The background In February 2021 judicial review proceedings challenging the lawfulness of the Northern Ireland Protocol were brought against the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the Chancellor of the Duchy by Mr … [Read more...] about On orthodoxy and unanswered questions: the Allister ruling and why it matters
With Nicola Sturgeon having recently addressed the Scottish Parliament about her plans for a second independence referendum, and the Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, established by the Welsh Government, currently … [Read more...] about It is now necessary for the UK to move towards a UK-wide Constitutional Convention
Last Monday on BBC One, Panorama broadcast allegations that a Special Air Service (SAS) squadron operating in Afghanistan repeatedly killed detainees and unarmed men in suspicious circumstances from November 2010 to April 2011.[1] The grave … [Read more...] about Conflict and the constitution
The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons last Monday. The Bill seeks to ease the delays on goods being brought from Great Britain into Northern Ireland by ensuring only those destined for the … [Read more...] about On the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
On Friday 13 May, The Constitution Society held a conference at the French Senate in Paris looking at a range of topical constitutional issues – from the Northern Ireland Protocol to retained EU law. Recordings from the various panels and talks given … [Read more...] about Conference: France-United Kingdom – Two Constitutions After Brexit
Recent events in Northern Ireland – in particular the resignation of First Minister Paul Givan on 3 February 2022 – have highlighted once more the precarity of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing arrangements and the exceptional nature of the … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland’s precarious place in the molten constitution
On 3 February, news broke that the resignation of Northern Ireland’s First Minister – the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) Paul Givan – was imminent. In Northern Ireland, this did not come as a huge surprise, but the timing of the move raised a … [Read more...] about Why has Northern Ireland’s First Minister resigned?
Professor Andrew Blick is joined by Dr Lisa Claire Whitten, Research Fellow on the ESRC-funded project ‘Governance for a ‘place between’: the Multi-Level Dynamics of Implementing the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland’ based at Queen’s University … [Read more...] about In conversation with Lisa Claire Whitten
Beyond the arguing over the correct form of address for the Irish president – or should that be President of Ireland – and legal challenges over luminations at Belfast City Hall (neither example is surprising), perhaps the biggest surprise of … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland: a century of uncertainty
Introduction Much like Brexit itself, the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement’s Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland remains an on-going point of contention. It has left an indelible mark on politics both within Northern Ireland and in Westminster, and … [Read more...] about The politics of the Northern Ireland Protocol
Introduction In the process of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union – Brexit – Northern Ireland has played a starring role. Although largely overlooked in the early stages of the process, the ‘unique circumstances’ and … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland: a constitutional exception and why it matters
The position of Northern Ireland has been a major point of contention ever since the 'leave' vote in the European referendum of 23 June 2016. Its future relationship both with the UK and with the Republic of Ireland was a source of controversy in … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland and the Brexit negotiations: in conversation with Katy Hayward
