Prof David Phinnemore (QUB) The prospect of Brexit begs questions of what new relationship the UK can and should seek to establish with the EU and how Northern Ireland can and should position itself in that relationship. Given the remain vote and post-Brexit the challenges posed not least by its geographical location, what if any … Read more
Dr Katy Hayward (QUB) A key conundrum facing policymakers is how to realise a central ambition of the Brexit campaign (i.e. hardening the UK’s borders with the EU) without damaging the benefits currently ensured by the UK’s ‘soft’ borders with Ireland. This presentation will focus on the Irish border as the locus of this challenge … Read more
Dr Lee McGowan and Dr Viviane Gravey (QUB) Many aspects of public policy in Northern Ireland involved an EU dimension, being shaped in Brussels and implemented locally. The return of devolved government to Northern Ireland opened up new possibilities for engagement with the EU, provided access to specific funds and gave Northern Ireland a presence … Read more
Dr Graham Brownlow (QUB) The vote for Brexit has created a situation where economic policy, to a certain extent, is developing faster than textbook theory. Northern Ireland’s economic predicament is a combination of UK-wide processes, more intense forms of UK-wide problems and processes unique to the region. The speed, sequence and ‘architecture’ of regional economic … Read more
Prof John Garry (QUB) Politics in Northern Ireland is typically dominated by the ethno-national divide between Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists. The EU referendum presents an opportunity for a major political issue to cross-cut this division, with variation in both communities on the issue of EU membership. In this presentation I use data from a … Read more
Dr Cathal McCall (QUB) A United Kingdom (UK) exit from the European Union (EU) poses significant questions for the UK’s borders, the most pertinent of which are: would there be a need for a hard border? If so, where would it run? The primary goal of the Leave campaign is to halt the influx of … Read more
Dr Lee McGowan (QUB) Ahead of a now imminent referendum on the United Kingdom’s (UK) membership of the European Union (EU) this presentation addresses the specific issue of how much the EU dimension matters to Northern Ireland and considers the implications of a Brexit for this region of the UK. It is divided into two … Read more
Prof David Phinnemore (QUB) The presentation reviews the nature and content of the outcome to the UK government’s attempt to renegotiate the terms of UK membership of the European Union (EU) as well as options for a new relationship in the case of a vote to leave the EU. The presentation reviews the agreement reached … Read more