6. Maintaining Europe: The View from Northern Ireland

The debate on the United Kingdom’s plans for exiting the European Union is all too often considered from an Anglo (even London) centric perspective. Such assessments tend to overlook the regional dimension and the devolution of powers to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the late 1990s. Each nation has their own perspective on the implications of Brexit. The challenge for the three devolved administrations is to influence the formation of the British negotiating position. No other part of the UK will be affected as much by Brexit than Northern Ireland. It is a unique case given the border with the Irish Republic. This chapter presents the Northern Irish dimension to Brexit and stresses that some form of special consideration to Northern Ireland may either be wanted or pursued by London. McGowan argues that a failure to recognise political realities and regional sensitivities that Brexit has aroused within the two main communities in Northern Ireland could unsettle the foundations of the peace process and raises questions about the constitutional status of this part of the UK.