The problem we have with some men in public life
The problem we have with some men in public life Gerry Hassan The Scoisman, August 25th 2012 Politics and public life have for centuries been male dominated and while there have been huge changes in the last few decades too many men still seem to live in a different age. In the last week with the Julian Assange extradition case, we have witnessed George Galloway and Craig Murray, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, venture into territory no one should go into. Then there was Ian Davidson’s combative behaviour towards Isabel Fraser, followed up by Michael Kelly in these pages
Continue Reading The problem we have with some men in public life
Men must learn what it takes to ask for help
Men must learn what it takes to ask for help Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, February 11th 2012 The Scottish suicide figures reported in ‘The Scotsman’ this week illustrate that we have a deep, challenging set of problems as a society. ‘British Journal of Psychiatry’ research revealed that the Scottish male suicide rate was 31 per 100,000 compared to 17 per 100,000 south of the border. It showed an increasing problem with 15-34 year old men in particular. This alarming story can be used to suggest something pre-determined about Scotland, painting a predictable picture about Scottish society and lifestyles
Continue Reading Men must learn what it takes to ask for help
The Scotland of a Different Generation and The Last Game of ‘the 42’
The Scotland of a Different Generation and The Last Game of ‘the 42’ Part Two Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, January 18th 2012 The whole day out to Peterhead was enjoyable and entertaining and made me reflect. This was a warm, sociable group of Celtic fans. There were no pub bores or people who dominated the conversation of the whole bus. There was leadership, organisation and a culture of soft collective discipline. Some of the songs being sung on the way up wouldn’t pass the Offensive Behaviour Act 2011. But what do I make of that? Singing of the hunger
Continue Reading The Scotland of a Different Generation and The Last Game of ‘the 42’
Football, Friendship and ‘the 42’
Football, Friendship and ‘the 42’ Part One Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, January 17th 2012 Many things matter to Scots: politics, culture, religion, the list is endless and varied. But to many nothing matters more in life than one thing: football or more accurately, their football club. In the last few years myself and my best friend Eddie have undertake a tour of the Scottish 42 football teams, from the big grounds of the Scottish Premier League (SPL) to the once big teams making up Division One, and the struggling minnows of the lower divisions. Nearly all human life
Why are so Many Women’s Voices Missing from Scottish Public Life?
Why are so Many Women’s Voices Missing from Scottish Public Life? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, December 24th 2011 Scotland was once a masculinised culture and society, a place where men built big, heavy things and large numbers of women stayed at home. We have changed in many respects, and to some the separate worlds of men and women’s work have almost disappeared. This is the feminisation of Scotland to some, seen in the gender revolution that was the first Scottish Parliament which saw record numbers of women MSPs, numerous women Cabinet ministers, and a raft of prominent women
Continue Reading Why are so Many Women’s Voices Missing from Scottish Public Life?
The Power of Black and White Scotland
The Power of Black and White Scotland Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, November 5th 2011 Scottish political debate is characterised and marred by a host of difficult divides and fractures. There is anti-Nationalist Labour hatred; the rage of the so-called ‘cybernats’; and a widespread, almost national sport of anti-Toryism. All of these are part of a Scottish problem which we see not only in our politics, but also across society, culture and football. Why do large parts of the Labour Party so virulently hate the SNP? And why do part of the Nationalist community, ‘the cybernats’
Ian Davidson, the Labour-SNP Divide and the Language of Violence
Ian Davidson, the Labour-SNP Divide and the Language of Violence Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, October 28th 2011 Does the recent Ian Davidson-Eilidh Whiteford controversy matter? Is it a storm in a political teacup? Or does it reflect something wider and more sinister in our culture? First, there are the alleged words of Ian Davidson, Labour MP for Glasgow South West, about giving a woman, Eilidh Whiteford, SNP Banff and Buchan MP, ‘a doing’, meaning threatening actual physical violence and abuse. This does sound like the sort of thing that Davidson could say; he has form with using aggressive, hard,
Continue Reading Ian Davidson, the Labour-SNP Divide and the Language of Violence
What is the Problem with Scottish Men?
What is the Problem with Scottish Men? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, June 11th 2011 The story of Scottish men is a familiar one as well known as that of Scotland itself. There is the story of local heroes, Bravehearts, conquerors and warriors, along with a few explorers and inventors through our history. In the present day this panoply of possibilities has reduced to one about confusion, negativity and about men who have mostly lost their way. Men dominate most of the public life of Scotland: politics, business, media, the public conversations and public spaces. However, there is a deep
The Story of Becoming a Modern Scottish Man: Part Two
The Story of Becoming a Modern Scottish Man: Part Two Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, June 9th 2011 First, my father took voluntary redundancy from NCR in 1978. He was for a period of six months unemployed and went on a government-training centre course. This involved him fine-tuning his arithmetic and maths skills to a level I was well past, so I was able to assist my dad’s tutoring. I felt ashamed that my dad was unemployed. We lived in a working class neighbourhood filled with bank managers, teachers, and people running small firms. I had only known one unemployed
Continue Reading The Story of Becoming a Modern Scottish Man: Part Two
The Story of Becoming a Modern Scottish Men: Part One
The Story of Becoming a Modern Scottish Man: Part One Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, June 8th 2011 I am a Scottish man and I think we have a problem. There is the familiar story of Scots men behaving badly – drinking, being violent, committing crime, harming others and themselves. We have the worst health and life expectancy for men in Western Europe, and shameful suicide rates for men. Then there is the stereotyping of Scottish men – with clichés about ‘the West of Scotland man’ and the caricaturing of some of our poorest communities by middle class professionals talking
Continue Reading The Story of Becoming a Modern Scottish Men: Part One
