10/2/25
British Politics: Lecture 5 - Dr Richard Hayton
National Identity, Devolution and the Union
Politics of National Identity
● Sub-state nationalism is a long-standing feature of UK politics.
● Impact felt in various ways: e.g. on party system, on political discourse, on political
institutions and on shop of UK state itself.
Creation of the United Kingdom
● 1935 - Integration of Wales into the Kingdom of England.
● 1603 - Union of Crowns.
● 1707 - Act of Union established United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
● Consequently, we currently have the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.
Britishness
● Britishness was consciously created as a national identity for the British state.
● The idea predated the state - James I proclaimed himself as ‘King of Great Britain’
in 1603 (Union of Crowns).
● Britishness not designed to obliterate the identities of the constituent nations, but to
build on them (but Ireland always a bit of an outlier).
● In simple terms, the national identity of ‘the British’.
● A collective sense of identity and belonging, often seen as important to help bind the
‘nation’ and the British nation state together.
● But who are the British, and do they have a shared sense of national identity?
● Understandings of Britishness have changed over time. A century ago, there was a
relatively clear, and widely understood, shared sense of what it meant to be British.
Arguably, that is no longer the case.
Linda Colley, Britons:
● In 18C Britishness was held together by Protestantism, war with ‘external others’
(especially France) and imperialism.
● In 20C, new ‘external others’ (especially Germany); but Britain in (relative) decline
as global power.
● Post-WWII decolonisation. After losing an Empire could Britain find a role, and did
Britishness still have meaning.
Britishness under strain
● Decline - loss of Empire and struggle to find new world role compounded by
concerns about relative economic decline.
● Debate over joining EEC.
, ● Rise of sub-state nationalism, growth in demand for devolution to Scotland.
● ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland.
● Andrew Marr: ‘It is hard to deny that Britishness has been hollowed out and is under
threat. The glue that help us together is dissolving’.
The UK State
● Unitary state -sovereignty rests in one place. Opposed to a federal system where
authority is dispersed.
● Parliamentary sovereignty is the bedrock of the British constitution.
● ‘Parliamentary sovereignty is a principe of the UK constitution. It makes Parliament
the supreme legal authority in the UK, which can create or end any law. Generally,
the courts cannot overrule its legislation and no Parliament can pass laws that future
Parliaments cannot change. Parliamentary sovereignty is the most important part of
the UK constitution’.
The UK as a union state
● Mitchell argues, the UK was created as a union state, rather than a unitary one,
which had implications for the process of nation building. He noted: ‘In a unitary
state, regional identity would be obliterated or depoliticized, whereas in a union state
regional identity would be permitted or even encouraged so long as it did not
jeopardise the territorial integrity of the state’.
● National Identity of the UK-state, Britishness did not therefore seek to totally
supersede Englishness, Scottishness etc. but to, in some way, unite or at least
accommodate them. In that sense, it may be characterized as the ‘fifth nation’ of the
UK. (Aughley, 2010).
Unionism
● Commitment to the territorial integrity of the state, so in the case of the UK, the
Union between England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
● We might think of unionism as state nationalism.
● Various traditions of unionism and different reasons for the sense of attachment to
the UK state, but unionism is one of the most long-standing and important features of
British politics.
National Identity and Party Politics: Conservatives
● ‘The Conservative and Unionist Party’
● Pride in British identity is a strong unifying theme for Conservatives - and a key part
of their electoral appeal.
● Issues related to politics of national identity often prominent in Conservative
discourse, campaigning and disagreements e.g. questions such as European
integration, immigration, race etc.
National Identity and Party Politics: Labour
British Politics: Lecture 5 - Dr Richard Hayton
National Identity, Devolution and the Union
Politics of National Identity
● Sub-state nationalism is a long-standing feature of UK politics.
● Impact felt in various ways: e.g. on party system, on political discourse, on political
institutions and on shop of UK state itself.
Creation of the United Kingdom
● 1935 - Integration of Wales into the Kingdom of England.
● 1603 - Union of Crowns.
● 1707 - Act of Union established United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
● Consequently, we currently have the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.
Britishness
● Britishness was consciously created as a national identity for the British state.
● The idea predated the state - James I proclaimed himself as ‘King of Great Britain’
in 1603 (Union of Crowns).
● Britishness not designed to obliterate the identities of the constituent nations, but to
build on them (but Ireland always a bit of an outlier).
● In simple terms, the national identity of ‘the British’.
● A collective sense of identity and belonging, often seen as important to help bind the
‘nation’ and the British nation state together.
● But who are the British, and do they have a shared sense of national identity?
● Understandings of Britishness have changed over time. A century ago, there was a
relatively clear, and widely understood, shared sense of what it meant to be British.
Arguably, that is no longer the case.
Linda Colley, Britons:
● In 18C Britishness was held together by Protestantism, war with ‘external others’
(especially France) and imperialism.
● In 20C, new ‘external others’ (especially Germany); but Britain in (relative) decline
as global power.
● Post-WWII decolonisation. After losing an Empire could Britain find a role, and did
Britishness still have meaning.
Britishness under strain
● Decline - loss of Empire and struggle to find new world role compounded by
concerns about relative economic decline.
● Debate over joining EEC.
, ● Rise of sub-state nationalism, growth in demand for devolution to Scotland.
● ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland.
● Andrew Marr: ‘It is hard to deny that Britishness has been hollowed out and is under
threat. The glue that help us together is dissolving’.
The UK State
● Unitary state -sovereignty rests in one place. Opposed to a federal system where
authority is dispersed.
● Parliamentary sovereignty is the bedrock of the British constitution.
● ‘Parliamentary sovereignty is a principe of the UK constitution. It makes Parliament
the supreme legal authority in the UK, which can create or end any law. Generally,
the courts cannot overrule its legislation and no Parliament can pass laws that future
Parliaments cannot change. Parliamentary sovereignty is the most important part of
the UK constitution’.
The UK as a union state
● Mitchell argues, the UK was created as a union state, rather than a unitary one,
which had implications for the process of nation building. He noted: ‘In a unitary
state, regional identity would be obliterated or depoliticized, whereas in a union state
regional identity would be permitted or even encouraged so long as it did not
jeopardise the territorial integrity of the state’.
● National Identity of the UK-state, Britishness did not therefore seek to totally
supersede Englishness, Scottishness etc. but to, in some way, unite or at least
accommodate them. In that sense, it may be characterized as the ‘fifth nation’ of the
UK. (Aughley, 2010).
Unionism
● Commitment to the territorial integrity of the state, so in the case of the UK, the
Union between England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
● We might think of unionism as state nationalism.
● Various traditions of unionism and different reasons for the sense of attachment to
the UK state, but unionism is one of the most long-standing and important features of
British politics.
National Identity and Party Politics: Conservatives
● ‘The Conservative and Unionist Party’
● Pride in British identity is a strong unifying theme for Conservatives - and a key part
of their electoral appeal.
● Issues related to politics of national identity often prominent in Conservative
discourse, campaigning and disagreements e.g. questions such as European
integration, immigration, race etc.
National Identity and Party Politics: Labour
