Jean Monnet Lecture Series October 2018

9 Oct 2018

'The Day After [Brexit]': Rebuilding an Enduring Relationship for these Islands

Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA

Chief Whip Ulster Unionist Party

Brexit and Finance Spokesperson

3-4pm, Thursday 18 October, CACSSS Seminar Room, UCC.

ALL WELCOME (no registration necessary)

The Department of Government and Politics at UCC is delighted to announce that Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA will deliver the first UCC Jean Monnet Lecture of the 2018/2019 academic year. Dr Aiken is the Chief Whip of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), a Member of the Legislative Assembly for South Antrim in Northern Ireland, and UUP party spokesperson on Brexit and Finance. In his lecture, Dr Aiken will reflect on the ‘The Day After [Brexit]’: Rebuilding an Enduring Relationship for these Islands: ‘As we approach Brexit, the focus is on the shape and form of the future relationship between the UK and the EU. But regardless of the outcome of discussions, the broad political, economic and cultural consensus built up across these islands has been badly dented, if not irrevocably damaged, by the increasingly rancorous debate. It is therefore beholden that political and civic leaders look to how a new and enduring “All Islands” relationship can be built, one that recognises the sharply changed dynamic not just between the UK and Ireland, but also within the UK itself’.

In welcoming Dr Aiken’s contribution to the UCC Jean Monnet Lecture series, Dr Mary C. Murphy noted: ‘It is important that we engage with all political traditions on the island of Ireland in seeking to understand and navigate the complex challenges which Brexit poses for future relationships within and across these islands’.

Dr Aiken was the last Chair of the NI Assembly Economy Committee. He has had a varied career pre–politics, including being the founding Chief Executive of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce and eing CEO at a major Irish University. Previously Dr Aiken served for 30 years in the Royal Navy, in many senior operational roles, including commanding two nuclear submarines. He also headed up the UK Ministry of Defence Global Strategic Trends programme and worked on the UK and NATO’s security strategy. Dr Aiken is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, Kings College London and the Open University. He holds a PhD and MPhil in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Defence Studies from Kings College London

The UCC Jean Monnet Lecture Series is supported by the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet programme.

For further information, please contact Dr Mary C. Murphy, email: maryc.murphy@ucc.ie.