The Dragon in the Garage: Nationalism, Politics and Identity in Wales

Zusammenfassung

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The issue of independence is regarded differently by the nationalist parties of Scotland and Wales. The question of Welsh independence has been removed from mainstream political discourse and debate, although the Nationalists presumably find the issue unpalatable fact to face. James examines nationalism, politics, and identity in Wales that make it different from Scotland in its strength of aspirations to independence .

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Auszug

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The Dragon in the Garage: Nationalism, Politics and Identity in Wales

THE British General Election campaign of 2010 will be remembered for its cautiously buoyant sense that anything - or at least, a great deal more than usual - was possible. However, it would be more correct to say that this mood was strong in England and Scotland, while in Wales it became apparent that it was not likely that there would be very much that was new or different on the horizon. Wales did have its own televised political leaders' debate, although it was only a very pale version of the Brown-Cameron-Clegg event."' During the second debate, Peter Hain, the then Labour Secretary of State for Wales, justified the war in Afghanistan in words that might have been taken directly from the speeches of ex-President George W Bush, although this issue had already been called 'a big, bloodspattered hole we are all supposed to ignore' by the Independent journalist Johann Hari.'21 The other participants in the debate listened in bland silence and expressed no dissent, fitting themselves to a posture that has become entirely predictable, and which rather confirmed how right Hari had been. Clearly, English silence also extended into Wales. Hain's words were entirely consistent with the foreign policy of the Blair and Brown governments, but there was also complete silence on an issue that was more specific to Wales, namely, t...

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