Brexit and the Border: The New Fault Lines in Northern Ireland's Post-Conflict Identity Politics
When the Brexit referendum was first conducted, the results highlighted the stark divisions within the United Kingdom. However, few anticipated it would revive critical discussions and deep-rooted tensions in post-conflict Northern Ireland. The Northern Irish people find themselves at a renewed reckoning over its politics of identity and shifting political landscape.
Its fragile peace, forged after decades of violent conflict, now faces new fault lines over identity, borders, and the future of sovereignty. It is of utmost importance to address the complex histories and identities within Northern Ireland as global dynamics shift.
The Legacy of ‘The Troubles’ and Fragile Peace
What is commonly understood as ‘The Troubles’ generally refers to the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to the late 1990s, though the tensions that underpin this revived discussion are not new. They are deeply intertwined in the complex historical relationship between Britain and Ireland, dating back to the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 12th century. Conflict and tension have marked the relationship between the two countries for centuries. Notably, the Act of Union in 1801, which unified Ireland with England and Scotland, was driven by the British government's attempt to manage growing tensions between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland. Repressive policies against Irish Catholics, coupled with the Union, intensified Irish resentment towards both the Protestant minority and the British government, sowing the seeds of unrest that would later erupt into broader violent conflict.
This divide solidified in 1921, when Ireland gained independence from Britain, but Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom due to its majority Protestant, unionist population. The Catholic, nationalist minority in Northern Ireland, feeling politically marginalized, sought unification with the newly independent Republic of Ireland. This led to decades of violent conflict, known as The Troubles, marked by sectarian violence between the unionists and nationalists, along with heavy British military presence.
The Troubles 'ended' in 1998 with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, a landmark peace accord that established a devolved government based on power-sharing between unionists and nationalists. Crucially, the agreement recognised the right of Northern Ireland's citizens to identify as British, Irish, or both, and removed the hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In fact, descendants of Northern Irish citizens can claim Irish citizenship.
However, while the agreement ended large-scale violence, it left unresolved issues of identity, sovereignty, and political power, which remain contentious, especially in the context of Brexit.
Brexit and Northern Ireland
Brexit, or the 'British exit' from the EU, was first announced in June 2016 after a slim majority (52%) voted in favour of the policy in a national referendum. Domestically, Brexit represents an incredibly controversial policy, but also broadly, a turning point in relations with Northern Ireland. Its impact has been especially pronounced in Northern Ireland, where the Northern Ireland Protocol emerged as a central part of the Withdrawal Agreement and reignited identity- based tensions, particularly around issues of sovereignty, national identity, and the future of the Irish border.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was designed to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland by keeping Northern Ireland aligned with certain EU regulations. While this helps maintain an open border, it has caused political tensions, particularly among unionists who see it as undermining Northern Ireland's place within the UK. Unionists, who make up the majority unionist population in Northern Ireland, have fiercely opposed the protocol, viewing it as undermining the region's place within the United Kingdom. They argue that the protocol's requirement to maintain alignment with certain EU regulations creates an effective border in the Irish Sea, separating Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. This has stoked fears among unionists that their British identity and Northern Ireland's status within the UK is being eroded. Overall, these tensions have contributed to political deadlock and protests and broader concerns over sovereignty and identity.
Challenges from Brexit: Reigniting Divisions
The challenges posed by Brexit are not wholly new for Northern Ireland, but rather have exacerbated long-standing, deep-rooted tensions that are firmly grounded in the region's complex historical context. These challenges include the border, identity politics, and economic/political concerns.
Brexit has resurfaced one of the most sensitive issues in Northern Ireland's history: the question of the border. This debate is not just about political boundaries, but about the lives, identities, and connections of the people who live there. It has created a sense of uncertainty and division, as communities grapple with whether Northern Ireland should stay aligned with the UK or strengthen its ties with the Republic of Ireland and the EU.Further, Brexit has brought identity politics to the forefront, threatening the fragile reconciliation process. The unravelling of progress has created anxiety among both unionists and nationalists, as Brexit reopens old wounds and redefines what it means to belong in Northern Ireland. Brexit has revived debates over national allegiance and the constitutional status of Northern Ireland that were never fully resolved, even after the peace accord. Unionist fears of being cut off from the UK, versus nationalist hopes for greater integration with Ireland, have resurfaced with renewed vigor.
Underneath the political rhetoric, real people are grappling with questions of who they are, where they belong, and how to find common ground in a landscape that feels increasingly polarized.
Alongside these identity-based challenges, Brexit has also introduced economic concerns, with some seeing it as an opportunity for growth while others fear it could devastate local industries-- threatening livelihoods, deepening inequality, and undermining the hard-won progress made in recent decades. Though this would cause significant disruption to trade and cross-border cooperation, echoing the kind of instability that fueled the Troubles in the past, these concerns go beyond politics and strike at the heart of the social fabric that binds these communities together.
Conclusion: Navigating a Divided Future
Addressing these challenges will require not just technical solutions, but a reckoning with the region's complex colonial past and a renewed commitment to the painstaking work of building trust. Now, several years on from the initial announcement of Brexit, it is essential to find ways to navigate these new fault lines. This will require creative solutions that address the complex interplay of borders, identity, and sovereignty, while also attending to the very real economic and social concerns of local communities.
Political leaders, both in Northern Ireland and across the UK and Ireland, must engage in meaningful dialogue to find compromise and build trust. Further, there is a need for renewed efforts at trust building and dialogue between unionist and nationalist communities, with a focus on how both sides can navigate these challenges. Grassroots efforts to foster cross-community understanding and reconciliation will also be crucial, as the region works to heal the deep wounds of its past and forge a more inclusive vision for the future.
It is important to stress the role of the EU and international actors in maintaining peace and the significance of Northern Ireland's unique status post-Brexit. Ultimately, the path forward is not an easy one, but the stakes are high. The hard-won peace in Northern Ireland must be protected, even as new challenges emerge. Addressing these challenges will require not just technical solutions, but a reckoning with the region's complex past and history.
Bibliography
Doyle, John, and Eileen Connolly. "Brexit and the future of Northern Ireland." (2017).
Landow, Charles, and James McBride. 2023. “Moving Past the Troubles: The Future of Northern Ireland Peace.” Council on Foreign Relations (2023). https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/moving- past-troubles-future-northern-ireland-peace.
McNicholl, Kevin, Clifford Stevenson, and John Garry. "How the “Northern Irish” national
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Munck, Ronnie. "The making of the Troubles in Northern Ireland." Journal of Contemporary History 27, no. 2 (1992): 211-229.
Probotrianto, Andy Fernanda. "Unionist vs. Nationalist: Potential Re-emergence of Identity Crisis in Post-Brexit Northern Ireland." WIMAYA 1, no. 01 (2020): 10-14.
Todd, Jennifer. “From Identity Politics to Identity Change: Exogenous Shocks, Constitutional Moments and the Impact of Brexit on the Island of Ireland.” Irish Studies in International Affairs 28 (2017): 57–72. https://doi.org/10.3318/isia.2017.28.15.
In this episode Chole discusses Brexit and its effect on Northern Ireland’s peace building. She is a student journalist with us on a placement organised with Department of War Studies, King’s College, London. This article was edited using Lex.page.
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