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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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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Bad politics leads to pad politics – from Trump to Brexit to Scotland
Bad history leads to bad politics – from Trump to Brexit and Scotland Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, September 2nd 2020 The past is always with us, being remade and reinterpreted to suit the needs of the present. Yet in today’s world of complexity, change and messiness - as well as constant information and disinformation - a lot of questionable interpretations of the past are gaining currency and being used to justify bad politics in the here and now. The most obvious is Trump who, despite over 180,000 Americans officially dead from COVID-19, is running for re-election as President on a
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We need to talk about sexism in Scotland
We need to talk about sexism in Scotland Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, August 26th 2020 Last week one story gripped part of Scotland. This was not COVID-19 or the independence majority in two polls. Rather it was the fallout from the Kirsty Wark programme on the Alex Salmond trial. There is no need to or repeat those discussions – although they did bequeath a new word ‘Warkumentary’ which isn’t meant to be a compliment – the substance of which I explored last week. But what has been illuminating amongst all the opinions and passions unleashed has been that, for a
The aftermath of the Alex Salmond trial and Kirsty Wark’s take on Scotland
The aftermath of the Alex Salmond trial and Kirsty Wark's take on Scotland Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, August 19th 2020 Alex Salmond is one of the towering figures of post-war Scottish politics - a politician who dramatically changed the country and his party’s fortunes, taking it into office in 2007, winning majority government in 2011, and taking Scotland close to independence in the 2014 referendum. He has always been a divisive figure: loved by some, hated by others. This division has become increasingly bitter in the aftermath of the trial in March of this year in which he was charged
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The rise and fall of civil society in Scotland
The rise and fall of civil society in Scotland Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, August 12th 2020 Last year in the US in the town of Williamstown, Massachusetts I got into a conversation with a complete stranger who followed politics avidly. I naturally asked him about the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election, to which he responded that even more important than defeating Trump was the vibrancy and health of civil society. It struck me as a perceptive remark in seeing past the debris of the Trump Presidency and looking at something deeper, more long-term and centred on the health of
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The SNP, Salmond and Sturgeon and the limits of court politics
The SNP, Salmond and Sturgeon and the limits of court politics Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, August 5th 2020 The UK is in turbulence. The UK Government has failed us on matters of life and death. Scotland has felt very different, even if on some of the fundamentals of COVID19 it has not been actually that different. At the same time the SNP has soared in the polls, Nicola Sturgeon’s ratings have outshone everyone else and independence has moved into the majority. To some this looks like our future - a slow disentanglement from the UK state. Yet across the world,
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My Scotland and Glasgow during lockdown
My Scotland and Glasgow during lockdown Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, June 24th 2020 The past three months have been different to anything any of us have previously experienced. We have all lived our lives differently; changed our patterns of behaviour, both work and personal; and been affected by the absence of people who we would normally regularly see and meet, as well as friends, family and people we know becoming ill. Alongside this other big stuff has happened. There has been the staggering incompetence of the UK Government which has contributed to the avoidable deaths of thousands of UK citizens.
When music could make the future: The legacy of Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney
When music could make the future: The legacy of Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, June 17th 2020 Music is pivotal to what it is to be human. It is part of our universal language and connected to how we live, breathe and at a fundamental level the rhythm of the human heart. A world without music would seem to be missing part of the human spirit – and to an extent the current COVID-19 pandemic seemed like the day the music stopped. Concerts big and small, festivals corporate and local, records shops and many new
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The legacy of Empire is not just about the past but all about present day Scotland and Britain
The legacy of Empire is not just about the past but about present day Scotland and Britain Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, June 10th 2020 Black lives matter has become an international issue with street protests, rallies and gatherings across the globe. People have been mobilising, getting animated and becoming visible as they emerge from the shadows of lockdown. In Scotland and the UK home-made slogans and painted posters have appeared tied to railings and hanging from windows, while in Bristol the statue of slave owner Edward Colston was toppled by a crowd and thrown into the harbour. Debates have
