Principles and Politics in Contemporary Britain by Mark Garnett

Author:Mark Garnett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Politics, policymaking, policy-making, pragmatism, consensus, Conservatives, Labour, Thatcherism, environmentalism, feminism, ideology, socialism, social democracy, conservatism, liberalism, Owenism, SDP, nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Welsh nationalism, immigration, Europe, New Labour, Blair, CND, animal rights
ISBN: 9781845407261
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2013
Published: 2013-10-28T00:00:00+00:00

6: Nationalism in UK Politics

While the fall of communist regimes in 1989-90 brought widespread rejoicing in Eastern Europe, many western observers expressed concern about the likely consequences. World politics were hardly stable during the period of the Cold War, and many populations suffered under regimes which existed only to serve superpower interests. The supposed ‘balance of terror’ established between NATO and the Warsaw Pact might have had a pleasing symmetry for statesmen and military strategists, but this feeling was mostly confined to those who could hide from the consequences of their mistakes in nuclear bunkers. Yet despite the proxy wars, puppet governments and general insecurities, the presuppositions of the Cold War had brought a few undeniable comforts. Most importantly, as new realities became clearer it seemed that the old system had kept nationalism in check. With this restraint removed, the scope for conflict within and between states suddenly looked greater than ever.

The effects of the end of communism were quickly registered on the map. New republics replaced the former Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia split into two states and Germany was reunited. The processes were relatively smooth compared with the hideous violence that accompanied the break up of Yugoslavia - ironically, a state which had avoided Soviet domination under Marshal Tito. The effects were not confined to Eastern Europe, as refugees keen to exercise new freedoms of movement added to existing migrations into the more prosperous western countries. The result was increased support for nationalist parties in these states, which were already experiencing economic difficulties. Apart from well-publicised incidents in Germany, the Italian Northern League joined a coalition government with the new party Forza Italia (which itself benefited from nationalistic feelings), and the French National Front under Jean Marie le Pen continued to poll well. While rationalistic observers pontificated about the inevitable decline of nation-states under the impact of technological change, activists throughout the world were busy trying to establish or reassert their collective sense of identity. Francis Fukuyama, the prophet of ‘The End of History’ dismissed nationalism as a transient phenomenon. But it seemed likely to outlast the celebrity of his eccentric thesis (Fukuyama, 1992, 266-75).

Nationalism is certainly an unsettling political force. It is also a highly complex phenomenon, eluding neat definitions. Its effects depend on the context in which it is manifested (Smith, 1995, 13-19). As events in South Africa have shown, it can truly be creative if leaders are skillful and sincere. In other cases it is exploited as a vehicle for personal ambition, and provides a token cause to legitimise the operations of thugs and fanatics. Perhaps because of an imperial history in which liberation movements were inevitably portrayed as public enemies, the British (or rather the English) have tended to overlook the creative side of nationalism. As a result, it is often regarded as an unfortunate malady which only ever afflicts other peoples. Despite the existence of popular nationalist parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (and the important role that nationalism plays within English-based parties), books on UK politics usually downplay this awkward sentiment.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.