The British Empire is still very much alive and kicking
The British Empire is still very much alive and kicking Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, September 23rd 2020 The British Empire has never really gone away. Its presence and influence has always been here - sometimes in the background, often in the foreground, being invoked, defended and even celebrated by some. It is there in the ridiculous debates about the UK ‘punching above its weight’ on the global stage, the painful dependency of UK elites on ‘the special relationship’ with Washington, and all the clinging to the wreckage of the UK’s diminished international status and that’s without mentioning Brexit. Like
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The political and moral collapse of the Conservative Party, conservative thinking and unionism
The political and moral collapse of the Conservative Party, conservative thinking and unionism Gerry Hassan Sunday National, September 20th 2020 The clue is meant to be in the name - the Conservative and Unionist Party. The Unionist moniker may refer first and foremost to the union with Ireland, but has a wider meaning in relation to the union that makes up the United Kingdom. Tory unionism has historically gone to the core of the party’s DNA. At its peak – electorally and instinctually – between the 1920s and end of the 1950s, it gave
Perfidious Albion and the demise of Conservatism
Perfidious Albion and the demise of Conservatism Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, September 16th 2020 It has not been a good week for the UK’s reputation - domestically or internationally. Boris Johnson’s shameless government of chameleons and charlatans showed their true colours by declaring their intentions to run a horse and cart through international law. To make matters worse this was not on some arcane or ancient piece of legislation but rather the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between the UK and EU in November last year and which provided the basis of the emphatic Tory election victory in December. All of
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The UK is a Rogue State
The UK is a Rogue State Gerry Hassan Sunday National, September 13th 2020 The UK Government took the UK’s reputation to an all-time low in the past few days. Tragically, Britain’s descent into potential illegality, breaking agreements and weakening peace in Northern Ireland comes as no surprise. Even if part of this bravado turns out to be bluster and bluff, this deep chasm at the heart of UK government and elites will have lasting damage. We have travelled a long and painful journey to get to this point. One which says much about the state of Britain, degeneration of
Scottish Tory Troubles at the top, in the party and in the unionist cause
Scottish Tory Troubles at the top, in the party and in the unionist cause Gerry Hassan Sunday National, August 2nd 2020 Jackson Carlaw’s resignation was the biggest hit of his short leadership. It marks the end of one of the most unhappy periods of any Scottish party leader. Its only defining characteristics were that it was short and yes, he wasn’t very good. But it does underline bigger troubles in the Tory and unionist world. Carlaw lasted 168 days in the job. Many of these saw him restricted - like Jo Biden in the States - to his house due
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Border troubles point to the long-term crisis of unionism in Scotland and the UK
Border troubles point to the long-term crisis of unionism in Scotland and the UK Gerry Hassan Sunday National, July 5th 2020 Reaching 100 days since the start of the UK lockdown was always going to be a milestone, but in many places it has been marked by a kind of cabin fever irritability and over the top remarks. Boris Johnson attempted to convince voters that he was the inheritor of Roosevelt’s political ambition and wanted a ‘New Deal’ in a speech he made in Dudley - whilst 56 miles away, the residents of Leicester were having to deal with a
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Scotland’s future as an independent nation is being created in the here and now
Scotland’s future as an independent nation is being created in the here and now Gerry Hassan Sunday National, June 28th 2020 Independence is back in the news and making the news. Truth is it never went away, but last week’s 54:46 poll in this paper set a surge of energy through the Scottish political scene. The British state and government, and Boris Johnson’s serial incompetence and inability to tell the truth in a national crisis of life and death proportions, is making the case for independence. Johnson represents all that most Scots are repulsed by - a posh entitlement
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The long descent to Dominic Cummings and what comes after?
The long descent to Dominic Cummings and what comes after? Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, May 27th 2020 The story of Dominic Cummings has been everywhere in the past few days. Meanwhile the actual total of UK excess dead from COVID-19 is according to the Financial Times at a cautious figure of 64,000 and will shortly exceed the number of British citizens killed in the Second World War (67,200). The real scandal is much more alarming than Cummings, and goes way beyond his breaking the lockdown in making a 500 mile round trip to County Durham with his wife and child.
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Disunited Kingdom: Will England break-up the Union?
Disunited Kingdom: Will England break-up the Union? Gerry Hassan Sunday National, May 17th 2020 This past week the UK Government finally woke up to the make-up of the United Kingdom. This has been painful for some at the centre of the UK Government - some having been in deliberate denial for years, while others on the right still want to fight what would be a futile rearguard operation to reverse devolution. This crisis has seen the continual rhetoric of a ‘four nation approach’ which was meant to signify Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland marching in lockstep with whatever the UK
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Is Boris Johnson the most incompetent UK Prime Minister in living memory?
Is Boris Johnson the most incompetent UK Prime Minister in living memory? Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, May 13th 2020 This is a time of national and international crisis. Governments and leaders need to step up to the plate; be honest, open and adaptive, and treat their citizens as adults who know these are difficult times and that inevitably mistakes will be made. In this environment Boris Johnson and the UK Government have had numerous advantages: newly elected in a December election with a comfortable majority of 80, a Prime Minister known for his ability to communicate, and with a relative
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