Soule, Daniel P.J. (2006) The construction and negotiation of meaning in Scottish political discourse : a case study of the 2003 Scottish Parliament elections. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3088/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] THE CONSTRUCTION AND NEGOTIATION OF MEANING IN SCOTTISH POLITICAL DISCOURSE: A CASE STUDY OF THE 2003 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS By DANIEL P. J. SOULE A Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English Language University of Glasgow August 2006 © Daniel P. J. Soule,2006 SUMMARY This study is concernedwith the nature of political discourse in the 2003 devolved Scottish elections. The investigation explores the potential effects of the new constitutional arrangementsand electoral system on the campaign discourse of Scottish political parties. The four weeks of election campaigning are studied, from the 1stApril to the 1StMay 2003. Analysis focuses on many of the main texts produced during the election campaign, including manifestos, party election broadcastsand newspaperarticles. Conducted in the Critical Discourse Analysis tradition, this investigation combines insights from Fairclough's social focus and three dimensional analysis of discourse and van Dijk and Chilton's cognitive approaches.This synthesis of approachesis an attempt to produce an analysis that can explicate both social and cognitive aspectsof ideological discourseproduction. In so doing, the study reappraisesvan Dijk's original conception of the `ideological square' (1998) as a description of competitive discourse.The thesis explores the dynamics of party political competition and ideological negotiation in devolved Scottish politics, with particular attention paid to the discourse of coalition and nationalist politics. The thesis begins by outlining the following: the need for this investigation; initial background information on the events leading up to Scottish devolution; preliminary methodological detail; and a structural outline of the thesis. Discussion then focuses ideological on the characterof Scottish politics, both in terms of public opinion and the positions of political parties, as representedby the content of their manifestos. Continuing the analysis of party manifestos, chapter 3 explores discursive strategies used by political parties to construct identities and negotiate relationships in light of actual or potential coalition government. The following chapter then moves the analysis onto party election broadcasts,taking particular interest in the rhetorical methods employed in the positive and negative presentation of policies. Chapter 5 then analysesthe press reception of party election broadcasts.Looking at the recycling of political messages,chapter 5 usesmetaphor analysis to investigate representations of elections in press coverage.Having establishedthe importance of a nationalist agendain Scottish politics during previous sections, Chapter 6 investigates representationsof Scottish national identity in election discourse.The final chapter summarizesresults, discussesthe strengthsand weaknessesof the thesis' design and suggestsavenues for future research. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor John Corbett, for his help and guidance through the course of producing this thesis. His suggestionsin terms of the investigation's direction and the finer points of linguistic analysis have been crucial to the completion of this study. Professor Corbett's recommendationson the structure of my argument in the early stagesand his perspective on the final drafts have been invaluable. Murray Leith also deservesthanks for input on matters concerning political science, Scottish politics and national identity. His feedback on the style of some early drafts was also useful. I would also like to thank Chris Winslow, Esther Black and George Baxter for their first hand experiences of devolved Scottish politics and political campaigning. My conversations with them were particularly useful in relating my investigation to the involved in activities of those the everyday communication of politics. Finally, Jenny, my wife, and my parents deservethanks for their constant Jenny encouragement. was often a sounding board for initial ideas and drafts, and an important source of practical help and advice. Contents Chapter 1: Introduction: New Scottish Politics. New Discourse? 1.1 Background to Devolution 2 ............................................................... 1.1.1 ResearchingScottish Politics 8 ................................................ 1.2 A Critical Discourse Methodology 9 ..................................................... 1.2.1 A Definition Discourse 15 of .................................................... 1.3 A Structure for Exploring Scottish Electoral Discourse 16 ............................. Chapter 2: A Manifesto Analysis of the Ideological Centre of Scottish Electoral Politics 2.1 Introduction 20 ............................................................................... 2.1.1 Investigating ideological 22 content ........................................... 2.2 What is 24 an'ideological centre'? ....................................................... 2.3 The Scottish 26 centre ground of politics ................................................. 2.3.1 Social identity 26 structure and national ....................................... 2.3.2 National identity `in Cold Climate' 29 and party politics a .................. 2.3.3 From mass to 31 values policy preferences.................................... 2.4 Manifesto Statements the Scottish Centre 34 of .......................................... 2.4.1 Health ........................................................................... 36 2.4.2 Education ....................................................................... 37 2.4.3 Law & Order ................................................................... 38 2.4.4 Economy Finance and ......................................................... 41 2.4.5 Democracy ..................................................................... 47 2.4.6 Agriculture/Aquaculture ...................................................... 50 2.4.7 Environment .................................................................... 51 2.5 Conclusion ................................................................................. 52 Chapter 3: The Construction and Negotiation of Ideological In and Out-Groups in Election Manifestos 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 55 3.2 Rhetorical Context ........................................................................ 55 3.2.1 Exploring the rhetorical context ............................................. 58 3.3 Rhetorical for inter-group strategies competitions................................... 65 66 3.3.1 Constructing positive in-group representations........................... 74 3.3.2 Identifying with the electorate............................................... 77 3.3.3 Constructing negative out-group representations......................... 93 3.4 Conclusion ................................................................................ Chapter 4: Rhetorical Strategiesin Party Election Broadcasts:Redefining the Ideological Squarein the Centre of Devolved Scottish Politics 98 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................ Strategies 101 4.2 Argumentative ................................................................ 101 4.2.1 Adversarial strategies......................................................... 107 4.2.2 Non-adversarial positive strategies.......................................... 4.2.3 Mitigation 109 strategies........................................................... 4.2.3.1 Labour 110 ............................................................... 4.2.3.2 SNP 113 .................................................................. 4.2.3.3 Liberal Democrats 115 .................................................. 4.2.4 Strategiesfor negotiating power sharing, sharedpolicy achievements 117 and potential coalition partnerships................................................ 4.3 Conclusion 124 ................................................................................. Chapter 5: The Mutual Construction of Political Discourse: Party Election Broadcasts and their Media Reception 5.1 What is 126 press reception? ................................................................ 5.2 Methods from to 129 and concepts: metaphor and schemata recycling ................ 5.3 Metaphor and conceptual schemata in press reception: war, argument, pugilism divorce 135 and ..................................................................................... 5.3.1 Politics is 136 war .................................................................. is 141 5.3.2 Politics argument...........................................................