Post-Brexit UK and territorial fissures: Northern Ireland and the prospects of a united Ireland

2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K01324
• Research Institution: Oita University
• Principal Investigator: Day Stephen 大分大学, 経済学部, 教授 (60404357)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: Executive / Protocol / United Ireland / Unionist / Nationalist / Other

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

Between April 2021-March 2022, I have continued to keep up-to-date with post-Brexit developments particularly as they relate to the Northern Ireland Protocol (which is meant to ensure there is no hard border on the island of Ireland) and EU-UK relations. The Protocol has constantly taken centre-stage as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) used it to justify their collapse the Northern Ireland Executive (February 2022) and the UK government continues to threaten to unilaterally suspend parts of the Protocol. The past year has also seen the party-political landscape of Northern Ireland begin to undergo significant changes in the run-up to the Northern Ireland Assembly election (May 2022) as the debate about a united Ireland intensifies. During the past year, I have collected a trove of newspaper and magazine articles; radio broadcasts and TV news programmes about Northern Irish politics and attended numerous online events organized by Queens University Belfast and a number of political figures across the island of Ireland. Towards the end of the year, I began reading up on the 19 and 20th century history of the island of Ireland.

Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

Progress has been slightly slower than I would have liked. The opportunity to conduct fieldwork on the island of Ireland had to be postponed because of Covid.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

During this academic year I will continue to: follow events as they unfold (not least the ramifications of the May Assembly elections); build my knowledge about the historical and contemporary political history of Northern Ireland; and undertake my first round of in the field interviews

Causes of Carryover

I am planning to undertake a research trip to Northern Ireland and Ireland in late September and a research visit to the Irish Embassy in Tokyo in the Autumn.