Brexit, a crisis in Unionism? The Case of Northern Irish and Scottish Unionists

Abstract

Prior to the Brexit referendum, which has revealed internal dissensions among Unionists parties in the different territories of the United Kingdom, Unionist politicians had striven to reshape and redefine Unionism as an ideology, especially in Northern Ireland and in Scotland. Unionist parties in these two territories showed new signs of confidence in the 2010s, despite the resurgence of sectarianism in Ulster and the landslide election of the SNP in Scotland. They adopted what has been defined as a “constructive Unionism”, based on shared projects and values. This article explores how the main conservative Unionist parties in Northern Ireland and Scotland initiated this move and how Brexit posed a serious challenge to this reshaping of British Unionism.