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Northern Ireland (From On-Line Database – ABC Clio, by Jason Newman)

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Northern Ireland (From On-Line Database – ABC Clio, by Jason Newman) Northern Ireland (from on-line database – ABC Clio, by Jason Newman) Place Historically one of the most volatile and contested regions in the world, Northern Ireland has been a part of the United Kingdom separate from the rest of Ireland since 1920. The constituent country consists of six counties in the north and northeast of the island of Ireland, culturally and religiously split from the rest of Ireland for centuries and now politically distinct from the rest of the island. The six counties occupy 5,345 square miles, spanning 110 miles from north to south at their greatest extent and a maximum of 85 miles from east to west. Northern Ireland has a population of almost 1.7 million people, most of whom are concentrated in and around the capital city of Belfast and the smaller cities of Londonderry, Armagh, Newry, and Lisburn. The six counties of Northern Ireland—Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry (also known simply as Derry), and Tyrone—were among the nine counties of the old Irish province of Ulster (the other three—Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan—are part of the Republic of Ireland). Government and Politics As part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland is subject to many of the laws and regulations passed by the British Parliament. The Northern Ireland Assembly, a devolved body responsible for governing Northern Ireland, has been allowed to enact legislation on a wide range of issues—including education, health, environmental and agricultural development, transportation, culture, and local trade and finance—since its inception following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Though suspended from October 2002 to May 2007, the Northern Ireland Assembly is currently operating under a power-sharing agreement between the unionist and republican members. The latest of three different bodies of the same name, the current Northern Ireland Assembly consists of a Legislative Assembly of 108 elected representatives and an appointed Executive made up of ministers, led by the first minister and deputy first minister. In addition to representation in the Northern Ireland Assembly, 18 elected representatives from Northern Ireland hold seats in the British Parliament's House of Commons. An appointed secretary of state for Northern Ireland also sits on the cabinet of the British prime minister. Although Northern Ireland is divided into six historical counties, these counties no longer have governmental importance. For the purpose of local governance, the region is sectioned into 26 districts, each with it own council (variously called district, borough, or city councils depending on the classification of the district). This system of local government was established in 1973 following the passage of the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) in 1971 and the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) in 1972. Although there has been recent interest in changing this structure, proposed restructuring has been met with skepticism by the executive branch of the Northern Ireland Assembly and no plans have been officially adopted. The area is religiously split, with some 46% of the people belonging to Protestant Christian denominations and more than 40% following the Roman Catholic Church. (Nearly 14% of the population is not religious at all.) While this may have little political impact in some parts of the world, it is at the heart of politics in Northern Ireland. Religion is intimately tied to the question of whether or not Northern Ireland should remain part of the predominantly Protestant United Kingdom, join the largely Catholic Republic of Ireland, or form its own independent state. Unionists, those who want to remain part of the United Kingdom, are usually Protestant and form a slight majority in the country; republicans, who are almost all Catholic, seek to join the Irish state. As of 2007, the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Ireland Assembly included 55 unionists, 45 republicans, and 9 members who were non-aligned. Ten of Northern Ireland's elected representatives to the British House of Commons were unionists, while 8 were republicans (5 of whom refused to take their seats as a form of protest). Of Northern Ireland's 3 representatives in the European Parliament, 2 were unionist and 1 was republican. The major political parties are most easily divided into unionist and republican camps as well. Unionist parties include the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Progressive Unionist Party, and the United Kingdom Unionist Party. Of these, the largest is the Democratic Unionist Party, followed by the Ulster Unionist Party. The most prominent republican party is Sinn Fein, although the more moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) is also quite influential. In general, unionist parties tend to be more conservative than republican ones, although that is not strictly the case. The Alliance Party seeks to bridge the divide between unionists and republicans and promote reconciliation and cooperation, but its membership is not widespread. The ecologically oriented Green Party and the Britain-based Conservative Party are other nonsectarian parties that have failed to draw broad support in Northern Ireland. One of the few parties advocating outright independence for Northern Ireland is the small Ulster Third Way. Northern Ireland troubles Event One of the most conflict-ridden regions in the world, Northern Ireland has been ravaged by an ethnic and religious war between Irish Catholics and Protestants since 1969. Spurred by the heavy-handed presence of the United Kingdom in the political and governmental affairs of the region and the success of the earlier movement for Irish independence that led to the establishment of the Republic of Ireland to the south, this war has permeated all aspects of life and society in Northern Ireland. When the U.S. civil rights movement began to influence Europe in the late 1960s, some Catholic residents of Northern Ireland started to lobby the government for equal rights in the Protestant-controlled counties. The United Kingdom responded by sending in the British Army to quell street demonstrations that erupted in 1969. New measures, including internment without trial, a mandatory curfew, and a military presence at check points and guard towers, made the inhabitants in Northern Ireland feel like they were living in a war zone. The harsh rules imposed in 1969 caused a three-year upsurge of violence against the English in the six counties of Northern Ireland. The British use of deadly force against street demonstrations led to the "Bloody Sunday" and "Bloody Friday" massacres in 1972. British violence increased the operations of Irish republican and loyalist paramilitary groups. The Irish Republican Army (IRA), a Catholic group seeking unification with the Republic of Ireland, had increased its use of violence after 1970, as did such Protestant guerrilla groups as the Ulster Defense Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force, both of which wanted Northern Ireland to remain under British control. The death toll from the ensuing violence rose from 25 in 1970 to 467 in 1972. Thereafter, approximately 100 people died each year from violence related to the political conflict in Northern Ireland. Most of the deaths stemmed from isolated bombings of British officials in London or from street demonstrations between marching Protestant Orangemen and their Catholic neighbors in flash points like Belfast and Derry. In total, more than 3,000 deaths were attributed to the troubles. .
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