Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
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 talk of Scotland in isolation. Whether unionist, nationalist or neither, many people embrace, often without understanding it, an ‘independence of the mind’.
This imaginary Scotland is a self-determining territory which operates without much relation to the British state. The crises of the euro zone and European Union go unstated. And even more fundamentally, the global economic crisis, and that of Western enlightened liberalism and social democracy, usually pass without comment. Read the rest of this entry »
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 with negative and damaging connotations.
The reality is complex. Alana Atkinson, head of the Choose Life anti-strategy strategy pointed out that there has been a 14% decline in the number of people committing suicide in the last nine years. Read the rest of this entry »
So who will speak out for a better Scotland?
Gerry Hassan
The Scotsman, February 4th 2012
Human beings have a need to associate, to feel they belong and to be part of wider groupings.
We all recognise this, but we also know some of the limits: the power and negativity of being in a gang, tribe or group, of including and excluding.
In my life many things have defined how I see myself and how I interpret the world: various values, philosophies, labels and outlooks, from politics to culture to of course, football.
I used to define myself as a left-winger and as part of the universalist left project which sought to bring emancipation across the globe. I was also a member of the British left and Scottish left. Read the rest of this entry »
We need to have a One Question Referendum. It is that simple!
Gerry Hassan
The Scotsman, January 28th 2012
The Scottish Government has announced its suggested question for the forthcoming referendum, ‘Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?’
At the same time it has suggested that ‘civic Scotland’ might like to organise, define itself and the idea of ‘devo max’, and ask a second question.
This sounds attractive on first hearing. Two questions would allow ‘devo max’ to be on the ballot paper reflecting some argue where the majority or the largest group of public opinion, currently sits. It would allow us to more easily avoid a potentially divisive debate on ‘Yes/No’ on independence versus the status quo, and sidestep the pains and pitfalls of the black and white tribalism which still characterises too much of Scotland.
Sadly for advocates of a two-vote referendum their arguments do not convince, and are actually a hinder to proper democratic deliberations. Read the rest of this entry »
The Self-Preservation Society of ‘Civic Scotland’
Gerry Hassan
The Scotsman, January 21st 2012
‘Civic Scotland’ has been spotted these last few weeks, out in public, on manoeuvres, laying out their claims to be not forgotten in ‘the great debate’ about to ensue.
The official story of ‘civic Scotland’ matters because various people in the voluntary sector, trade unions and churches are articulating a very partial version of history to justify their place and stance now. And at the minimum we should, like every aspect of public life, put this and its claims under proper scrutiny.
‘Civic Scotland’ says that it created and gave expression to the Scottish Constitutional Convention, which in turn gave birth to the Parliament. This is myth and folklore.
For a start, the Convention wasn’t an adequate expression of civil society. It was an unrepresentative gathering of the great and good, of the political and administrative classes who had their noses by the Thatcher Government. Read the rest of this entry »
