Eve Hepburn - Using Europe: Territorial Party Strategies in a Multi-Level System

series editor Charlie Jeffery

Devolution has established new political institutions in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, London and the other English regions since 1997. These devolution reforms have far-reaching implications for the politics, policy and society of the UK. Radical institutional change, combined with a fuller capacity to express the UKs distinctive territorial identities, is reshaping the way the UK is governed and opening up new directions of public policy. These are the biggest changes to UK politics for at least 150 years.

The Devolution series brings together the best research in the UK on devolution and its implications. It draws together the best analysis from the Economic and Social Research Councils research programme on Devolution and Constitutional Change. The series has three central themes, all of which are vital components in understanding the changes devolution has set in train.

1 Delivering public policy after devolution: diverging from Westminster: Does devolution result in the provision of different standards of public service in health or education, or in widening economic disparities from one part of the UK to another? If so, does it matter?

2 The political institutions of devolution: How well do the new devolved institutions work? How effectively are devolved and UK-level matters coordinated? How have political organisations which have traditionally operated UK-wide political parties, interest groups responded to multi-level politics?

3 Public attitudes, devolution and national identity: How do people in different parts of the UK assess the performance of the new devolved institutions? Do people identify themselves differently as a result of devolution? Does a common sense of Britishness still unite people from different parts of the UK?

Devolution and constitutional change in Northern Ireland
Paul Carmichael, Colin Knox and Bob Osborne (eds)

Beyond devolution and decentralisation
Alistair Cole

Between two Unions
Europeanisation and Scottish devolution Paolo Dardanelli

Territorial politics and health policy
UK health policy in comparative perspective Scott L. Greer

The English Question
Robert Hazell

Devolution and electoral politics
Dan Hough and Charlie Jeffery (eds)

The Northern Veto
Mark Sandford (ed.)

Towards a regional political class?
Professional politicians and regional institutions in Catalonia and Scotland Klaus Stolz

Debating nationhood and government in Britain, 18851939
Perspectives from the four nations
Duncan Tanner, Chris Williams, Wil Griffith and Andrew Edwards (eds)

Devolution and power in the United Kingdom
Alan Trench

Eve Hepburn

Copyright Eve Hepburn 2010

The right of Eve Hepburn to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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ISBN 978 0 7190 8138 5

First published 2010

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This book was motivated by the belief that something had fundamentally changed in the conduct of territorial mobilisation in Europe. After having studied ethno-symbolist theories of nationalism at the London School of Economics, and costbenefit calculations of secession in Quebec at McGill University, it seemed to me that the realities of substate party mobilisation in Europe had moved beyond the literature. Nationalist parties were no longer seeking independence, framing their demands in an ethnic manner, or competing exclusively for the hearts and votes of substate electorates. Instead, regional parties of all political creeds had begun talking about exercising self-determination in a modern European construct. It appeared that state sovereignty had lost its meaning, as territorial demands bypassed the state to strike a chord in Brussels, and the notion of independence began to be questioned in an era of interdependence and globalisation.

This book is a first attempt to explore how substate political parties responded to the new complexities of multi-level politics by using Europe to advance their territorial projects. It is the product of several years of research and multiple sojourns to some of the most fascinating yet understudied stateless nations and regions of Western Europe. Yet it would never have been written without the support and encouragement of a large number of individuals. My greatest thanks go to Michael Keating, my doctoral supervisor, who provided a continuous source of advice and inspiration throughout this research project. My interest in, and grasp of, these issues owes much to Michaels ground-breaking works on comparative territorial politics, and his coaching that one should always try to think across several fields, subjects and disciplines when tackling complex phenomena in order to give them the considered analysis they deserve. Charlie Jeffery, as Editor of the Devolution Series as well as my postdoctoral mentor at Edinburgh University, has offered me unflinching guidance, support and countless insightful comments on this book. Also, my thanks go to Jenny Howard and Tony Mason at Manchester University Press for helping me get this manuscript ready for publication, as well two anonymous referees who provided valuable comments on previous drafts.

I am greatly indebted to my colleagues at the European University Institute and the Territorial Politics team at the University of Edinburgh. As the risk of missing someone out, I would like to mention here Gavin Anderson, Luigi Bettelli, Ross Bond, Falk Daviter, Anwen Elias, Chiara de Franco, Frida Louise Gransson, Paul Harvey, Ailsa Henderson, Jennifer Hendry, Simon Jennings, Peter Mair, Nicola McEwen, Olivia Orozco de la Torre, Richard Parry, Tam Roberts, Michael Rosie, Ursula Schroeder, Orla Sheehy, Irene Sobrino Guijarro, Wilfried Swenden, Stephen Tierney, Daniela Vicherat, Neil Walker and Liz Webb. I have benefited enormously from their advice, feedback and moral support over glasses of Tuscan Chianti and pints of Edinburgh Deuchars. Further inspiration and feedback was gained at workshops, seminars and conferences organised by the European University Institute European Forum, the Institute of Governance, European Union Studies Association, Political Studies Association Territorial Politics Group, European Consortium of Political Research, University Association for Contemporary European Studies and Canadian Political Science Association.