The Beginnings of an Alternative Scotland
The Beginnings of an Alternative Scotland Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, April 28th 2012 What a week it has been - Murdoch, Trump, Rangers FC and of course the economy going into double dip recession. It is all-reminiscent of that last period of acute crisis, a failing, nervous political class and economic instability: the 1970s amplified by Dominic Sandbrook’s excellent current TV series on the decade. Scottish debate on the economy has for many years been shaped by two contradictory strands. The first has been the power of conventional economics, concerns over our relative economic growth rate compared to the
Alex Salmond, Rupert Murdoch and the Pitfalls of Crony Capitalism
Alex Salmond, Rupert Murdoch and the Pitfalls of Crony Capitalism Gerry Hassan The Guardian Comment, April 26th 2012 Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, has emerged as a significant player in the Leveson inquiry. This is a result of the release of 163 pages of emails from News Corporation which have publicised the extent of their contacts with the Scottish Government. The charge is that the Scottish Government were prepared to go into bat for the Murdoch empire as a quid pro quo for ‘The Sun’ supporting the SNP in last year’s elections. This is contested and denied by Rupert
Continue Reading Alex Salmond, Rupert Murdoch and the Pitfalls of Crony Capitalism
The Missing Million Scots: What Do You Do When Democracy Fails You?
The Missing Million Scots: What Do You Do When Democracy Fails You? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, April 7th 2012 A causal observer might think that the Scottish political classes love consultations and going through the motions of public engagement and dialogue. This is evidenced in the simultaneous UK and Scottish Government consultations on the independence question; something we have seen before with the ‘national conversation’ and the Calman Commission. While politicians and their supporters invoke the public, no one seems to take cognisance of who is missing from this debate, who they are, why and what we might do
Continue Reading The Missing Million Scots: What Do You Do When Democracy Fails You?
The Fourth Most Unequal Country in the Developed World
The Fourth Most Unequal Country in the Developed World Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 17th 2012 One of the most important influences shaping the coming debate on the future of Scotland will be the nature of Britain. While various anti-independence campaigners interrogate every aspect of the Scottish Government’s case, they overall fail to deal with the reality of modern day Britain. The actions and reputation of the British government matter, along with the condition of the state, society, economy and culture. We have travelled a long way from the 1970s when John P. Mackintosh summarised the Scottish Nationalist case
Continue Reading The Fourth Most Unequal Country in the Developed World
Breaking the Grip of ‘Fantasy Island Britain’: Social Justice, Scotland and the UK
Breaking the Grip of ‘Fantasy Island Britain’: Social Justice, Scotland and the UK Compass, March 15th 2012 Gerry Hassan The Scottish independence debate has many dimensions, Scottish, English, British, European and global. It is also one that the insular London political class and media have only episodically covered the last forty years, being content to rest on ‘Braveheart’ and romantic, restless nationalist stereotypes. It is then timely and apposite that the Fabian Society in association with Compass held a discussion under the theme, ‘Debating the Scottish Independence Referendum: What Future for the United Kingdom?’ with Labour
Continue Reading Breaking the Grip of ‘Fantasy Island Britain’: Social Justice, Scotland and the UK
They Might Be Giants: Social Justice and the Forgotten Scotland
They Might Be Giants: Social Justice and the Forgotten Scotland Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 10th 2012 A new vogue has swept across the globe: concern about inequality. From the Davos World Economic Forum to Occupy Wall Street, from Barack Obama to David Cameron and Ed Miliband, there is an acute awareness of this issue, from talking about the superabundant wealth of the top 1% to the constant political chatter about ‘fairness’. The world is perilously unequal and growing more so. One billion people per day go hungry while another one billion are obese. GDP per capita of the
Continue Reading They Might Be Giants: Social Justice and the Forgotten Scotland
Scotland Names the Big Day and the Alex Salmond-Rupert Murdoch Relationship
Scotland Names the Big Day and the Alex Salmond-Rupert Murdoch Relationship Gerry Hassan The Guardian Comment, February 26th 2012 The launch of ‘the Sun on Sunday’ may have caused shockwaves in media and political circles in the corridors of power in London, but its headline about an Amanda Holden exclusive surely didn’t. North of the border things were very different where a distinct Scottish version of ‘the Sun on Sunday’ was even more eagerly awaited and didn’t disappoint. This was following Rupert Murdoch’s tweet this week that he was in favour of Scottish independence, declaring, ‘Let Scotland go and
Continue Reading Scotland Names the Big Day and the Alex Salmond-Rupert Murdoch Relationship
Do we really want a Socially Just Scotland?
Do we really want a Socially Just Scotland? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, February 25th 2012 We all like to think that one of the most proud Scottish traditions is our commitment to social justice, caring about and acting to aid those in disadvantage and poverty. If the ongoing debate about Scotland’s constitutional status is to be meaningful and relevant beyond the political classes, one powerful argument is that it should put at its centre the promotion of social justice. Poverty fell over the Labour decade of growth; from 1998-99 to 2008-9 Scots poverty rates fell by more than in
Continue Reading Do we really want a Socially Just Scotland?
Stop the World, Scotland wants to get on!
Stop the World, Scotland wants to get on! Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, February 18th 2012 Scotland has been all over the world news these last few weeks: the independence debate, David Cameron’s high profile intervention, and of course the saga of Glasgow Rangers FC. What has been missing from the Scottish debate is an engagement with the wider environment beyond Scotland, both in relation to the UK and internationally. In times it almost seems as if the debate is being undertaken, irrespective of opinion, in a vacuum. The prevalent Scottish debate amongst politicians, commentators and seasoned observers is to
What do ‘Fred the Shred’ and David Murray Tell Us About Scotland?
What Do 'Fred the Shred' and David Murray Tell Us About Scotland? Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, February 17th 2012 This is not another article on football. The Rangers crisis has filled the airwaves and media this week. For the second time this year Scotland has gone international and viral, spreading across the globe connecting the diaspora and other interested parties. Many people ask how this came to pass with Rangers. All kinds of reasons and conspiracies are proposed: pro-Rangers bias, anti-Celtic opinion, Protestantism/anti-Catholicism, and the carve up of ‘the Old Firm’ duopoly. We need to lift our heads from
Continue Reading What do ‘Fred the Shred’ and David Murray Tell Us About Scotland?
