Northern Ireland

Brexit signals fresh challenges and new opportunities for nationalism

Ahead a weekend discussion on 'Nationalism after Brexit' commentator Chris Donnelly argues that the UK's withdrawal from the EU presents fresh challenges to those who aspire to a united Ireland

Irish army personnel guard a border customs post in the 1980s
Irish army personnel guard a border customs post in the 1980s Irish army personnel guard a border customs post in the 1980s

BREXIT will shape the nature of British and Irish political relationships for the foreseeable future and, in a short term, the objective of Irish nationalists must be to secure a deal through the EU and British negotiations which does not impose physical or restrictive barriers to free movement and trade between both jurisdictions on the island and with Britain.

The Brexit referendum result has shaken nationalist Ireland to the core, destroying old certainties that had become a source of comfort on this side of the Irish Sea.

The evolving European strand woven into the Irish identity provided much comfort over the past half century to nationalist Ireland within both Irish states. For northern nationalists, participation in the great European project helped to strengthen ties with the rest of the country, diluting the prevailing and over-powering British identity of the northern state from partition through to the post-1969 conflict era.

European Union membership played a critical role in helping to foster a sense of an equal identity alongside Britain and other European countries for the still young independent Irish state, whilst also giving succour to nationalist aspirations courtesy of the removal of a physical and visible boundary cutting across the country.

But the Irish state is no longer an adolescent. European funds may have helped provide the infrastructure for the rise of the Celtic Tiger, but Ireland is not without its own Eurosceptics, including those who would happily encourage Ireland to follow Britain's lead at a time when immigration continues to trouble populations across many European states and when Ireland ponders about whether its future lay in looking to Boston, Berlin or a post-Brexit Britain.

The Irish government and other political parties must strategically identify the best interests for Ireland in a Brexit scenario and act accordingly to secure the best future for the Irish people.

The nightmare scenario of the return of border posts may prove unfounded, but any developments which adversely impact upon trading relationships between both Irish states and with Britain will be a retrograde step. Alleviating concerns about such an outcome will be a priority for the Irish government and northern nationalists (and many unionists) alike. For this reason, moves to establish an all-Ireland forum to discuss and develop a united agenda on Brexit should be expedited regardless of the hostility of elements within unionist political parties who, in any event, must learn that they have no veto over those whose allegiance is to the people of all of Ireland.

In the longer term, Brexit presents an unexpected opportunity for many in nationalist Ireland to develop a vision of an Ireland embracing an interdependent role and future amongst European peoples, in contrast to a unionist vision of a United Kingdom increasingly standing apart from its European neighbours. That is a challenge which must form a part of the discussion about what form Irish unity can and will take as we move beyond aspirational politics.

:: The Lighthouse Indian Summer School takes place this Saturday at the Youth and Community Hall in Killough Co Down, starting at 11am.