The Party Politics of the EU and Immigration (Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics)

Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. "Why are the EU and immigration such complicated questions for political parties to compete on? And what challenges do they present to parties' electoral strategies? By systematically comparing the political mainstream in four West European countries -- Belgium, Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden -- this study explores the changing nature of party competition on two highly salient issues in contemporary politics. Based on a new way of coding party manifestos, and a large set of interview data, the author argues that the ideological ambiguity presented by the two issues can crystalize pre-existing tensions within parties. Furthermore, this study argues that an inability to negotiate these tensions explains why some parties are more likely than others to emphasise their successful track record of delivery and competent handling of EU and immigration matters, than they are to offer the electorate a choice between different societal outcomes"--Provided by publisher "Why are the EU and immigration such complicated questions for political parties to compete on? And what challenges do they present to parties' electoral strategies? By systematically comparing the political mainstream in four West European countries -Belgium, Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden - this study explores the changing nature of party competition on two highly salient issues in contemporary politics. Based on a new way of coding party manifestos, and a large set of interview data, the author argues that the ideological ambiguity presented by the two issues can crystalize pre-existing tensions within parties. Furthermore, this study argues that an inability to negotiate these tensions explains why some parties are more likely than others to emphasise their successful track record of delivery and competent handling of EU and immigration matters, than they are to offer the electorate a choice between different societal outcomes"-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-vii The Changing Nature of Party Competition....Pages 1-7 Competing in Multidimensional Party Spaces....Pages 8-29 (Almost) Contesting the EU and Immigration (1945–1990)....Pages 30-62 ‘Pulled’ or ‘Pushed’? Increased Ideological Uncertainty on the EU and Immigration ‘Issues’....Pages 63-96 The Changing Modes of Party Competition (1991–2010)....Pages 97-111 The Death of Ideology, or Ways of Dealing with an Increased State of Flux....Pages 112-116 Back Matter....Pages 117-168 COVER 1 Contents 6 Tables and Figures 7 Acknowledgements 8 1 The Changing Nature of PartyCompetition 9 2 Competing in MultidimensionalParty Spaces 16 3 (Almost) Contesting the EU andImmigration (1945–1990) 38 4 ‘Pulled’ or ‘Pushed’? IncreasedIdeological Uncertainty on the EUand Immigration ‘Issues’ 71 5 The Changing Modes of PartyCompetition (1991–2010) 105 6 The Death of Ideology, or Waysof Dealing with an IncreasedState of Flux 120 Notes 125 Bibliography 154 Interviews 173 Index 175 This book explores the changing nature of party competition in four West European countries. It pays special attention to how different ideological positions give rise to contradictory cues when parties engage with atypical election issues like the EU and immigration.