National Politics

It’s been 11 years since the Scottish Independence Referendum and nine since the Brexit vote; two democratic processes that changed the understanding of the Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Now Northern Ireland has its first nationalist First Minister and is pushing for a border poll for a referendum on Irish reunification. Reform UK’s lead in British polls and their potential leading of future UK government has prompted former Irish, Scottish and even Irish Unionist leaders to say that it could rupture the Union altogether with their supposed Englishcentric focus. This article will analyze where does the Union stand almost decade after these watershed votes and where its future lies with nationalist populism on the rise in the UK.