British Political Cartoon about Irish Border Issue under Brexit

Abstract

The article examines the features of the reflection of the problem of the Irish border in the British political caricature. The issue of the border between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland became one of the defining ones in the discussion of the Brexit process. The second aspect of the border problem emerged when a transparent Irish border mechanism was proposed, which in turn threatens to create a semblance of a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the Kingdom. The positions of the negotiating parties and political parties within the Kingdom were divided. The British political cartoon reflected the complexity and, at the same time, the comic and paradoxical nature of this situation. At the political level, all participants in the negotiation process emphasized their commitment to maintaining peace in Northern Ireland and preventing the emergence of a “hard” border that would divide the island. The creation of barriers within the Kingdom was all the more denied. Despite its seriousness, the topic displayed characteristic satirical assessments, which became part of political discourse and markers of the unsuccessful activities of political leaders, primarily Prime Minister Theresa May, and later Boris Johnson. British cartoonists from left-liberal and conservative publications differed in critical assessments of their activities. The former showed a more pro-European position and expressed concern about the interests of the Irish, exaggerated the fear of a real border on the island of Ireland. Conservative cartoonists criticized the EU's stance, defended British fears of customs barriers within the Kingdom, and downplayed the prospect of a “hard” Irish border.