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9 - Dancing to a Different Tune: Identity Politics and Political Change in Scotland, 2007–19

from Part III - Brexitland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 September 2020

Maria Sobolewska
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
Robert Ford
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
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Summary

In this chapter we turn to the story of the Scottish independence referendum, to showcase how social and political context play a critical role in critically shaping identity conflicts. Similar demographic and value divides were present in the Scottish Independence and EU referendums, and in both contexts a nationalist party had surged to prominence in part by mobilising these divisions and promoting constitutional change. Both Independence and Brexit won their strongest early support from identity conservative voters wishing to ‘take back control’, and in both cases the electoral success of nationalist parties advocating withdrawal from a larger union was a key factor leading to the holding of an exit referendum. Yet despite these parallels, the politics of the two referendums has been very different. Different patterns of identity attachment explain the divergent patterns of conflict and ultimately their outcomes – Scottish attachments to an overarching British identity are much stronger than English or British attachments to a European identity, while negative views of England and Westminster as out-groups are much weaker in Scotland than negative views of the EU and Brussels as out-groups in England. We also reflect on what lessons the political aftermath of divisive referendum campaigns Scotland offers.

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Chapter
Information
Brexitland
Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics
, pp. 250 - 283
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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