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

Abstract

Since its formation, Northern Ireland has been characterised by scholars as being governed as a ‘place apart’ to Great Britain. This peripherality is accepted within the study of Northern Ireland and the literature on centre-periphery relations. However, there has been limited research on how this peripherality manifests. Gilligan’s (2022) theory of the Northern Ireland blind spot proposed that the conscious action of Partition led to unconscious ways of thinking about Northern Ireland as a place apart. This thesis extends Gilligan’s theory and proposes that ‘ways of thinking’ about Northern Ireland as a place apart directly influence ‘ways of governing’ that treat Northern Ireland as a place apart. These ways of governing can be observed in intergovernmental relations and policymaking.

Using Process Tracing, this thesis is a first test of the Northern Ireland blind spot applied to the case study of ‘Brexit’ (collectively the referendum to leave the European Union and withdrawal process). 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.

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.

Date of Award	Dec 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	Northern Ireland Department for the Economy
Supervisor	Elodie Fabre (Supervisor) & Michele Crepaz (Supervisor)