Gerry Hassan PhD - Scottish Politics, the Rise of Reform, and the Case for Independence
Dr. Gerry Hassan is a professor of social change at Glasgow Caledonian University and one of Scotland's most prolific political commentators. He has written and edited numerous books on Scottish politics, society, and culture, and contributes regularly to debate through articles, media appearances, and his own blog. His work spans the politics of devolution, independence, and the broader shifts reshaping the UK and the Western world. Timestamps 00:01:53 — Erosion of the social contract across the West 00:03:30 — Scotland's insider political class and cautious centrism 00:05:09 — The collapse of two-party politics since the 1950s 00:07:45 — Reform as a false anti-establishment force 00:08:37 — Anger among older voters and the "golden generation" 00:09:55 — Immigration as an existential issue for some communities 00:13:38 — Right-wing media radicalisation: GB News and beyond 00:15:33 — The far right, Rupert Lowe [see note below], and language without guardrails 00:19:32 — Reform's rise in Scotland and the missing right-wing constituency 00:23:56 — Why the SNP keeps winning after 19 years in government 00:27:58 — Scottish independence: no postmortem, no progress since 2014 00:32:00 — Independence as a factor in the Scottish Parliament election 00:35:55 — The UK's geopolitical decline and Scotland's role on the world stage 00:40:38 — EU rejoining: a medium-to-long-term question 00:43:57 — Wealth creation, child poverty, and early years intervention in Scotland Dr. Gerry Hassan's Blog: https://gerryhassan.com/
