottish elections have been shaped by two diametrically opposed campaigns, with two different themes and moods, one SNP and one Labour. They have met with very differing responses from voters, with the SNP surging ahead in the polls as Labour have badly stumbled and blown a double-digit lead. Alex Salmond has talked of the SNP offering ‘a positive vision of the future’, one filled with optimism and hope. This is of course the language and rationale that the Nationalists used in the
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Scotland’s Election, the Future of the Union and Ed Miliband’s Labour
Scotland’s Election, the Future of the Union and Ed Miliband’s Labour Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, April 26th 2011 Three opinion polls in a row have now given Alex Salmond’s SNP double digit opinion poll leads (1). Bookmakers William Hill offer odds for the SNP of 2/9 on and Labour of 3/1 to be the biggest party in the Scottish Parliament after May 5th: a huge turnaround from barely a week ago (2). It is now fashionable and commonplace to dismiss modern elections as ‘boring’ and the Scottish elections are no exception. The normally thoughtful Alf Young in ‘Scottish Review’
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The Scottish Election Comes to Life
The Scottish Election Comes to Life Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, April 21st 2011 Suddenly Scotland is everywhere on the British airwaves and media. Two very different sides of the nation. Alex Salmond’s cheeky sunlit Nationalists, the scheming separatists in Labour parlance on one side, and on the other, the dark side of football, ‘the Old Firm’ and sectarianism. To some English listeners and viewers, this fantasy/nightmare Scotland portrayed by these accounts must seem like a strange land. A place where the population lives the life of reilly on English subsidies while complaining all the time that their culture of
What is happening to Scottish Politics, its Future and Why It Matters?
What is Happening to Scottish Politics, its Future and Why It Matters? Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, April 19th 2011 Something interesting is happening in Scottish politics. The forthcoming elections were meant to see the return of Scottish Labour and normal service resumed. Instead, the SNP is pulling ahead, Labour is slipping back, confused and fighting an inept campaign, while in a sign of the times Murdoch’s ‘Scottish Sun’ has – unlike last time – just come out for the SNP, with a front page endorsement of Alex Salmond, ‘Play It Again, Salm’ (1). This later story has got the
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How the London Political Classes See Scotland and the Future of Scottish Politics
How the London Political Classes See Scotland and the Future of Scottish Politics Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, March 30th 2011 There is now a discernable political trend of London based centre-left policy wonks and commentators attempting to demystify or understand the dynamics of Scottish politics and falling flat on their faces. Recent examples have ranged from Matthew Taylor’s offensive ramblings comparing Scotland and Japan after the earthquake and nuclear crisis, to the more thoughtful contributions of Nick Pearce, head of IPPR, and now Sunder Katwala, head of the Fabians. From a different direction, Neal Lawson, chair
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Whatever happened to Scottish Labour?
Whatever happened to Scottish Labour? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, February 26th 2011 Scottish Labour is a party with a great history, tradition and folklore. This was a party once filled with radicals, firebrands, dreamers, agitators and orators – people who believed in a better world – not just as a vague concept, but a living alternative to the inequities of capitalism. 1980s Labour had its Indian Summer of Robin Cook, Gordon Brown, John Smith and Donald Dewar who combined idealism and pragmatism. How come then it has ended up with Iain Gray? Is its current state terminal or if the
