Research – European Political Science Review: Internal variation in stateless nations’ national movements.
‘Variation in secessionism among sub-state nationalists is part of one of the great puzzles of ethnic politics. Sub-state national movements tend to bifurcate and, at times, trifurcate, into two or three basic nationalist orientations: independentist nationalism, autonomist nationalism (and its sub-variants), and federalist nationalism (and its sub-variants). There is a dearth of systematic comparative research into the sources and patterns of internal variation in the political orientations of sub-state national movements. This article investigates why some sub-state nationalists opt for a secessionist orientation while other nationalists within the same national movement opt for a variety of non-secessionist orientations. I use evidence gathered in Quebec and Catalonia, consisting of 42 interviews among the top leadership of the eight national parties of these societies, 15 focus group interviews with party militants, and 370 questionnaires answered by militants, etc. The national consciousness and materialist approaches fail to elucidate these issues. Instead, sub-state nationalists have expectations about what is fair treatment by the central state, and notions about what obligations emerge due to common membership in a plurinational state. Independentists and strong decentralizers (strong autonomists and radical asymmetric federalists) opt for their chosen orientations because they perceive that central state institutions are unable to promote an ethos of plurinational reciprocity and are aggrieved by state nationalism, while less-decentralizing nationalists (weak autonomists and traditional federalists) assert that the central state is capable of accommodation and reciprocity and have no grievances about state nationalism.’
The full article can be read here
Finland
Wall Street Journal: In Finland, a Euroskeptic Party Strengthens. ‘The Finns Party, which advocates Finland’s exit from the euro zone, is expected to make strides in local elections on Sunday, likely widening a political divide in the small Nordic state about how to approach the euro-zone debt crisis. Formerly called the True Finns, support for the fiercely nationalistic party swelled during national elections in 2011, and is poised to nearly triple on the municipal level, according to a new opinion poll. The survey by Finland’s largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, predicts the euroskeptic Finns will take 15.6% of the local vote, up from 5.4% in 2008.’
France
Reuters: Most French see Islam too influential in society: poll. ‘An increasing majority of people in France believe Islam plays too influential a role in their society and almost half see Muslims as a threat to their national identity, according to a poll published on Thursday. The survey by pollster Ifop in Le Figaro newspaper showed that 60 percent of people believed that Islam was “too important” in France in terms of its influence and visibility, up from 55 percent two years ago.’
Germany
Ekathimerini: Greeks in Germany warn against neo-Nazis. ‘In a dramatic open letter, the Greek community of Germany called on Greek citizens to reject the ultra-right Golden Dawn and expressed shock at the rise of racist violence that has been linked to members and supporters of the organization. Referring to the large-scale attacks by German neo-Nazis against immigrants in Rostock in 1992, the authors of the letter said: “It hurts us to see similar incidents occurring in Greece.’
Video – Deutsche Welle: The Fight Against Right-Wing Extremism – Does an NPD Ban Make Sense? ‘Imposing a ban on the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) is a complex matter; the authorities have compiled a dossier with the aim of showing that the entire party – and not just a few of its members – is anti-constitutional. Meanwhile, a growing number of politicians are casting doubt on the point of ban, arguing that it will do nothing to prevent right-wing extremism.’
The Guardian: Who will be the face of Italy’s third republic? ‘Berlusconi will not stand for re-election. Respected figures on the left are falling like cards. There is a longing for fresh leaders. The most pugnacious is Beppe Grillo. A diminutive comedian in his mid-60s with hair like a shredded sheep, Grillo is a furious orator who represents the anger of the Italian electorate. At huge rallies, he screams into the microphone as he bemoans the epic salaries, perks, criminal records and acts of collusion of the traditional elites. Although he eschews the mainstream media, he’s got a large online following and isn’t averse to pulling off stunts, such as his swim, last week, across the strait of Messina to start his campaign in Sicily (where he’s moving around in a campervan).’
Spain
The Economist: A Basque case. ‘Regional elections are giving another headache to Spain’s prime minister. Mariano Rajoy, is a man with many problems. Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, wants European funds intended to rescue Spain’s banks to be funnelled through government accounts, meaning that they will increase the country’s already mushrooming national debt still more. Next month he will face both a general strike and elections in Catalonia, where separatism is on the rise. And he must soon decide if Spain needs a politically damaging bail-out.’
