Scottish Politics and the Politics of Change after Social Democracy
Scotland and the Politics of Change after Social Democracy Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, March 9th 2011 Scotland likes to see itself as a radical nation. An egalitarian country. A country of socialism and more latterly social democratic and progressive values. A nation which never voted for the Tories in large numbers in recent decades, didn’t like Mrs. Thatcher and didn’t buy into Thatcherism. A political community which has stood for timeless Scottish values of caring for the vulnerable, compassion and not buying into the certainties of the last few decades which have obsessed Westminster and Washington. It is a
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After Devolution: How Do We Change Scotland?
After Devolution: How Do We Change Scotland? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 8th 2011 The last decade of Scotland has shown the limits of devolution and the power of the forces of caution and conservatism – despite our belief that we are radicals, rebels and challengers of orthodoxy. There were several accounts of devolution, but the dominant, prevailing one was not about transforming Scottish society or a supposed ‘new politics’. Instead, it was about legitimising the existing vested interests and forces of institutional Scotland. There have been many positives in the last decade: the effortless establishment of the
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How We Grow Up in Scotland
How We Grow Up in Scotland Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, March 5th 2011 Scotland we know has its fair share of problems, but we used to tell ourselves a set of comforting stories to disguise this. One was that we were an egalitarian nation. Another was that this was a child friendly society – due to things like Children’s Panels – but fortunately you don’t hear that much anymore. Susan Deacon, former Labour minister was commissioned by the Scottish Government to look at early life experiences - with ‘Joining the Dots: A Better Start for Scotland’s Children’ the result. Deacon
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