These are the findings of a project on the impacts of Brexit and the possible implications of a ‘No Deal’ scenario on the Central Border Region of Ireland/Northern Ireland. This research has been conducted by a small team at Queen’s University Belfast (led by Dr. Katy Hayward & Dr. Milena Komarova), in conjunction with the Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN), the cross-border partnership of eight local authorities in the area known as the Central Border Region. The report looks at:
‘The Border into Brexit’ project;
The impact of Brexit on those living in the Central Border Region;
A hard border;
Leave supporters in the region;
A No Deal Brexit;
The revised Protocol in the Withdrawal Agreement.
It hardly needs saying that public attitudes towards Brexit and the numerous issues related to it have been central to our political debates since at least 2016.
As politicians try to address popular concerns, the congruence, or otherwise, of their views with those of both the public at large and their own members will be crucial. This report looks at the new and continued divisions within the country that will have a disruptive impact on our politics going forward.
Topic:
Politics, Public Opinion, European Union, Brexit, and Society
The future of agriculture policy across the United Kingdom after Brexit is uncertain and risky, according to a new paper by Professor Michael Keating of the Centre on Constitutional Change.
Reforms of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy over recent years have shifted the emphasis from farming to the broader concept of rural policy.
As member states have gained more discretion in applying policy, the nations of the UK have also diverged, according to local conditions and preferences.
Topic:
Agriculture, European Union, Brexit, and Repatriation
The debate on Irish Unity has intensified. Brexit is only one part of this, as more people question the merits of the existing constitutional arrangements. The focus is now shifting to constitutional conversations about how the island is shared in the future, and the timeframe for what is often referred to as a “border poll”.
The difficulty remains that there are several unanswered questions about the process, as many interventions understandably concentrate on the merits of this option. We believe that the debate around the referendums must be normalised as momentum builds towards setting out a precise timeframe. In this paper our intention is to examine logistical and legal questions that have thus far been neglected.
This paper is therefore drafted with two principal considerations in mind:
How can referendums on Irish unity be achieved?
How can they be won?
Topic:
European Union, Constitution, Brexit, and Referendum
Political Geography:
United Kingdom, Europe, Ireland, and Northern Ireland
This paper foregrounds an understanding of Brexit as unexceptional, as business as usual in Britain and Europe. It reports on original empirical research with British People of Colour who have settled elsewhere in Europe, to bring into view an original perspective to understandings of what Brexit means to Britons living in Europe, and to consider what these testimonies offer to emerging social science research on Brexit.
The authors argue, focussing on the testimonies of British People of Colour living in the EU-27 offers a unique lens into how Brexit is caught up in everyday racism, personal experiences of racialization and racial violence, and longer European histories of racialization and racism. Importantly, these experiences precede and succeed Brexit, taking place in both Britain and other European Union countries.
This research shows that the share of births to at least one EU parent has been increasing since the mid-2000s. In 2016 it was 12% of all births in England and Wales, 13% in Northern Ireland, and 10% in Scotland.
The study also shows a change in the main countries of birth of EU parents, where the share of births to mothers and fathers from 2004 accession countries has increased.
Topic:
Children, European Union, Citizenship, and Brexit
Political Geography:
United Kingdom, Europe, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales
The share of applications for naturalization by EU27 residents in the UK has increased from 5% in 2007 to 26% in 2017. More than 80,000 EU residents have applied for naturalization since the EU referendum. Many more are still uncertain on their legal status and ponder their options. Attitudes towards naturalization vary significantly among EU nationals, with more well off and educated EU nationals and EU14 citizens displaying more resistance to apply to become British on moral and political grounds. Others, instead, take a more pragmatic approach to acquiring a British passport.
Speaking at the Keele World Affairs lecture series, Professor Anand Menon looks at what has happened so far, the possible routes the deal could take in the coming months and what impact a deal could have for the UK.
Topic:
Treaties and Agreements, European Union, and Brexit
Bobby Duffy, Tim Bale, Maria Sobolewska, and David Wiletts
Publication Date:
10-2019
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
UK in a Changing Europe, King's College London
Abstract:
-Bobby Duffy, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London
-Tim Bale, Deputy Director of The UK in a Changing Europe and -Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University London
-Maria Sobolewska, Professor of political science, University of Manchester
-Lord David Willetts, former science and universities minister
Topic:
European Union, Brexit, Political Science, Public Policy, and Polarization
Lisa Mckenzie, Anand Menon, Daniel Moylan, and Waterfield
Publication Date:
11-2019
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
UK in a Changing Europe, King's College London
Abstract:
Can Brexit be understood as representing a genuinely revolutionary moment in British history, or are there much deeper, longer-term trends that explain the current moment?
Speakers included:
Lisa Mckenzie, Durham University
Professor Anand Menon, UK in a Changing Europe
Daniel Moylan, Urban Design London
Bruno Waterfield, The Times