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A Very English Brexit: a Comparative Analysis of the Immigration Debate in the News Media of the Four UK Nations

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A Very English Brexit: a Comparative Analysis of the Immigration Debate in the News Media of the Four UK Nations 1 A very English Brexit: A comparative analysis of the immigration debate in the news media of the four UK nations University of Sydney Bachelor of Arts (Honours): Department of Government and International Relations Word Count: 19,834 By: Sioned Ellen Lavery SID: 450242483 2 Declaration Submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours). This work is substantially my own, and where any part of this work is not my own, I have indicated this by acknowledging the source of that part or those parts of the work. 3 Abstract This thesis compares the immigration discourses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during Britain’s EU referendum. It has been speculated that immigration was influential in the decision to leave the European Union 23 June 2016. The decade prior to the referendum, immigration increased following EU expansion to include central and eastern European states. Migration is concentrated in south-east England with little inward migration to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Using a discourse analysis of 1476 newspaper articles from each UK nation, the thesis finds anti-immigration sentiment disseminated during the campaign to be bound in English experiences and positive experiences specific to individual nations. A sense of possessiveness in British services and culture is linked to contemporary English nationalism, informed by feelings of lost power to devolved governments, the EU and opposition to immigration. 4 Acknowledgements I would like to thank University of Sydney, Department of Government and International Relations, in particular Dr. Stewart Jackson and Dr Peter Chen for their guidance. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their support. 5 Contents Declaration .................................................................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Method ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Articles .................................................................................................................................................... 12 Background ................................................................................................................................................. 14 Britain and the European Union .............................................................................................................. 14 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................................ 16 A Referendum Overview ........................................................................................................................ 16 Immigration and the Referendum ........................................................................................................... 18 Media....................................................................................................................................................... 20 Findings ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 Content Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 23 Discourse Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 28 Control..................................................................................................................................................... 28 Border .................................................................................................................................................. 32 Economy ................................................................................................................................................. 36 Jobs ...................................................................................................................................................... 36 Services and Welfare ........................................................................................................................... 38 Health Services ........................................................................................................................................ 42 Security ................................................................................................................................................... 46 Crime and Deportation ........................................................................................................................ 46 Terrorism ............................................................................................................................................. 54 Illegal Immigration .............................................................................................................................. 56 Refugees, Asylum Seekers and the Migrant Crisis ................................................................................. 60 Communities and Culture........................................................................................................................ 65 Housing ................................................................................................................................................... 70 Education................................................................................................................................................. 72 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................... 75 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................... 83 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 85 Secondary Sources .................................................................................................................................. 98 Appendix 1.1 ............................................................................................................................................. 101 6 Abbreviations European Union – EU European Economic Area – EEA European Economic Community – EEC Global Financial Crisis – GFC National Health Service – NHS United Kingdom – UK 7 Figure 1 EU referendum Results (BBC 2016b) 8 Introduction A 43-year-old relationship was brought to a close when Britain voted to leave the EU 23 June 2016. Nigel Farage claimed it to be Britain’s Independence Day as the country got back control of its laws, borders and trade. The result surprised many as polls predicted a nearly evenly divided public, with the undecided expected to vote for the status quo. Instead, Leave’s message that the EU was holding back Britain economically, imposing on its sovereignty and forcing upon it mass migration, resonated with the majority of voters as 52% to 48% voted Out. This highly divisive referendum saw fractures run along the major political parties. The Conservatives were split between the pro-EU prime minister David Cameron and prominent Tory, former London Mayor Boris Johnson campaigning for a British exit or Brexit as it was dubbed. Jeremy Corbyn a known Eurosceptic, lead a mostly united Labour party in a meek Remain campaign. These divisions ran deeper into the structure of the United Kingdom. Scotland was the only unified nation with all constituents voting In with an overall result of 62% to 38%. England had the highest Leave vote 53.4% to 46.6%. The Welsh vote was similar with 52.5% to 47.5% in favour of Leave. Northern Ireland was the only other nation to vote Remain, 56% to 44% (see figure 1). In the decades before the referendum UK politics became increasingly volatile. The Northern Ireland peace agreement signed in 1998, brought to an end a three-decade conflict between pro- reunification nationalists and pro-British unionists. This was followed by a transfer of Westminster powers to newly devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Consequently, nationalism in Scotland rose but in 2014, 55% of Scots voted to remain in the UK in an independence referendum. The accession of ten central and Eastern European countries in 2004 to EU membership resulted in increased immigration. Accumulated with the GFC and Eurozone crisis, Euroscepticism in Britain rose creating an environment suitable to Brexit. 9 The Remain campaign issued dire warnings about the implications of leaving the EU, while Leave attacked EU
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