Mr. Colin Murray in the Conversation discussing the role of the EU in the Peace Process.
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On this page, you will find all the work we did under the 'Constitutional Conundrums' banner and the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account funding we received for that project between 2016 and 2018.The primary purpose of 'Constitutional Conundrums' was to investigate what the specific consequences of Human Rights Act 1998 reform and Brexit would be for Northern Ireland in terms of its constitutional settlement as a country in the UK and a former part of an EU Member State.
Brexit and the potential losses to the UK’s (and Ireland’s) ‘Comparative Advantage’.
Dr. Sylvia de Mars and Prof. Aoife O’Donoghue argue that Brexit would change the basis on which the UK trades regionally and globally and that it would also impact negatively on how Ireland would position itself.
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Policy Paper: Brexit, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
There are many very specific ‘Irish’ dimensions to current political debates surrounding potential ‘Brexit’ which are not being addressed in detail (if at all) by the Leave and Remain campaigns. This policy paper aims to shed light on these aspects of Brexit, so as to inform interested voters. The paper also engages directly with policy makers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, so as to ensure that future negotiations with Westminster and/or Brussels regarding both the EU referendum take full account of the specific ways in which their jurisdictions will be affected by the changes.
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Brexit’s Bogeyman: The much-maligned Court of Justice of the European Union.
Post by Mr. Colin Murray on the Political Studies Association Blog, discussing the role and power of the CJEU.
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Brexit: Theresa Villiers misleading on return of Border Controls.
Prof. Aoife O’Donoghue and Dr. Sylvia de Mars in The Irish Times discussing the Common Travel Area and the potential impact of Brexit on this special relationship between the UK and Ireland.
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Written Evidence: ‘Northern Ireland and the EU Referendum’ Inquiry.
A response to the Northen Ireland Affairs Committee regarding the ‘Northern Ireland and the EU Reference’ Inquiry, submitted in February 2016.
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The Place of Northern Ireland within UK Human Rights Reform.
Considerable speculation has surrounded the impact of the Good Friday Agreement’s provisions on human rights upon the Conservative Government’s proposals for repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998. This Policy Paper seeks to demystify this aspect of the debate over the future of the Human Rights Act, examining the terms of the Good Friday Agreement as an international treaty and peace agreement and explaining its interrelationship with both the Human Rights Act and the Devolution Acts. Once some of the hyperbole that surrounds the Agreement and its attendant domestic legislation is removed, it can be seen that the impact of the Agreement is in some regards more extensive than has to date been recognised, whilst in other respects the Agreement has less impact than some of the supporters of the Human Rights Act claim. Reform of arrangements so fundamental to governance in the UK should not be taken lightly, but at present the offhand treatment of the place of the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights in the Northern Ireland settlement generates just such a danger.
Constitutionally Questioned: UK Debates, International Law, and Northern Ireland.
This comment examines the proposed UK constitutional changes proffered following the no-vote in the Scottish Independence Referendum from an international legal perspective. With a particular focus on the implications for Northern Ireland, this piece considers the implications of further devolution, proposed federalism, changes to the UK’s relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights, modifications of relations with the EU and the implications of change to the relationship with the Republic of Ireland. In looking at these issues through the lens of international law this comment brings a fresh perspective to questions of constitutional change for Northern Ireland
A New Constitutional Settlement for Northern Ireland: Queries from International Law.
Blog post written by Prof. Aoife O’Donoghue and Dr. Ben Warwick for Human Rights in Ireland.
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