Ten Years on from 2014: Making Sense of the Next Ten Years of Scotland
Ten Years on from 2014: Making Sense of the Next Ten Years of Scotland Gerry Hassan Sunday National, 29 September 2024 The ten-year anniversary of Scotland’s indyref has come and gone relatively unmarked. For something which shook things up so much it was very quiet and understated, a low-key affair from every political persuasion, media and academia. This does not mean that the ten-year point is not significant. Rather it is a time to pause, to draw breath and reflect on what has passed, on the bigger context and forces changing Scotland and the UK, and what the future may
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Scotland Ten Years on from the Indyref
Scotland Ten Years On from the Indyref Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, 18 September 2024 Ten years ago today Scotland voted 55% to 45% to remain in the UK union and against independence. This was a momentous, historic watershed under which we are still living, not yet having come to terms with its consequences and continued influence. Many across the political spectrum, pro and anti-independence, have struggled post-2014. But most of the mainstream politicians who participated in the 2014 campaign, including SNP senior figures and strategists, failed to see the indyref at the time in its wider context - of a
Project: The Next SNP. Deadline: Post-2026 Election
Project: The Next SNP. Deadline: Post-2026 Election Gerry Hassan Sunday National, 25 August 2024 The SNP meets next weekend in Edinburgh in a state of transition which marks the end of one political era - that of SNP dominance - and the beginning of a new era. The SNP is experiencing a mix of emotions in having to navigate a very different political environment from the one that it has become used to since 2007. It has experienced election defeat, political turbulence - and a crisis of party, government and independence. The SNP used to have a positive narrative and
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Are we witnessing the Strange Death of Nationalist Scotland?
Are we witnessing the Strange Death of Nationalist Scotland? Gerry Hassan New Statesman, 29 July 2024 Twelve years ago, I co-wrote The Strange Death of Labour Scotland – a historical account of how Labour’s dominance of Scotland ended. At the first public event held to discuss the book, the land reform campaigner Andy Wightman commented rather prophetically that “in a decade you will be writing the follow-up - “The Strange Death of Nationalist Scotland”. And so, it has come to pass. In the 2024 election, Labour swept back from near-extinction in 2015 to take 37 seats, reducing the SNP to
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What is missing from Scottish politics, the SNP and independence and can we rectify it?
What is missing from Scottish politics, the SNP and independence and can we rectify it? Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, 16 February 2022 What are the main characteristics of Scottish politics? Fifteen years into SNP Government the party is still popular; the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has ratings any incumbent could only dream of having. Yet underneath this, things don’t quite seem right. There is a stillness across Scottish politics and public life. For a start there is no credible opposition to the SNP. The Tories under Douglas Ross just don’t cut it; while Labour under Anas Sarwar might have a
Scotland’s progressive politics needs some championing
Scotland’s progressive politics needs some championing Gerry Hassan The National, 30 November 2021 Scotland’s progressive values have defined much of our politics - the first 20 years of devolution, majority opposition to Thatcherism, and the independence debate. And yet for all their wide support they need attention, nurturing, and championing. On Saturday Plaid Cymru voted to endorse a deal with Welsh Labour for a co-operation agreement in government covering 46 areas including free school meals for primary children, free childcare, and tackling the second homes crisis. Adam Price, Plaid leader, said that this renewed “trust in a new democracy with
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Scotland’s choices and future after the election
Scotland’s choices and future after the election Gerry Hassan Sunday National, April 23rd 2021 It has been a momentous week. The George Floyd verdict put racial justice and police violence in the US centre-stage, while the over-reach of the plutocrats involved in the European Super League self-destructed in 48 hours. The scale of Tory sleaze and corruption surrounding Boris Johnson and his government rises by the day, with contracts and public monies awarded via access to the UK PM’s mobile phone number and What’s App discussions returning government to a Dickensian system of private favours and kleptocracy. Next week will
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The battle for Scotland and the language of apocalypse from Andrew Neil and the right
The battle for Scotland and the language of apocalypse from Andrew Neil and the right Gerry Hassan Bella Caledonia, November 20th 2020 One of the recurring themes of Scottish politics, from those of a pro-union disposition who are trying to find ammunition to attack the SNP and independence, is the propensity to dismiss the record of the Nationalists in office in language which borders on the apocalyptic. This entails talking of Scotland as some kind of disaster, basket case – while ignoring where such logic would take descriptions of Boris Johnson’s government. Some of this overblown rhetoric is a sign
What comes after Richard Leonard for Scottish Labour? Time for an Independent Labour Party
What comes after Richard Leonard for Scottish Labour? Time for an Independent Labour Party Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, September 9th 2020 Scottish Labour once seemed to have an ironclad grip on Scottish politics, winning election after election, and seeing off opponents whether it was Tories, SNP or the occasional Lib Dem. For two political generations - from 1959 to 2007 - Labour won every single nationwide election for Westminster in seats, and from 1964 in votes; and in the first two Scottish Parliament elections to 2007. It became defined as the party of power, the insider class and hence,
Scotland needs fundamental change. A nationalist project is not enough
Scotland needs fundamental change. A nationalist project is not enough Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, October 16th 2019 Five years after the indyref and three years after the Brexit vote Scottish politics feels like it is in a holding pattern, full of pent up pressures, but stuck in a vortex of powerful forces beyond its control. The SNP, who just met at their annual conference in Aberdeen, are by far the leading party. Yet their dominance can be overstated, it being aided by the fragmentation of multi-party politics, divided opposition and the negatives of Labour and Tories. The most recent
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