88. Northern Ireland and International Law: Borders, Brexit and the Constitutional Life of Ireland

Imogen Saunders is joined by Professor Aoife O'Donoghue (Queen's University Belfast), Professor Colin Murray (Newcastle University) and Dr Sylvia de Mars (Newcastle University) to discuss the distinctive constitutional and international legal position of Northern Ireland.

The conversation explores the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, including self-determination, power-sharing, rights and equality, and the complex relationships between Northern Ireland, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The discussion then turns to Brexit, considering the Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework, the Irish Sea border, and the challenge of reconciling Brexit with the commitments made in 1998.

The guests also examine Northern Ireland's post-Brexit human rights architecture, including the European Convention on Human Rights, EU law, and the Agreement's non-diminution commitment. Finally, Colin Murray and Sylvia de Mars discuss their work on governance and the politics of scale, and what Northern Ireland reveals about the relationship between international law, regional integration and local institutions.

As always, the episode ends with discussion of the guests' current research - and whether anyone ever really escapes Northern Ireland and international law.

Art: Kat Weir (www.instagram.com/katweir/) Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait