Far from having viewed Brexit as an opportunity for constitutional transformation, Sinn Féin has instead viewed it as a threat to be managed

Abstract

Jonathan Evershed and Mary C. Murphy examine how Sinn Féin responded to Brexit. They argue that its pursuit of ‘Special Status’ for Northern Ireland represented an attempt to mitigate Brexit’s risks, rather than to leverage its opportunities. This approach came with political costs for the party, whose recent electoral surge has arguably been in spite of rather than because of it