The NI Constitutional Law book is produced by Jamie Bryson, with a foreword by DUP leader the Rt Hon Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP. It is published by Unionist Voice Publications Ltd, a company set up to facilitate and encourage the unionist/loyalist community to publish various literary contributions.
The publication runs to 382 pages, bringing together all the relevant legal materials relating to the Protocol and its effect on Northern Ireland’s constitutional position. This includes the Union with Ireland Act 1800, the NI Protocol, Belfast Agreement and key provisions of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
Throughout the book, key materials are accompanied by explanatory commentary and the opening chapter provides a detailed analysis of the Acts of Union, focusing on its development from 1800 and continued fundamental contemporary application.
This book is the first the NI Constitutional Law series, which will over the next two years publish a number of books focusing on key areas of constitutional law, relevant to Northern Ireland’s cherished place within the United Kingdom.
Jamie Bryson said “this book is a response to the increased need for accessible resources to equip and empower the grassroots unionist/loyalist community to develop a deeper knowledge of constitutional law, and increase awareness of its fundamental principles, for the purpose of defending our precious Union.
“In recent times there has been a patently obvious imbalance in publications relating to Northern Ireland’s constitutional position, especially from within established academia. In relation to the Protocol, the imbalance has been compounded and there is a danger that these publications take on the status of infallibility, when in truth many of the claims and conclusions are robustly contested, both politically and legally. It is important to take steps to correct that imbalance, by ensuring the pro Union position is on the record.
“The book is written and published on a not-for-profit basis. All monies will be reinvested into publishing pro-Union material and providing constitutional law workshops, with particular focus on empowering the grassroots unionist/loyalist community.”
In the foreword, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP said: “As a parliamentarian and committed unionist, I believe it is timely and necessary that grassroots unionists and loyalists familiarise themselves with our legislative heritage, including the constitutional law that impacts so much on our daily lives. If we are loyal to the Union then we need to understand both the law that underpins that Union and the new laws created by the Protocol that threaten its viability”