Gerry Hassan
@gerryhassan.bsky.social
1.6K followers 320 following 1.9K posts

Writer commentator academic. Books Editor, Bella Caledonia; Co-founder Kirkcudbright Fringe Festival; Co-editor, 'Britain Needs Change: The Politics of Hope & Labour's Challenge', pub. Nov. 28 2024.

Gerry Hassan is a Scottish writer, commentator and academic. He currently holds an Honorary Professor title at Glasgow Caledonian University for Social Change, having previously worked at the University of Dundee and the University of the West of Scotland, where he completed his doctorate. He has also previously worked for the Institute for Public Policy Research and Demos where he led their Scotland 2020 and Glasgow 2020 programmes and OpenDemocracy. He has written for the Scottish and UK press, including The Spectator, The Scotsman, The Herald, Holyrood, Sunday Mail, The Guardian and The National (Scotland) on topics and issues related to the United Kingdom, particularly Scotland and Scottish Independence. .. more

Political science 50%
History 39%
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gerryhassan.bsky.social
The fear politics of the European radicalised right: the front cover of 'The European Conservative'. A white European family sit in their home with animated Islamic & LGBT activists outside threatening their sanctuary. All coded signs about the threat to 'Western civilisation.'

gerryhassan.bsky.social
The inequality of death. Israelis die in the conflict and are killed. Palestinians 'die' and when killed it often passes unstated with who killed them unidentified.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Above photo: Denis Law in action in Scotland v Czechoslovakia, World Cup qualifier, 1973.

Details: A Kirkcudbright Fringe dinner. Sat Nov 22 at the Selkirk Arms, 6.30pm for 7.00pm start. Book early due to limited places. Tickets from Selkirk Arms reception: 01557 330402.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
The day after Scotland's men's football team put everyone through a surfeit of emotions join football broadcasting legend Archie Macpherson relive the great highs and lows of Scottish football. In conversation with Jonny Northcroft. A Kirkcudbright Fringe dinner: Sat Nov 22, Selkirk Arms, 7.00pm.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
The world's politicians & media have to talk about Israeli occupation. The illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands is central to the conflict. So many politicians & media cannot even say the words: 'Israeli occupation' in effect taking Israel's side. HT Ayman Odeh.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Donald Trump is a terrible speaker as well as an awful politician & leader who plays to the most base instincts. No centre-left leader would be able to get away with such meandering, self-indulgent, self-congratulatory speeches filled with half-truths & deceptions. #Trump

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Fascinating from Kate Forbes saying: ""Labour’s ambition for Scotland is to be more like England."
Traditionally the SNP have tried to miscast Lab & Scot Lab. This goes further trying to misrepresent unionism as an assimilation & takeover of Scotland. Inaccurate & bad politics. #SNP25

gerryhassan.bsky.social
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist."
Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, quoted by Pope Leo.
Pope Leo calls for news agencies to stand as bulwark against "post-truths," lies and manipulation
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the "ancient art of lying" and manipulation.
www.cbsnews.com

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Scotland 2 Belarus 1. Winning is always good. But that was grim to watch as Scotland struggled against Belarus ranked 100th in the world. Six points are great but cannot disguise two tepid home performances bar the last half hour against Greece. #WorldCupQualifiers

gerryhassan.bsky.social
"Belarus are now in control of the game" says James McFadden rightly. While #BBC commentator Liam McLeod has said from the start "performances do not matter" to excuse the poor play of Scotland. #SCOBLR #WorldCupQualifiers

gerryhassan.bsky.social
The wisdom & genius of George Costanza:
“I don’t want hope. Hope is killing me. My dream is to become hopeless": George to Jerry in Seinfeld.
Was George the greatest ever TV sitcom character? The Summer of George; The Opposite; head of the Aryan Union to name a few. #Seinfeld

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Thank god the Rangers board only run Rangers FC. Talk about staggering levels of incompetence.

As for Stephen Gerrard: "It's not you, it's me". Isn't that the classic break-up line of George Costanza in Seinfeld?

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Hi Pat, Great show & performance. Loved it all & hope you did as well.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Superb Saturday night music with the force that is Hue and Cry: Pat and Greg and their full band getting into the groove of their deep hits & sounds at the magnificent Paisley Town Hall. HT @patkane.bsky.social

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Know some SNP & indy supporters still think such heretical questions should not be asked. But post-2014 the SNP has undertaken no serious work progressing indy or doing the heavy lifting needed to address the big issues. Pretending all is well & keeping quiet aids no one.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Are the SNP leadership really serious about independence in 2026? Or are they trying to give that impression to party members? Could it be that promoting independence without doing anything substantial about it is a way to divert the attention of voters from their record in office? #SNP

gerryhassan.bsky.social
The grubby nature of power & men who think they can do anything. Jeffrey Epstein invited into Downing Street to meet Tony Blair. All aided by Peter Mandelson, Jonathan Powell & Bill Clinton. What a cast of reprobates. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Tony Blair met Jeffrey Epstein in No 10 on advice of Peter Mandelson, documents reveal
National Archives papers show how then MP pushed for 2002 meeting between PM and ‘young and vibrant’ financier
www.theguardian.com

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Nigel Farage & Richard Rice standing with a group of Brexit Party MEPs arriving at the European Parliament at Strasbourg to take their seats in July 2019. With Nathan Gill standing next to him who Farage claims he barely knows.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
A View from the Terrace has been a joy over its past seven series. Shame it has now been cut by #BBCScotland from 60 mins to 45 mins. And shame that this week's show was filmed before the Scotland v Greece game.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Trump: "Where's my Peace Prize?" From Matt Davies. #NoblePeacePrize

gerryhassan.bsky.social
#OTD 10 October 1974. Harold Wilson is reelected Labour Prime Minister being returned for a fourth term: a record then & to this day for a Labour leader. Labour won an overall majority of 3 while the SNP returned 11 MPs & 30.4% of the Scottish vote: record highs until 2015.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Ash Regan leaving the Alba Party is surely its final death-knell. Always verging on the comedic with its splits & divisions it has never in its 2.5 years ever elected a representative or made any real impact even with Alex Salmond. A lesson in how not to run a party.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
The UK's right-wing media are having a meltdown about the Green Party's Zack Polanski. They have had it easy too long & have forgotten what it is like to have their groupthink challenged.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Yet more whinging from the self-preservation elite. A mere 7% of the UK population go to private schools & refuse to 'integrate' with the remaining 93%.

Yet this minority comprise the vast majority of senior journalists & media, judiciary, senior legal profession & more. Very off-putting.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
69% of respondents in Great Britain are of the opinion that Donald Trump should NOT be awarded the #NoblePeacePrize in the future. A mere 14% think he should.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 has been awarded to Venezuelan democracy activist María Corina Machado.

She has been awarded the #NobelPeacePrize because she is in every way the exact opposite of Trump: pro-democracy, principled, courageous. All of which Trump is not.

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Kirsty MacColl (1959-2000) would have turned 66 today. A great talent, composer, singer & musical collaborator. She was tragically killed in the Gulf of Mexico in 2000 when struck by a speedboat in a swimming area; the owner of the boat was never punished. #KirstyMacColl

gerryhassan.bsky.social
The joy & surprise on the face of Lyndon Dykes after he nicked that third goal is a glorious, glorious sight. #Scotland #WorldCupQualifiers

gerryhassan.bsky.social
Scotland 3 Greece 1. What an impressive & consequential result by #Scotland. Great heart & commitment & a major steal with that late save from Gunn crucial. A feel-good result but we do have to try play football to a higher technical level at every tier. #WorldCupQualifiers