Brexit and the Spillover Phenomenon: Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Gibraltar

Authors

Timea Varga, University of Pecs, HungaryFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In my research, I examined the consequences of Brexit and the spillover phenomenon. Even though the United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 December 2020 with a deal, the resulting challenges are not solved at all in 2024 either – Brexit has brought to the surface such conflicts that London considered dealt with a long time ago. However, questions of autonomy and independence are not so easy to resolve; they have their roots in history, and in this uncertain situation, they came to the fore again.

Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, and Scotland have always meant sources of conflict for the British, which seems to be reinforced by Brexit. Spain demanded the renegotiation of the issue of Gibraltar; tensions between the ‘two Irelands’ re-emerged on the Irish border, while Scotland has been considering another referendum to leave Great Britain and possibly rejoin the EU. Furthermore, this is happening in an era when nationalism and the idea of the nation-state are gaining momentum across Europe.

My question is whether Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Gibraltar want to continue without London. If yes, what are their chances? Can they function independently, or can they join a country that is already in the EU? Could this exit bring about the disintegration of the United Kingdom? If yes, that would be the problem of every country in Europe, as that could set a precedent for every other minority within the continent.

Recommended Citation

Varga, Timea (2024) "Brexit and the Spillover Phenomenon: Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Gibraltar," Journal of Global Awareness: Vol. 5: No. 2, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24073/jga/5/02/03
Available at: https://scholar.stjohns.edu/jga/vol5/iss2/3