Brexit was an external shock for the domestic political landscape in Northern Ireland and wider UK-Irish relations. It changed political and diplomatic relationships at all levels. Prior to Brexit, the presence of trust and communication amongst Irish, UK and Northern Irish political and diplomatic figures underpinned strong interpersonal relationships, which contributed to stronger institutional and interstate relationships. So a betterunderstanding ofthe Brexit-related changes to interpersonal communication and trust will inform a better understanding of how to repair and rebuild these foundations of political and diplomatic relationships, which contribute to broader relations at the institutional and state level.This research moves the analytical gaze away from the political home soil of Northern Ireland and explores the distinctive situational context of the ‘Brussels bubble’ space for the communication and trust relations in play amongst co-located UK, Irish and Northern Irish political and diplomatic actors continuing to work there, post-Brexit. Viewing communication as a vehicle for trust, this research looks at how communication has changed and impacted on trust and trust-building, and how political and diplomatic figures perceive these changes to have affected their working relationships in the Brussels bubble, as well as political and diplomatic trust relations more widely. This study finds that trust relations are not just supplementary elements of the UKIreland-Northern Ireland dynamic but a fundamental means of maintaining ongoing working relations at government level. The study demonstrates the significance of identity in impacting both communication and trust amongst political and diplomatic figures in Brussels. These findings have informed the development of the TCI model as a new theoretical means of understanding the interaction between these different factors of trust, communication and identity which together form the TCI acronym. This study also puts forward the ‘bubble’ conception of Brussels as a distinctive space with particular qualities as an away-from-home shared site of multilateral business and interaction, enabling the normalisation and strengthening of trusting relationships across (inter)national boundaries. Such bubble spaces support a transferable culture and climate of trust, based onshared values, principles, and integrity in practice, whilst enabling the de-sensitisation and reframing of contentious issues by providing a space for reflection and detachment from thecultural norms and scrutinising political and media gaze of ‘home’. These qualities of the Brussels bubble space support political and diplomatic trust and relationship building by shaping an environment in which communication and trust amongst UK, Irish and Northern Irish political and diplomatic figures can work differently.
Exploring the ‘Brussels bubble’: everyday communication and trust amongst Irish, UK and Northern Irish political and diplomatic figures, post-Brexit.
Ratcliffe, J. (Author). May 2024
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy