Thread by @hayward_katy

Loads of noise re: #Brexit & N.Ireland right now. No need to add to that -
But worth pausing to listen to what those in the region most affected are saying.
👉 interim findings of TheBorderIntoBrexit @BorderBrexit study: go.qub.ac.uk/BorderBrexit
(only 6 pages)
Please 👀 & RT
1/12

@BorderBrexit They're results of an online survey (475 respondents) from both sides @BorderIrish, conducted by @QUBelfast @milena_komarova & me for @europe_icban.

It shows rising anxieties re: a hard border & #NoDeal are having tangible effects in decisions & actions in border region.

2/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban The survey confirms #Brexit is already having an impact on life on both sides of the border.

Respondents report economic changes (e.g. job losses, business disinvestment, problems in labour recruitment) plus rising concerns about the #peace process & future stability.

3/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban 4 in 5 respondents report they consider a hard border to have become more likely in the past year.

Primary reason given = PM Johnson govt's wish for a hard Brexit with threat of No Deal as a credible outcome.
Also critical of the lack of political leadership from Stormont.
4/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban Majority of respondents fear the reality of #Brexit across all aspects of life in #border region –from peace to prosperity– are not appreciated by those making decisions on Brexit.

"if the border goes through your farm or your town, then it's part of your everyday reality"
5/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban Those respondents who are less concerned about risk of a hard border tend to see its impact as exaggerated, emphasise the fact no party wishes to see such a hard border, & are confident it's inconceivable given how much openness of the border is valued by the UK & Ireland.

6/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban The responses to this survey –from people of all ages on both sides of the border– show the normality of a cross-border dimension to everyday lives in the border region.

This means potential impact of #Brexit stretches across daily experience & into people's future plans.

7/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban The responses also demonstrate the personal & emotional reactions that so many have to the prospect of a hard #border.

"The end of my world." (R388)
"It’s like a knife through the heart." (R125)
"The end of a truce" (R399).
"‘Disaster. Pain. The past. Broken." (R255).

8/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban Fear of a return to violence is more prominent than ever.

We can see in real-time the potential unravelling of the trust & normalisation so crucial to the building & embedding of #peace in this region, which was so negatively affected by the impact of conflict for so long.
9/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban This is a follow-up to the Bordering on Brexit report which was published in November 2017 (go.qub.ac.uk/bordering).

That found people in the Central Border Region felt uninformed about Brexit, unrepresented in the process, & had deep fears about the consequences of it.

10/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban The 2nd report, Brexit at the Border, published in June 2018 (go.qub.ac.uk/brexitborder), showed the extent of integration in the region.
It also showed that Leave & Remain voters share a common priority for the border to remain as ‘seamless’ & ‘frictionless’ as it is today.
11/12

@BorderBrexit @BorderIrish @QUBelfast @milena_komarova @europe_icban A twitter a/c @BorderBrexit has been created to disseminate findings of this project. Inc. answers to survey Q on what message respondents wish to give UK & EU27 in run-up to EU Council Summit.
#BorderPerspectives

Last but not least, *THANK YOU* to all 475 respondents! 🙏
12/12