Katy Hayward Profile picture
Jun 14, 2018 10 tweets 6 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
*Brexit at the Border: Voices from local communities in the Central Border Region of Ireland/Northern Ireland*
An initiative by @QUBelfast & @europe_icban to gather data on the immediate & anticipated effects of #Brexit for those living on the #Border
qub.ac.uk/brexit/Brexitf…
1/10
Here are some of the key findings from the report in slide form.
First an overview of the study itself:
Rich qualitative data (online survey & focus groups) gathered across the Central Border Region. Detailed examples & viewpoints heard from people on both sides of #border.
2/10
Respondents to the survey came from across the 8 local authority areas of the Central Border Region, moreorless equally from both sides of the border. 50/50 male/female. 80% 31-65 yrs.
There were far fewer Leave-voting respondents so they got extra attention in our analysis.
3/10
Comparing Leave & Remain voters is interesting, tho wouldn't exaggerate the claims here (not intended as a representative quant study).
Leave-voting respondents less likely than Remain to anticipate a hard border, less likely to completely rely on services across the border
4/10
6 out of 10 respondents reported heavy reliance on access to services on other side of the border.
Survey & focus groups were full of examples of the cross-border nature of people's lives. This is what is missed with focus on trade. It's also why people fear a hard border.
5/10
Brexit is already having impact in the Central Border Region.
The uncertainty is itself causing harm & raising anxiety.
When decisions are made, they tend not to benefit cross-border coop or border region devt.
Some positive effects reported, mainly re: devaluation of £STG.
6/10
People feel well informed about Brexit (more so than last year- see Bordering on Brexit report go.qub.ac.uk/bordering).
But they also feel more gloomy about likelihood of a hard border, which only a tiny few respondents say they wish to see (& for different reasons).
7/10
Of course, we asked about technological solutions.
1/2 said they wouldn't be willing to see these in place, even as alternative to manned checkpoints. Some expressed pragmatism (esp Leave voters); others raised deep concerns about surveillance & straight-up ineffectiveness.
8/10
Concerns about technology, infrastructure & any 'hardening' of the border are not just about avoiding making targets for violence.
Many try to explain how the practical, ordinary & symbolic aspects of Peace in this region are interlinked with current openness of the Border.
9/10
Representation: c. 1/2 of respondents, no matter their background, have a fairly negative view re: representation of the Border Region in the Brexit negotiations.
Remain-voting respondents are much more anxious about this. Some have suggestions as to what might be done.
10/10

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More from @hayward_katy

Sep 26, 2018
A 'Greatest Hits' collection of slides on #Brexit & @BorderIrish

[for those covering the topic in weeks to come
& who might value a few prompt cards] 🤓

Inc. @BelfastAgmt, #crossborder #customs #backstop #chequers #BorderTech, NI party & public views.

qpol.qub.ac.uk/brexit-irish-b…
1998 Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement

2/12
Risks to peace process

3/12
Read 12 tweets
Sep 13, 2018
Getting the feeling that there's too much #brexit #backstop bravado and too little sense?

Howsabout a 4 slide summary from @DPhinnemore & me setting out what we can be pretty sure of and what the UK/EU (dis)agree on - as viewed from Northern Ireland.

1/5
1st: a lack of progress on the Protocol on NI/IRL in the draft Withdrawal Agmt.
All these colours have to turn green (i.e. agreed in principle & text) before we get that Deal for exit day next March.

Note that red circle - backstop is intended to be trumped at some point.
2/5
2nd: a summary of what is agreed on and what is still missing re: @BorderIrish and NI.
Note the extent of Northern Ireland-specific arrangements.

You've seen a version of this a couple of months ago. Not much progress here since you last saw it.

3/5
Read 6 tweets
Sep 12, 2018
A quick response to the ERG report on @BorderIrish.

First, to be welcomed:
- It has been published
- It underlines that a ‘hard’ border NI/IRL is ‘totally undesirable’
- It sees customs measures as not altering NI's constitutional position
- It makes no mention of drones.
1/
It interprets 'no hard border' specifically to mean 'no physical infrastructure at the border'.
This appears to mean no limit to checks + inspections away from the border & entailing huge administrative burdens for cross-border traders.
So ‘no hard border’ ≠ frictionless.
2/
Vision of what could be done post-Brexit rests on several assumptions:
no UK-EU tariffs; broad ‘equivalence’; continuation of privileges of EU membership (e.g. access to VIES); close bilateral cooperation with Ireland;
and unfalteringly deep UK-EU mutual trust.
3/
Read 5 tweets
Aug 16, 2018
Govt technical notes on the effects of a No Deal #Brexit will be released from next week.

Here are the areas covered, reported by @alexGspence
& @AlbertoNardelli
(How long does it takes to scroll the list?):

Air services

Animal breeding

Aviation safety

Aviation security
...
...
Batch testing of medicine

Blood safety

Broadcasting

Chemicals regulation

Civil judicial cooperation

Civil nuclear

Climate

Commercial road haulage

Common Travel Area

Company law

Competition

Consumer protection

Cross-border gas trading

Customs and borders

Data
...
...
Driver licensing

Drugs

e-Commerce and geo-blocking

Electricity trading

Environmental standards

Equine movements

Erasmus

EU citizens in the UK

EU programmes and structural funds

EU space programmes

European regional development fund

European social fund
...
Read 8 tweets
Jul 16, 2018
104 pages of the #Brexit #WhitePaper reduced to 10 slides.
Especially for those concerned for @BorderIrish, @BelfastAgmt,
& with more sense than time.

@DPhinnemore & I have scrutinised the WP in light of #JointReport commitments to NI/IRL & the UK's alternative #backstop.
1/10
A bit of context-setting (plus explanation of our imaginative colour coding).

The White Paper is in part an effort by UK govt to prove a NI-specific #backstop to be unnecessary. But remember Protocol for NI/IRL in the Withdrawal Agmt is abt much more than a customs border.

2/10
A reminder of where we are up to on that Protocol on NI/IRL in the draft Withdrawal Agreement.

With added stars 🌟 to identify which bits the White Paper attempts to address (or negate) most directly.

3/10
Read 11 tweets
Jul 12, 2018
There is a lot that is very welcome & very good to see in the UK Govt #Brexit White Paper, from the point of view of Northern Ireland, North/South cooperation & @BelfastAgmt

Here's a wee thread of positivity

bit.ly/2LfeIQk

1/
There is repeated mention of the UK & EU 'meeting their shared commitments to Northern Ireland & Ireland', esp. in Exec Summary.

And it states the UK wishes to see a future UK-EU partnership 'honouring the letter & the spirit of the Belfast (‘Good Friday’) Agreement'.

2/
Evidence of honouring the letter of @BelfastAgmt comes primarily in relation to areas of north/south cooperation.

The Mapping Exercise of cross-border links conducted before the Joint Report of Dec'17 appears to be bearing fruit in the form of specific areas identified here.

3/
Read 11 tweets

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