Examining Scottish Nation-Building As Trajectory
Examining Scottish nation-building as trajectory: The role of welfare and shared values in the national discourses of Labour and the Scottish National Party 1967-2014 Paul Gillen University of Stirling Submission for PhD in Politics January 2017 I Acknowledgements A number of people have helped me to complete this project, in very different ways. I must begin by thanking my PhD supervisors, Dr. Peter Lynch and Dr. Kevin Adamson. Both have provided me with a great deal of inspiration and moral support, and I am extremely thankful for all of the work they have put into assisting me over the course of my thesis. Several other people have helped me throughout the writing process, including Dr. Christopher Minty, Dr. Fiona Duncan, who provided moral support; and Shirley-Anne and Roderick, who have understood my need to juggle work and my studies. Thank- you, also, to my examiners Colin Clark and Tim Peace for their kind words, advice and suggestions. Finally, I would like to thank my Mum and Dad, Charles and Rowena. They have supported me in a great number of ways, and without their help, I am sure that the writing process would have been much more difficult. Thanks to you all! II Abstract This study examines a trajectory of the national discourses of Labour and the Scottish National Party (SNP), with reference to significant events during the course of contemporary Scottish politics, including the failed devolution referendum and election of a Conservative Government which sought to ‘shrink’ the welfare state in 1979; the establishment of a Scottish Parliament in 1999; the election of an SNP minority administration and then a majority Government in 2007 and in 2011, respectively; and the Scottish independence referendum in 2014.
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