A People Under Siege: The Unionists of Northern Ireland, from Partition to Brexit and Beyond

by Aaron Edwards

The Brexit referendum of 2016 triggered one of the most profound constitutional crises in modern British history. A wave of populist nationalism gave way to political and economic instability, throwing the future of the United Kingdom into sharp relief. The Scottish National Party saw an opportunity to press for a second referendum on Scottish independence with Irish republicans lobbying the British Government for a border poll in a move to help secure their goal of a United Ireland. For Unionists in Northern Ireland, a referendum that began on the question of sovereignty quickly degenerated into cries of betrayal and a redrawn border in the Irish Sea. Extraordinary uncertainty now hangs over the future of the Union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland’ s centenary year, military and political historian Aaron Edwards, a native of Belfast, explores the profound challenges facing Unionists. He reflects upon the past century of political turbulence on these islands, the effects of Republican violence on the Unionist psyche and the embattlement of a people who believe themselves to be once again under siege.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Ireland

288 pages, Paperback

Published May 29, 2023

About the author

Welcome to my Goodreads Page!

I’m a reader first and a writer second.

My several books include the critically acclaimed Mad Mitch’s Tribal Law: Aden and the End of Empire (Transworld Books, 2014; paperback 2015) and UVF: Behind the Mask (Merrion Press, 2017).

I have taught in the Faculty for the Study of Leadership, Security and Warfare at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst since 2008, traveling the world to instruct on global security challenges, including terrorism, war and peace.

In my spare time beyond reading, writing and teaching I love walking, trekking and running.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book on the bus back from Dublin yesterday evening, having just purchased it in a bookshop beside my accommodation and finished it at 4.00 am! I read over half of it on the bus and the remainder a few hours later. The book is so well written that you could read it in one sitting if you get the peace to read it uninterrupted. It is a very good overview of the history of Ulster unionism from the partition of Ireland to the aftermath of Brexit. While the author is sympathetic to unionism, I think that his left-leaning civic unionism causes him to downplay the reality that many of Northern Ireland's post-Brexit problems were caused by the EU being a bad-faith actor that did not respect Britain's decision to vote leave. Still, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of the author's other works.

[Dsd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by AE. His UVF and AGENTS were both excellent so I knew this would be well written and un-biased.

This is a political history of unionist politics. Not a general history of Ulster/ Troubles.

Don't personally support their position/ outlook but books on protestant/ unionists are always interesting. Like Susan McKay books

[J.P · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of NI Unionism over the history of the country. There are areas which could’ve been expanded on, but were done well in the context of a general history. It’s very obvious that the author’s expertise lies in loyalist paramilitary history, with it often overshadowing the Unionist parties throughout the book. The goal of this book is to essentially look at the past mistakes made by Unionism to examine how it could be revitalised. To this end it’s successful (although I myself am biased as a moderate yet firm unionist).

However, despite how well the book covered pre-GFA politics, the main issue I have is how quickly post-GFA politics is brought up other than the flag protests and briefly the NI protocol. The final chapters frequently mention the PUP as a main point, despite the fact it had become increasingly irrelevant and now has no real power. Meanwhile, there is little to no mention of the DUP and UUP during a crucial shift in power, while the TUV is only mentioned briefly in relation to the flag protests. The total lack of mentioning figures such as Arlene Foster, Mike Nesbitt, Jeffrey Donaldson, Naomi Long, etc. is disappointing for a book which for most of its length did a good job analysing key figures and events.

I still enjoyed the book and it will satisfy those such as myself who are interested in Northern Irish history.