Where have all the leaders gone?
Where have all the leaders gone? Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, September 20th 2017 We have a problem with leaders - specifically, a dearth of them in Scotland, the UK and most of the Western world. There is a crisis of authority, trust and legitimacy with, for some, populism, trusting instincts and voicing your inner rage all that is left. Who do we trust to speak to us, to listen and understand our problems? To offer a guide that points in a direction and takes us there at a speed and consistency that respects anxieties and doubts, and the need to
Holyrood has given Scotland independence of the mind
Holyrood has given Scotland independence of the mind Gerry Hassan The Guardian, September 11th 2017 Twenty years ago today Scotland voted 3:1 for the establishment of a Scottish Parliament. It was clear the old Westminster system of governing Scotland was discredited. Voters recognised it was undemocratic, and produced bad politics and legislation. The case for change had become a consensus – ‘the settled will’ in John Smith’s description – that the referendum merely and validated. Twenty years later devolution has been a success. There are no serious calls for the Scottish Parliament to be abolished or for a return of
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It’s Time for Dangerous Talk: Jaytalking Scotland
It’s Time for Dangerous Talk: Jaytalking Scotland Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, September 15th 2016 These are strange times. We are told everyday in every way by numerous experts and talking heads that this is an age of unprecedented change, uncertainty and flux. That nothing can be taken for granted. Yet this is also an age of great conformity and conservatism; not only in mainstream politics but in large acres of what passes for popular culture – from music to novels, theatre, comedy, TV and visual arts. Scotland fits into this pattern rather well. It has shaken the UK to near
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Who will make the big, bold decisions if Nicola won’t?
Who will make the big, bold decisions if Nicola won’t? Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, March 6th 2016 These are supposedly exciting times in the broad sweep of Scottish history. There’s the epic spectacle of the referendum; a union questioned and nearly broken; and an upsurge of political engagement, activism and hopes. Yet, sometimes the predominant story of any period belies much of what it is going on. Take the art of government and making decisions as an example. How local government is paid for might sound arcane and boring, but it is one that politicians have long been wary of
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Where does real political power sit in Scotland? And where do we want it?
Where does real political power sit in Scotland? And where do we want it? Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, September 6th 2015 The Scottish Parliament is one of the central pillars of public life. It has become the unquestioned landmark and focus of domestic politics in the country. People look to it, want it to have more powers, and generally trust it much more to look after their interests than Westminster. That is all good and well. Yet, when people think of the Scottish Parliament what they tend to have a vision of is not the reality, but the broad idea.
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Time for an Independence of the Scottish Mind
Time for an Independence of the Scottish Mind Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, August 9th 2015 A second independence may be off the agenda of SNP conference for now, but Alex Salmond regards it as ‘inevitable’. Such are the pressures and tensions of success. Where do you take a movement which came close to winning independence last September? How do you balance pragmatic and idealist hopes? What do you after the SNP ‘tartan tsunami’ of May this year which carried nearly all before it – and, when your opponents are so weak and disorientated? There is talk in places of a
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Making the Debate on More Scottish Powers Real
Making the Debate on More Scottish Powers Real Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, July 5th 2015 Another week has seen more turbulence and uncertainty across Europe, north Africa and the Middle East. The unprecedented Greek vote on European Union intransigence will, whatever its outcome, have huge continental implications. In this frenetic period, what have Scottish politics been dominated by, since the May general election? From nearly every corner and political persuasion – from the SNP to Labour, Tories, Lib Dems and Greens – the incessant talk has been of ‘more powers’ and whether the Smith Commission and ‘the Vow’ is being
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Power to the People not the Political Class
Power to the People not the Political Class Gerry Hassan Sunday Mail, March 1st 2015 The airwaves this week have been filled with the sound of politicians crashing and burning. Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw were caught in yet another ‘cash for access’ scandal, while on the next day, English Green leader Natalie Bennett found it impossible to offer the most basic costings of her party’s housing policies. These instances - and the reactions of politicians and public to them - raise questions about what kind of politicians voters want to represent them. And what kind of politics. Once upon
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Scottish Labour: The Never-ending Soap Opera That Matters
Scottish Labour: The Never-ending Soap Opera That Matters Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, October 29th 2014 Scottish Labour loves talking about itself. The evidence for this is everywhere in the last few days, in print media, TV and radio studios, and social media. Organisations which have lost their way, which are in decline and crisis, often do this as a displacement activity. Think of the Tories ‘banging on’ about Europe, or the BBC post-Savile. Such behaviour is never a good sign. It makes people think their internal obsessions are important, and that the minutiae of such debates matter to the
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Seven Suggestions for Scottish Labour to be the Party of Change
Seven Suggestions for Scottish Labour to be the Party of Change Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, April 20th 2013 It seems to be the age of seven questions as Tony Blair once again acts as an uncomfortable sage for Labour and Ed Miliband. With Labour meeting in Inverness this weekend and the party’s Devolution Commission interim report out, it is time for Scottish Labour to assess where it is and what it needs to do to change and to start shaping the political weather. Here then are my seven observations and suggestions for you Johann: 1. Careless Talk Costs Political Lives
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