To be Welsh a d Labour are to be the sa e thi g

To be Welsh a d Labour are to
be the sa e thi g
The Political Manipulation of National Identity in
Wales and the Basque Country
Sophie Williams
PhD Student
Department of Political and Cultural Studies
Swansea University
620522@swansea.ac.uk
Presentation Outline
Frames of Basqueness
Frames of Welshness
Reasoning and Comparison
Political Consequences of Framing
Moreno Question
When asked to describe your national identity, would you say that you
feel:
• Welsh Only
• More Welsh than British
• Equally Welsh and British
• More British than Welsh
• British Only
• None of the Above
Framing
• Theoretical tool used primarily in a social movement context
• Imagine a picture frame encased around elements of
national identity, and the structure supporting that frame
• For example, a frame of Welshness could include speaking
Welsh, but not being born in Wales
• Silences what is not in the frame
Framing Basqueness
Broadly fit into two camps:
Spanish Nationalist (PP, PSE-EE and UPyD)
Basque Nationalist (EH Bildu and PNV)
In Navarra:
Navarrese/Spanish Nationalist: (UPN)
Basque Nationalist: (Aralar)
Spanish
Nationalist
UPN
UPyD
Basque
Nationalist
Framing Basqueness
PP and PSE-EE: agree that the Basque Country is a part of Spain, one of its
histo i atio alities a d oppose Bas ue i depe de e
In so doing, subsume Basque identity under a broader Spanish identityconsider Spain both a state and a nation
EH Bildu and PNV: believe the Basque Country is a stateless nation and not
part of Spain/France, support Basque independence
Interviewees did not hold any Spanish identity but considered themselves
only Basque
One felt that people who considered themselves to be Basque and Spanish
were insufficiently Basque
Partido Popular
Siempre nos hemos sido lo mismo, vascos y españoles, nunca hemos
sido…algo diferenciada
[We ha e al ays ee the sa e thi g, Bas ue a d Spa ish, e e
never been something different]
PSE-EE
Euskadi es u i e to políti o del año sete ta y siete…Euskadi o o
comunidad no existía anteriormente, es un invento.
[ Euskadi is a political invention of 1977..as a community it never
existed prior to then, it s an invention]
Partido Popular
Me extraña la poca lealtad, o la deslealtad, con la que han utilizado
los a io alistas…los i st u e tos de autogo ie o…ha estado
utilizando nuestra situación en contra de España
[The lack of loyalty, or the disloyalty with which the nationalists have
used the instruments of self-go e
e t a azes e…they e used
our situation to act against the interests of Spain]
PSE-EE
[El nacionalismo es] un poco racista, es un poco xenófobo…al
final, son personas cobardes
[ {Nationalism is} a bit racist, a bit xenophobic…at the end of
the day, they e cowards]
EH Bildu
Hemos convivido con culturas, que las hemos visto
nacer y o i …he os visto el Imperio Romano, y
como muerto, y todas las culturas que han pasado
por Europa, hemos sido contemporáneas, y han
desaparecido, y el pueblo vasco se mantiene.
[We have lived alongside cultures whose birth and
death we have witnessed, we have witnessed the
birth and death of the Roman Empire, we have been
contemporaries of all the cultures that have passed
throughout Europe and have disappeared, and the
Basque people live on.]
Tratan por todos los medios posibles de
silenciar las diferenciadas nacionalidades que
hay en el estado español.
PNV
EH Bildu
[They use all possible avenues to try and
silence the different nationalities that exist
within the Spanish state]
[Es] un lastre, es una rémora, es un peso
ue te ue te e os det ás…es o o u a
gran piedra que llevamos arrastrando, no nos
hace falta para nada.
[{It s} a e u
a e, a hi d a e, a dead
eight that e ha e ehi d us…it s like a
huge stone that we are dragging along, it is of
no use to us whatsoever.]
Alguien que se diga vasco no puede poner
ningún obstáculo a la lengua.
[Anyone who calls themselves Basque cannot
put any obstacle in the way of the language.]
EH Bildu
Yo pienso que realmente, los vascos
concretos son los que quieren ser
reconocidos como vasco en el mundo.
[I think that, realistically, real Basques are
those who wish to be known as Basques by
the rest of the world.]
