The Northern Ireland blind spot in British politics: Brexit, a case study

The referendum campaigns by ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ in Great Britain paid little attention to how a UK exit from the EU would impact Northern Ireland, as did the initial withdrawal negotiations. By analysing Brexit through the framework of the Northern Ireland blind spot, this research traces why Northern Ireland was absent from the Brexit process, delivering an analysis far beyond assumptions that the Leave result was an unexpected outcome. <br><br>The conclusions suggest that after the 1998 Belfast [Good Friday] Agreement there was a return of the Northern Ireland blind spot, observable in ways of governing.

That Northern Ireland was largely absent from the Brexit process was a symptom of this, rather than a consequence of Brexit itself. This thesis also concludes that ways of thinking about Northern Ireland as a place apart can be conscious and can serve a strategic purpose.