In the government sector, public relations play a prominent role because, by nature, it remains fitting to constantly prove its worth. A good example can be how public relations is being used to talk about the interests of the people of Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland since they share a border and Northern Ireland is soon to exit European Union as part of the United Kingdom.
The impact of the UK exiting the EU can be devastating, and it can lead to different consequences. The issue of Ireland and Northern Ireland remains a significant problem which the federal government on both sides of the border have to deal with. They have to protect the interests of people in both countries because they are facing a dire issue concerning their safety, security, economic welfare, and social status.
The problem is that since both countries share a border, they are highly dependent on each other being part of the European Union. It means people on both sides of the border enjoy no tariffs on the trade of products and services. Citizens of both countries also frequently travel for work purposes. Meanwhile, their socioeconomic strength is also dependent on the input of both countries. Neither Belfast nor Dublin can seek to sustain the welfare of their countries without enjoying bilateral trade and mutually benefiting diplomatic relationship with one another.
Decades of sectarian violence has also disrupted the country and made their people suffer a tremendous amount of loss. Such social unrest was brought down by talks and a lot of effort by many public organizations and the federal government of both Ireland and Northern Ireland.
With Brexit, an impending crisis would devastate the people of both countries. They would be treated as two separate countries having absolutely no single market and customs union benefits. Ireland would be a part of the EU, and it would be responsible for facilitating its member countries rather than the country it shares a long border and history with. Northern Ireland will suffer economically and to thrive in the country, it would have to take a totally different approach.
Both countries have always been a part of each other since the beginning, and Brexit is about to strip them of their history. It hovers as a massive problem for the UK government. Many leaders and public figures have joined hands to find solutions to the problem, but in the case of a no-deal Brexit scenario, there is absolutely nothing anyone can do.
Anthony Bailey OBE, a public relations consultant, diplomat, and interfaith campaigner remains an important figure in UK politics. As a public affairs professional, Anthony is giving his best to run campaigns and bridge communication among leaders in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland to do something about the problem by either turning away Brexit, devise a favorable deal in the parliament, or discuss on a plan that could safeguard the interests of people living in both countries.