Politics in the British Isles facts for kids

The countries and islands that make up the British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands in Europe. They include two main countries: Ireland and the United Kingdom. They also include three special islands called Crown Dependencies: Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man.

Ireland is an independent country and a republic. This means its leader is chosen by the people. Since 1998, Ireland has worked closely with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland used to be part of Ireland until 1921.

The United Kingdom is a country with a king or queen as its head of state. It includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Since 1998, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have been given more power to make their own decisions.

The Crown Dependencies (Jersey, the Isle of Man, and Guernsey) are not part of the UK. But the UK helps protect them and handles their international relations.

In 1998, Ireland and the UK signed an agreement called the Good Friday Agreement. This agreement helped create peace in Northern Ireland. It also set up groups like the British-Irish Council. This council helps Ireland, the UK, and the Crown Dependencies work together. They also share many cultural and economic connections.

Working Together in the British Isles

Since 1998, the countries and islands in the British Isles have created many ways to work together. This helps them cooperate on important issues.

Main Groups for Cooperation

Here are some of the main groups that help the countries in the British Isles work together:

Working Together as a Group

The main group for working together since 1998 is the British–Irish Council (BIC). It was set up by the Good Friday Agreement. Its members include:

• The governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
• The governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
• The crown dependencies of Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and Jersey.

The BIC started in 1999. Its goal is to "promote friendly and helpful development" among the people of these islands. The BIC has an office in Edinburgh, Scotland. Its leaders meet twice a year, and ministers meet regularly.

Some experts compare the BIC to similar groups in Nordic countries, like the Nordic Council.

British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly

Besides the BIC, there's also the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA). This group brings together lawmakers from the UK, Ireland, and the Crown Dependencies. Its goal is to help them understand each other better.

The BIPA includes 25 members from the UK Parliament and 25 from the Irish Parliament. It also has five members from the Scottish Parliament, five from the Welsh Parliament, five from the Northern Ireland Assembly, and one each from Jersey, Guernsey, and the Tynwald (Isle of Man parliament).

Common Travel Area

Over the years, a special arrangement called the Common Travel Area was created. This area includes Ireland, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. People can usually travel between these places without needing a passport. Irish and British citizens can cross these borders with very few or no identity checks.

Working Together Between Islands

The three Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man) are independent. But they often work together because they have similar situations with the UK and other international groups. For example, in 2000, they worked together on rules for banking. In 2003, they agreed on how to share tax information with the EU.

The leaders of the Crown Dependencies meet every year. They discuss shared concerns like money rules and their relationship with the UK. In 2013, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man signed agreements to avoid double taxation. This also allowed them to share tax information.

Working Together One-on-One

Besides group cooperation, countries in the British Isles also work together one-on-one. This was a goal of the British-Irish Council.

Ireland and Northern Ireland

One important group is the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC). It was set up by the UK and Irish governments under the Good Friday Agreement. Its job is to coordinate activities and make decisions for the whole island of Ireland. Ministers from Ireland and Northern Ireland meet to discuss 12 different policy areas.

Ireland and the Crown Dependencies

Ireland has also built direct relationships with the Crown dependencies: the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey. For example, they have signed agreements about taxes.

The Crown Dependencies are also building direct links with other countries in the Isles. For instance, Scotland's leader visited the Isle of Man in 2008. In 2011, Jersey started sending representatives to UK political party meetings. This helps them improve their relationship with the UK, which is their biggest economic partner. Guernsey's leaders also attend these meetings to show that the Channel Islands are "good neighbours" to the UK. In 2012, Guernsey and Jersey leaders visited Dublin to meet Ireland's Minister for European Affairs. This was to prepare for Ireland leading the European Union in 2013.

Ireland, Wales, and Scotland

Ireland has also built relationships with Wales and Scotland. In 1999, Ireland opened offices in Edinburgh and Cardiff. The Cardiff office closed in 2009 to save money. The Irish and Welsh governments work together on economic projects through the Ireland Wales Programme. This program gets money from the European Union.

Scotland and Ireland also work together in many ways. The Irish Prime Minister has spoken to the Scottish Parliament. Scottish leaders have also called for closer ties between Ireland and Scotland.

With more power given to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, there are also more one-on-one relationships between these parts of the UK.

Shared Projects

Many joint projects have been started among the countries in the Isles. These often focus on things like roads, buildings, and energy. For example, Ireland, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are working on the ISLES project. This project will help develop clean energy sources like wind, wave, and tidal energy. It will also help trade this energy between the three areas.

Through the British-Irish Council, ministers from the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands have agreed to work on energy cooperation. This is called the All Islands Approach (AIA). It helps connect the energy markets of these different places.

The Isle of Man and Ireland are also planning to develop clean energy. They are sharing costs for a wind farm off the coast of the Isle of Man. A bigger project is planned with Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and Ireland. This project will use the strong tidal currents around the Channel Islands to create energy.

A group called the Irish Sea Region has also been set up. It helps the governments of Ireland, the Isle of Man, the UK, and local areas work together. Their goal is to plan how to develop the Irish Sea and nearby areas.

In 2004, Ireland and the UK signed an agreement to connect their natural gas pipelines. This links Ireland to Scotland through the Isle of Man.

There are three lighthouse authorities in the British Isles:

• The Northern Lighthouse Board for Scotland and the Isle of Man.
• The Trinity House Lighthouse Service for England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and Gibraltar.
• The Commissioners of Irish Lights for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

These three groups work closely together. They all get money from a single fund managed by the UK government. This fund comes from fees paid by ships visiting UK and Irish ports. From 2015-16, the Commissioners of Irish Lights in Ireland will get all their funding from Ireland itself.

Citizenship and Rights

Historically, people from Ireland were considered British subjects. Today, if you are born in Northern Ireland, UK law says you are a citizen of the United Kingdom. You can also be an Irish citizen. This right to have both citizenships was confirmed in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Ireland and the United Kingdom recognize each other's citizens. Irish citizens living in the UK can vote in any UK elections. UK citizens living in Ireland can vote in European and local elections. They can also vote in Irish parliamentary elections. However, they cannot vote in Presidential elections or referendums.

British and Irish citizens can use public services like healthcare and social welfare in each other's country. They also have the right to live in each other's country. They can only be deported in very rare cases.

Since 1981, the Crown Dependencies have been treated like part of the United Kingdom for British citizenship rules. However, each dependency has its own rules for housing and jobs. These rules apply to British citizens who don't have special connections to that dependency, as well as to non-British citizens.

Political Ideas in the British Isles

Unionism

British unionism is a political idea that supports keeping the United Kingdom together. It is strongest in Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland. This idea is closely linked to British nationalism. Another related idea is Loyalism, which means being loyal to the British Crown.

Nationalism

The opposite of unionism is nationalism. Nationalism is also a big part of politics in the Isles. It can mean wanting more independence for a region or country. Examples include Welsh nationalism, Cornish nationalism, English nationalism, Irish nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Ulster nationalism, or independence movements in the Isle of Man or Channel Islands.

Identity

How people see themselves is very important in politics, especially with nationalism. You can learn more about identity in the British Isles by looking at Britishness, Scottish identity, and Irish identity.

Pan-Celticism is another idea that connects people in countries with a Celtic background.

Political Parties

No major political parties exist in all the countries of the British Isles. However, some Irish parties, like Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, have won seats in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. Both parties have also opened offices in Britain to raise money and gain supporters.