'A tale of two Tories?'

: The British and Canadian Conservative Parties and the 'National Question'. The cases of Wales and Quebec

Abstract

This thesis can be read as a piece of contemporary political history, which demonstrates quite how flexible and variegated the response of the political right can be to the ‘national question.’ In particular, the thesis examines the British and Canadian Conservative parties, and their respective records in relation to key aspects of Welsh and Quebec nationhood. In exploring the parties’ relationship to the ‘national question,’ this study not only traces the development of the parties’ policies and attitudes in relation to self-government and devolution, but also examines their broader policy programmes for Wales and Quebec, especially in relation to language and culture. The study examines the British Conservative Party’s attitude to Welsh culture and the Welsh language; how the party viewed Wales’ relationship to England, Britain and Britishness; its relationship with Welsh nationalism; and the discourse offered by the party in relation to Welsh history. Similarly, the study will examine the Canadian Conservative Party’s attitude towards Quebec nationhood; its attitude towards the French language and culture; its approach towards Quebec’s place within confederation and its relationship with the wider Canadian state; the party’s relationship with Quebec nationalism; and finally the narrative provided by the party in relation to Quebec’s history.

Date of Award	05 Jul 2012
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aberystwyth University
Sponsors	Economic and Social Research Council
Supervisor	Roger Michael Scully (Supervisor) & Huw Lewis (Supervisor)