The British government does not care about the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Even unionists, who consider themselves British, are dissatisfied with Brexit decisions that the British government has made for them. Brexit did not consider the rights of the people of Northern Ireland. Britain’s membership in the European Union (EU) laid the groundwork for the peace and stability that Good Friday Agreement created. The nationalists and unionists reached an agreement in 1998. The contract settled the most prolonged internal conflict in Irish history. However, Brexit has become a threat to peace in Northern Ireland and Good Friday agreement.
Conflict in Northern Ireland
Conflict and Peace in Northern Ireland have a long story. As it says in the Peace Builder, centuries ago, Ireland came under the control of England. As part of that process, many English and Scottish people moved to settle in the north of Ireland. While most of the native Irish were Catholic, most settlers were Protestant. At the start of the twentieth century, there was a campaign to break the link with Britain. However, there was a campaign to maintain the connection or union with Great Britain in the north. In 1920, the British divided Ireland and kept the northern part within the United Kingdom (UK).
However, around 40% of northerners were Irish nationalists who wanted independence from Britain. For several decades, the leaders of the Protestant unionist majority discriminated against the Catholic nationalist minority. Within the Catholic community, some people began violence to end British rule and end the partition of Ireland. These people are known as republicans. Within the Protestant community, some people took up the gun to defend the link with Britain. These people are known as loyalists.
Similarly, there are two groups of people fighting over the same land. The Unionists would like the province to remain part of the UK. The Nationalists would like Northern Ireland to be reunited with Ireland. Both groups claim to have a majority supporting their view. The Unionists are the majority in Northern Ireland, while the Nationalists are in the majority on the island of Ireland.
Good Friday Agreement
The British government, the Irish government and Northern Ireland political parties reached an agreement on April 10, 1998. The agreement is the Belfast Agreement, also called the Good Friday Agreement or simply the agreement. It created a governing assembly for the territory. The purpose was to ensure power-sharing between Protestants and Catholics and to ease cooperation between Northern Ireland and Ireland. It committed former enemies to disarm and settle their disputes peacefully. It permitted residents of Northern Ireland to get Irish citizenship or Irish-British citizenship. Since then, years of relative peace in Northern Ireland have followed (The New York Times).
Process of Brexit
On June 23 2016, the UK held a referendum on their membership in the EU. The UK voted to leave the EU by 52% to 48%. On March 29 2017, the UK notified the European Council of its intention to leave the EU. On January 30 2020, the EU approved the Withdrawal Agreement. Then the UK withdrew from the EU on January 31 2020. This marked the start of a transition period that lasted until December 31 2020.
On December 24 2020, the EU and UK agreed to a trade and cooperation agreement. All 27 Member States approved the deal on December 29 2020. On December 31 2020, the Official Journal of the EU published the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement. It has been provisionally applicable since January 1 2021(the EU).
Brexit not caring about the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
The British government did not respect the rights of the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland in Brexit. According to DCU Brexit Institute, Northern Ireland voted against Brexit. However, the DUP stated that it was not necessary. The DUP pointed out that the UK voted to leave the EU and Northern Ireland was part of the UK.
As it says in The New York Times, Ireland remains an EU member country. Thus Brexit raised the prospect of new checks at its previously open land border with Northern Ireland. This impedes the free flow of people and goods. As a result, those who would like to see the island unified are unhappy with this condition. Workarounds to keep that border open have created new problems in commerce between Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain. These commerce problems have disrupted supplies to the territory’s stores, upsetting those in Northern Ireland who see themselves as British.
According to Irish Examiner, Ms O’Neill said: “there has been a seismic change in society, particularly in the aftermath of Brexit.” She added that they didn’t vote for these changes, and they have been imposed upon them. She stated, “Brexit has pulled us out of the EU, stolen our EU citizenship from us …”
Brexit and conflicts in Northern Ireland
As it says in The New York Times, there is resentment against Brexit in pro-British Protestant areas. The irritation is because of the commerce problems that Brexit has made for Northern Ireland. These problems have contributed to the outbreaks of violence. Brexit disturbed the political balance in Northern Ireland, threatening the foundations of the Good Friday Agreement. According to Irish Examiner, the impact of Brexit has led a lot of people to consider one question. The question is whether Northern Ireland should remain within the UK, Michelle O’Neill has said. The Sinn Féin vice president accused the Conservative Party and the DUP of “causing chaos” in Northern Ireland.
According to The Economist, if peace in Northern Ireland is defined as the absence of violence, the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 has been remarkably successful. On February 3, 2022, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson pulled his party’s first minister out of government, collapsing the administration. Sir Jeffrey is the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The DUP is the leading party supporting Northern Ireland’s status within the UK. Sir Jeffrey said the move was in protest at the Northern Ireland protocol, part of the Brexit deal. The protocol prevents an Irish land border by creating a customs border between the province and Great Britain.
Final remark
To sum up, Brexit has caused resentment in Northern Ireland. The British government did not consider the interests of Northern Ireland in Brexit negotiations. This has caused conflicts within the power-sharing government and among people in Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement and peace in Northern Ireland seem to be in danger. This is the consequence of the British government’s decisions for Northern Ireland in Brexit.
