The question of the Irish border has been a major sticking point in Brexit negotiations. With Boris Johnson repudiating the Irish Backstop and declaring it as ‘dead’, Northern Ireland has been plunged into a state of further uncertainty. What was the Irish Backstop? The backstop was a means of ensuring that the Irish border remained…Continue reading Borders and Backstops – How will Brexit impact Northern Ireland? Guest post by Jo Smith and Cameron Boyle
Category: Brexit
Autumn in Northern Ireland: Parameters of a political, social and economic crisis Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
As autumn arrives in Northern Ireland a many-sided crisis, already developing, will affect all our lives. There is a crisis of governance at a UK level. The current government, headed by Boris Johnson, has a working majority of one in the House of Commons, even with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The…Continue reading Autumn in Northern Ireland: Parameters of a political, social and economic crisis Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
Will NI-born Irish citizens have to pay a £65 or £437 fee to keep some EU rights after Brexit? Guest post by Daniel Holder, Deputy Director, CAJ
The above derided Home Office tweet and other official Brexit communications overlook the part of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) where the UK recognises the birthright of those born in Northern Ireland to be accepted as Irish and hold Irish citizenship. Given this recognition it is hardly compatible with the GFA to casually imply…Continue reading Will NI-born Irish citizens have to pay a £65 or £437 fee to keep some EU rights after Brexit? Guest post by Daniel Holder, Deputy Director, CAJ
BREXIT – Sleepwalking into second class EU citizenship? Guest post by Daniel Holder, CAJ
Despite earlier commitments, recent UK and EU statements now point to Northern Ireland (NI)-resident Irish passport holders being stripped of access to almost all active EU rights following BREXIT. Should a recent EU Commission response to a question by Martina Anderson MEP stand it would leave NI resident citizens with only the same ‘dormant’ EU…Continue reading BREXIT – Sleepwalking into second class EU citizenship? Guest post by Daniel Holder, CAJ
New border policing powers proposed Guest post by Brian Gormally, CAJ
A Draft Bill introduced into the House of Commons by the UK Government proposes new powers for police, customs and immigration officers along the Border. In a mile-wide strip along the Border between North and South, people will be liable to stopped, searched and detained in order to check whether they are entering or leaving…Continue reading New border policing powers proposed Guest post by Brian Gormally, CAJ
The Agreement at 20 Guest Post by Kevin Hanratty
(This personal reflection is a cross posted article from the Irish News and The Human Rights Consortium) 20 years ago today I sat with friends in our student accommodation in Belfast and watched as politicians emerged to announce the new peace deal that was the Good Friday Agreement. We were all students at Queens, had grown up in the…Continue reading The Agreement at 20 Guest Post by Kevin Hanratty
The Return of the Bill of Rights? Guest Post by Professor Colin Harvey and Dr Anne Smith
The Northern Ireland Bill of Rights appears to have made a comeback. A process that involved much collective effort seemed to have ended in the vague language of paragraph 69 of the Stormont House Agreement (SHA). With no one prepared to take responsibility for its advancement, hope had faded; like much else relating to rights…Continue reading The Return of the Bill of Rights? Guest Post by Professor Colin Harvey and Dr Anne Smith
CAJ Initial comments on draft Withdrawal Agreement protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland Guest Post by Brian Gormally, CAJ
Synopsis of the Contents The Protocol begins with a lengthy preamble dealing with the context which has led to it. The vital points are: The GFA must be protected “in all its parts” The commitment of the UK to protect North-South cooperation and the guarantee to avoid a hard border are “overarching requirements” and any…Continue reading CAJ Initial comments on draft Withdrawal Agreement protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland Guest Post by Brian Gormally, CAJ
Brexit and the Leaked Full Draft Agreement Text Guest post by Dr Amanda Kramer
This Blog piece is cross posted from BrexitLawNI The leaked Full ‘Draft Agreement Text’ was published on Eamonn Mallie’s website on 20 February 2018 and can be found here. It passed from DUP to Sinn Fein on 9 February 2018 – just five days before the talks collapsed and Arlene Foster asked the Secretary of…Continue reading Brexit and the Leaked Full Draft Agreement Text Guest post by Dr Amanda Kramer
Brexit, the Withdrawal Agreement, and a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland Guest post by Dr Amanda Kramer, BrexitLawNI
Concerns surrounding the impact of Brexit on human rights and Northern Ireland have featured prominently in ongoing Brexit debates, media coverage of Brexit, and the Brexit negotiations themselves. It is well known that NI is the region of the UK most likely to be negatively affected by leaving the EU – with potential consequences for…Continue reading Brexit, the Withdrawal Agreement, and a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland Guest post by Dr Amanda Kramer, BrexitLawNI