Transnational Vs. National Solidarity: The Political Framing of Immigration as a Threat to the Welfare State and Societal Solidarity Exemplified by the Case of Pre-BREXIT UK

The link between immigration and welfare state solidarity is a fundamental issue for national sovereignty threatening the stability of the European Union as the BREXIT and the so-called refugee crisis indicate. Currently, EU criticism, nationalist and protectionist rhetoric is on the rise. Lessons can be learned from debates and disputes about migration and mobility and their consequences witnessed in recent years. For this purpose, this contribution analyses debates in the pre-BREXIT UK. While the UK was a pioneer in opening its labour market for immigration, the country is the first member state to exit the EU in order to retain control over its own borders. A discourse analysis combined with the neo-institutional approach of Fligstein and McAdam (2011) shows how institutions strategically created specific political framings of anti-immigration and EU scepticism. To this end, they foster the fear of declining national solidarity, welfare and prosperity by showing transnational solidarity with those from abroad (Münch 2012, p. 40ff). 25 individualised interviews with representatives of political, cultural, social and economic institutions, a document analysis of its web pages as well as a focus group discussion provides in-depth information from multiple perspectives. This contribution shows how specific types of migrant groups were focused in the debates to create the dominant framing of immigration as a threat to the welfare state and the internal solidarity in the British society. Furthermore, it indicates how these migrant groups were politically instrumentalised by powerful institutions in these countries, such as labour unions, specific migrant organisations and political parties.