When voters in the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, little talk was given to the specific details of how the exit would take place. For over a year, members of the British parliament have sought to figure out how to leave the EU, with hardliners calling for an immediate “hard” break, and others like Prime Minister Theresa May advocating for a “soft Brexit,” which would transition the U.K. out of the EU with minimal disruption to the global economy.
Though much has been debated between conservative hardliners and more eurocentric members of parliament, the issue of the “Irish backstop” has become a popular flashpoint in the debate. The backstop refers to the currently open border between the independent Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K. The border between the two is integral to the histories of both nations. At the height of sectarian violence between the secessionist Irish Republican Army and the U.K. government, the heavily militarized border was a symbol of the divide. Following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the border remained open, and since the EU brought all members under a single economic zone, there was little debate about what to do with the border. Brexit, however, could change things and result in some form of a physical border or checkpoint between the two nations, something many worry will bring back memories of sectarian violence and re-ignite tensions between Northern Ireland and the U.K.
On Monday, Irish Minister for Communications, Climate Action, and Environment Richard Bruton joined Boston Public Radio to discuss the predicament. To Bruton, the impasse arises from a fear in the U.K. that leaving the border open cedes too much power to the EU, an entity pro-Brexit hardliners want nothing to do with.
“This notion of the sovereignty of parliament is very strongly held, and it runs very deep in the U.K.,” Bruton said. “It doesn’t come easy to them to the idea that you sit down at a multilateral system and work things out.”
Bruton said he understands the concerns, but feels they are misguided. According to him, the Irish government is respectful of the U.K.’s desire for independence. Rather, he said, the EU’s proposal is a necessary first step to creating a new set of rules for a long-term economic relationship between the U.K. and the rest of the EU.
“The withdrawal agreement is only a precursor to a very full negotiation of the long term relationship between Britain and the European Union, and what some people fear is by having an insurance policy they would be trapped, but that is a very, very pessimistic view,” Bruton said.
With no sign from London that a deal with the EU will be ratified, tensions remain high, but Bruton said he’s “optimistic” that a fair bargain will be struck between the EU and U.K.
