Speaker: Professor Robert Ford, University of Manchester

Chair: Professor John Curtice

Time: 18:00

Venue: Sir Charles Wilson Lecture Theatre

'Nationalism, referendums, and political choice in England and Scotland: the rise of identity politics and the decline of Labour' 

In the past five years England and Scotland have seen major political changes following the political mobilisation of identity attachments. In both countries we have witnessed a realignment of politics away from class and economic questions and towards nationalism and identity questions. A process which, in both cases, was accelerated by the referendum votes which were supposed to resolve such questions. In both this realignment has hit the Labour party hardest while the Conservative party has better adapted to the new environment. I will consider the similarities and differences of these two political realignments, the reasons why the Labour party has been hurt most by the rise of identity politics, and the implications for the approaching general election.

WJM (Bill) Mackenzie dominated the field of Politics in the UK for multiple generations, arguing that it required knowledge from across the social sciences. He led the Politics Department at Manchester University for many years, and then came home to Scotland and the University of Glasgow, where he served as both James Bryce Chair of Government and Edward Caird Chair in Politics from 1966 -1974.

First published: 2 May 2017

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Presentation by Professor Robert Ford, University of Manchester