Plaid Cymru
Believe Wales to be a stateless nation and desire further devolution
and eventual independence
Do not generally subsume Welshness within Britishness- believe it to
be a distinct entity and largely responded Welsh Only
Inconsistent Frame
It s… ot su p isi g that they see us as a Welsh pa ty, a d o ly fo Wales…a d
they e ight… e a e the o ly pa ty fo Wales
I thi k e e got to e e y a eful…[the pa ty is] a politi al fo e, a d it s at
its est he it does that, a d does t get i ol ed i eth i de ates o
language debates and all the rest of it
Welsh Labour
Believe Wales to be a nation within the UK state, oppose independence
but support further devolution
Interviewees responded More Welsh than British but felt it was
possible to hold multiple identities
Consistent Frame
We believe we represent the largest bulk of voters…[people ho a e]
patriotic …people ho a t to see o e auto o y fo Wales, o e
devolution, a strong Welsh identity, but see no problem with being British as
ell a d ould t suppo t independence
It s exceptionally important that people feel that you are strongly rooted in
Wales if you want the people of Wales to listen to you
As a political strategy, it has been very important to us
to be able to capture the ground that says you can be
Welsh and Labour, in fact, to be Welsh and Labour are
to e the sa e thi g…Wales is a La ou atio , if you
want to be Welsh, then being Labour will be a very
atu al…fit…that s our message, that it is perfectly
possible and natural in Wales to be Labour
Welsh Liberal Democrats
Believe Wales to be a nation within the UK state, oppose independence
but support further devolution
Interviewees responded More Welsh than British but felt it was
possible to hold multiple identities
Clear frame:
The o e alues of the pa ty…a e e y Welsh values
Welsh Conservatives
Believe Wales to be a nation within the UK state, oppose independence
but support further devolution
Interviewees responded Equally Welsh and British; felt it was entirely
possible to hold multiple identities
Consistent frame: A unionist party with Welsh identity that has been
particularly fostered following devolution
A Welsh organisation, but very much a British party
[The party] was perceived as being anti-Welsh, a d that s
hy I thi k e e o ked, pe haps ha de tha a y othe
political party, to become more Welsh
Relationship to Devolution
All parties felt that Welshness and devolution were inextricably linked and that a need to develop a
frame of Welshness could be connected to the advent of devolution:
Plaid Cymru:
Our o Asse ly, ou o go e
e t, I thi k that has defi itely…e a led us to
eate that ide i i ide tity…it a tually e t e hes the o ept of a Welsh
nationality in place
Welsh Liberal Democrats:
At least it s Welsh people o ki g up o
ehalf of othe Welsh people
Welsh Conservatives:
It s difficult to know cause and effect, but I think they kind of go together, that the
a i al of de olutio as …a edis o e y of…Welsh disti ti e ess
Welsh
Conservatives
Si e 97… e e ee e y p oa ti e i
supporting the values of the Assembly and the
alues of Wales…the last fiftee -odd years
have been a journey of transition for Welsh
Conservatives, from, basically, just being part of
the overall UK party, to being a very distinct
and separate entity now.
It has had to react to the establishment of the
Asse ly… ut it s also ee p oa ti e i
developing that separate Welsh identity and
that sepa ate Welsh a d, that s hy e e
now called the Welsh Conservative Party.
Questions
One: How effective it is? For example, are focus group participants able to
accurately identify these frames? If not, does this suggest the framing is not
being sufficiently politicised, and if so, why not?
Two: Is it eeded? Do the pa ties thi k it s i po ta t at ele tio ti e? Do
they thi k it s i po ta t to the ele to ate? Do the ele to ate thi k it s
important enough to condition their voting choice?
If yes, can a disconnect between party and electorate account for electoral
failu e, o the opposite i.e. a it i p o e a pa ty s ele to al pe fo a e?
If no, why are they bothering to frame at all?
Preliminary Thoughts
In the Basque Country, it appears well-politicised, with focus group participants easily able
to ide tify the diffe e t pa ties positio i g o these issues
Parties and voters responding to one another- electorate better informed and more
engaged Also appears important and can condition votes
In Wales, the opposite is the case:
- Not well-politicised- fo us g oup pa ti ipa ts ould t eadily ide tify f a es, pote tially
due to lack of political awareness and education- highly stereotypical understanding of
parties
- Does t appear important- did t thi k thei ide tity e essa ily o ditio ed thei oti g
choice
- Moreover, the parties agreed- many thought people voted primarily based on other
factors
- Hence the question: why frame at all?
Conclusion
• Parties in Wales and the Basque Country create polarising frames of
Welshness and Basqueness through political manipulation of national
identity
• Based on conceptualisation of Wales and the UK, the Basque Country
and France/Spain
• Frames are concrete in the Basque case, less so in its Welsh
e ui ale t; fu the , Welsh f a es do ot o espo d to ele to ate s
views
• Questions on the politicisation of these frames- How effective it is?
For what purpose is it used? What is its relationship to electoral
success?
Diolch!
Merci!
Gracias!
Thank you!
Eskerrik asko!