Scottish Men

Scotland’s Shame Deniers and the Silence of Men Gerry Hassan Open Democracy. March 7th 2011 The power and pull of Scottish football reaches into every nook and cranny of Scottish society for good and ill. It obsesses us, transfixes us and blinds us to addressing so many things in our country. The most recent Celtic v Rangers game has shown that football has a life force of its own which takes over most of Scotland: three Rangers players sent off, 13 yellow cards, the Celtic manager and Rangers assistant in a bitter exchange, hundreds of arrests, and the number of

Continue Reading Scotland’s Shame Deniers and the Silence of Men

The Language of Violence Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, February 19th 2011 For many years I have thought that changing Scotland involved talking about issues, policy and politics. I have slowly begun to realise that this is putting the cart before the horse. Instead we have to take a much more important and simple first step: learning how to debate, discuss and disagree in an appropriate manner. All across Scotland in public and private life – there is a low level language of violence which sometimes leads to action. We see this in personal relationships, public spaces and in our politics.

Continue Reading The Language of Violence

The End of the Revolutionary Line: The Demise of Tommy Sheridan Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, December 24th 2010 The jury in the Glasgow High Court has found Tommy Sheridan guilty of perjury. His political career and hopes, whatever his rhetoric, lie in ruins, as does the party he helped found – the Scottish Socialist Party – which he briefly made a semi-potent electoral force. This is the end of a long journey for a revolutionary dream, illusion and fantasy – in which Scotland for a period had the world’s most electorally successful Trotskyite party. It has been three years since

Continue Reading The End of the Revolutionary Line: The Demise of Tommy Sheridan

A Short List of Things I Love About Living in Modern Scotland Gerry Hassan August 26th 2010 Years ago – inspired by the ending of ‘Manhattan’ the film – I wrote a list of over twenty things that made feel glad to be alive. Woody at the end of the film – feeling down in the dumps – cites a load of things that make life worth living; I cant remember if like me he cited Frank’s voice, but I feel he did in spirit, and can still recall him mentioning Louis Armstrong and other jazz references. That list got

Continue Reading A Short List of Things I Love About Living in Modern Scotland!

The Last Man of Iron: Who Comes After the Jimmy Reids of this World? Gerry Hassan Open Democracy, August 13th 2010 The tributes to Jimmy Reid have been many and fulsome. They have come from across the political spectrum and from near and far – from his hometown of Glasgow to the Govan of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders, to across the UK and internationally. If Reid hadn’t lived and led the public life he did, you almost feel that he would have been invented. His life and persona told the story of a certain part of Scotland: of Red Clydeside, the

Continue Reading The Last Man of Iron: Who Comes After the Jimmy Reids of this World?

Breaking the Silence of Scottish Men Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, July 18th 2010 This essay is written as a contribution to starting a debate which is crucial and critical for Scotland’s future: the state of Scottish men. We urgently need to start a wide-ranging debate about Scottish men and masculinities, our behaviour, attitudes and assumptions. And we need men to contribute to this. Over the next few months I plan to contribute a number of pieces on this, writing in Friday’s ‘Scotsman’ on what a ‘good man’ would entail, with further pieces to follow. We have a

Continue Reading Breaking the Silence of Scottish Men

What Would a ‘Good Man’ in Scotland Look Like? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, July 16th 2010 Scottish society historically and in contemporary times has long been shaped by men and masculine values. This is a society where for long it made sense to be a certain kind of man – tough, resilient, hard and seemingly powerful – whether it was working in a factory or shipyards or on a farm. Today, we have to acknowledge that we have serious problems with Scottish men – which can be charted statistically, but even more culturally and socially. Scottish men have poor health,

Continue Reading What Would a ‘Good Man’ in Scotland Look Like?

It’s More than a Ball Game: Scottish Football and Culture Gerry Hassan February 14^th 2010 The state and importance of Scottish football both fascinates and repels large parts of Scotland – but there can be little doubt that the condition of the game and how we see it throws light on Scottish culture and society. In the last week, I have watched Motherwell v Rangers and Aberdeen v Celtic live on TV, and went to the St. Johnstone v Dundee United cup tie. Taking all three of these together gives a number of pointers about the health of the game.

Continue Reading It’s More than a Ball Game: Scottish Football and Culture

The Glorious World of Scottish Football Commentary Gerry Hassan February 1st 2010 I am still recovering from the amazing experience of being at Rugby Park and the crazy world of last Saturday’s Kilmarnock v. Dundee United match. A gorgeous Scots winter day for a start; it has taken me thirty years of football-watching to see a 4-4 draw and honestly it could have been much higher. United were 3-1 up after 35 minutes and looked like they would score a barrowload, and then when Killie fought back, aided by United kamikaze defending, and went 4-3 ahead in the

Continue Reading The Glorious World of Scottish Football Commentary

The Power, Psychology and Problems of Scottish Football Gerry Hassan January 17^th 2010 Scottish football holds a place in the centrestage of Scotland, and even more it has a mythical power and importance over much of our culture: an importance which I believe has increased in the last thirty years as other vessels and phenomena we invested our hopes in: political and social bit the dust. One of the paradoxes of this age has been this move towards a coercive sense of ‘collective joy’ about football as it has become more corporatised and in Scotland in a number of respects,

Continue Reading The Power, Psychology and Problems of Scottish Football