Trapped Between Two Systems: Diane Dodds on Brexit’s Democratic Cost

By Jessica Toal

The corridors of the European Parliament in Brussels once echoed with voices of Northern Ireland’s representatives, ensuring that the region’s interests were not lost in the vast bureaucracy of the European Union. Among them was Diane Dodds, who served as an MEP from 2009 to 2020, advocating for agriculture, fisheries, and constitutional affairs. Now, with Brexit reshaping the political and economic landscape, Northern Ireland finds itself in a precarious position – outside the EU but still tethered to its rules in ways that, according to Dodds, undermine both democracy and prosperity. 

In a candid conversation, Dodds outlines her experiences in Brussels, the consequences of Brexit for Northern Ireland, and the deep divisions created by the Northern Ireland Protocol and the Windsor Framework.

A Voice for Northern Ireland in Brussels

Serving as an MEP, Dodds was more than a mere participant; she was an influential player in the European Parliament, holding a seat in the powerful Conference of Presidents. “It gave me enormous access,” she recalls. “Every week, I met the group leaders – the people who form policy and opinion within the European Parliament. That access was invaluable, not just for me, but for Northern Ireland.”

“For most of my time in the European Parliament, I was that independent member of the Conference of Presidents. So that gave me enormous access and really good access to information within the parliament. And that’s massive – you can’t underestimate that in the European Parliament.”

Northern Ireland, a small region with a population of 1.8 million, was well-known in European institutions. “To be fair to the European institutions in the European Parliament, through the peace funding, [they] had taken a real active interest in Northern Ireland.” Agriculture and fisheries dominated her work – critical sectors for a region where rural economies still play a vital role. But her influence stretched beyond the expected, touching everything from the Tobacco Directive to regulations affecting everyday life. “There were lots of significant things in everyday life that you might not have recognised originated in the European Parliament, but they did.”

The Brexit Fallout: A Political and Economic Minefield

When the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, Northern Ireland became a focal point of negotiations, a “political football,” as Dodds describes it. The result was the Northern Ireland Protocol – a mechanism designed to prevent a hard border with the Republic of Ireland by keeping Northern Ireland aligned with certain EU rules. But to Dodds, it was an imposition that placed Northern Ireland in constitutional limbo. 

“Northern Ireland, I think, became their political football, and became their bit of leverage when they were negotiating the trade and cooperation agreement with the rest of the United Kingdom. And I think that was wrong – strategically wrong and morally wrong.”

Dodds doesn’t mince words when she criticises the approach taken by Brussels and Dublin. She points to former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who, during negotiations, presented images of bombed border posts from decades past to European leaders, warning that Brexit could reignite violence. “It was despicable that someone like Leo Varadkar would come to the European Commission meeting showing photographs of a bomb at a border post 30 years before, and say this is what will happen again, and almost used violence as a means of leverage.”

Economically, she says, the Protocol and Windsor Framework have had damaging effects. “I read a thing recently about the cost of doing business with Northern Ireland, and we’re about to see full implementation of the Windsor Framework, for example, on parcels. You will see more companies not trading with Northern Ireland, particularly small traders who simply [don’t have] the resources, the time, the energy, or the inclination to put those rules in place.”

A Democratic Deficit

Beyond the economic concerns, Dodds argues that Brexit has created a democratic deficit in Northern Ireland. In a December vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly, MLAs were asked to ratify the Protocol’s continued operation. While most nationalist and centrist parties supported it, unionists unanimously rejected it. Yet, due to the voting mechanism imposed by Westminster and Brussels, a simple majority sufficed. 

“This vote has been rigged by the British government and by the European Union as simply a majority vote,” she explains. “Now there’s no way in this wide earthly world that you’re not going to describe that as a contentious vote. It went ahead on a majority vote. There was not one single unionist who voted for it.”

Dodds sees the Windsor Framework as little improvement, calling it a “democratic insult.” Before Brexit, as an MEP, she could propose amendments, build alliances, and influence laws. Now, she argues, Northern Ireland must simply accept EU rules without any input. “Some people then said to me, but we could have a European Commission office in Belfast, and that would help a bit. So I would go to the European [Commission] as an elected representative, as someone who is directly responsible to electors in my constituency, and plead with them to change laws that I can’t…. that I think is nonsense.”

Looking Ahead: Influence Beyond Brussels

With Brexit now a reality, the question remains – how does Northern Ireland maintain influence in European affairs? For Dodds, the answer lies not in Brussels, but in London. “How do we maintain our influence? As part of the United Kingdom, as part of that huge economy. One of the fifth or sixth largest economies in the world? That’s how we maintain our influence, and by being good neighbours.”

Yet, the economic uncertainties persist. With Trump threatening to introduce tariffs on European goods, raises further complications for Northern Ireland, which operates under EU rules despite being part of the UK. “If Trump [goes] ahead with his promises to put tariffs on the European Union, how [we get] goods coming into Northern Ireland or out of Northern Ireland?”

Was Brexit the Right Decision for Northern Ireland?

As our conversation draws to a close, I ask Dodds the unavoidable question – does she still believe Brexit was the right choice?

Her response is immediate. “We’re part of the United Kingdom. So this idea that, ‘Oh, Northern Ireland didn’t vote for Brexit’ – London didn’t vote for Brexit, [a] huge part [of] Scotland didn’t vote for Brexit. But they all left [the] European Union, as the whole of the United Kingdom voted for Brexit.”

She acknowledges the difficulties. “I think it has been difficult. I think it has because we didn’t get Brexit to start with. But secondly, we also got the worst end of it.”

As she speaks, it’s clear that for Dodds, the issue is bigger than trade or bureaucracy. It’s about national identity, sovereignty, and democracy. And for her, Northern Ireland’s future lies not in Brussels, but in its place within the United Kingdom.

“Politics moves,” she says. “You have to move, [or] stay stuck.”