Dividing lines : explaining Sinn Féin, UUP, and DUP stances on Europe

Kelly, Conor John (2024) Dividing lines : explaining Sinn Féin, UUP, and DUP stances on Europe. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.

Abstract

When the UK and Ireland joined the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 three parties in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), opposed European integration. Over the next 43 years, Sinn Féin and the UUP moderated their positions and supported Remain in the 2016 European Union (EU) membership referendum. Sinn Féin had adopted a policy of 'critical engagement' with the EU from the late 1990s on, and argued that Brexit would undermine the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Europe is now central to that party's campaign to unite Ireland. Despite softening its European position over time, the UUP appeared divided on its Remain stance, reflecting its shifting allegiances in the European Parliament over the decades between Europhilic and Eurosceptic party groups. All the while, the DUP was steadfast in its opposition to Europe, supporting Leave in 2016 notwithstanding Brexit's challenges to the peace process. The aftermath of the referendum saw the DUP become central to the wider Brexit story, notably through a Confidence and Supply Agreement in Westminster with the Conservative Party between 2017–2019. Classic and contemporary accounts linking a party's stance on European integration to other socio-economic issues and social cleavages often fall short in explaining the EU positions of Northern Ireland's parties. Each party examined here displays positions on Europe over time that do not neatly align with what we might expect from this literature. Sinn Féin's embrace of Europe has become out of sync with its left-wing colleagues in the European Parliament and the views of some of its populist supporters. The shifts between groups displayed by the UUP in Brussels lack a clear connection to its supporter's preferences. Meanwhile, the DUP leadership's hardline stance on integration is out of step with what might be expected from a party of government which has built a broad social base. To account for these gaps, this thesis offers an alternative account based on historical institutionalism, incorporating additional factors that capture the transnational nature of Northern Ireland's politics. This framework, termed 'multi-level historical institutionalism', better explains these parties' behaviour, providing valuable insights into Northern Ireland's politics with broader implications for Irish, British, EU, and comparative politics. The research draws on fresh manifesto analysis and elite interviews conducted with politicians and policymakers in London, Dublin, Belfast, and Brussels, adding to our understanding of these key actors in the aftermath of a seismic event in European politics.

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