Northern Ireland Since the 1998 Peace Agreement

Question 1

What have been the themes in NI since 1998?

Answer 1

• Movements not political parties; weak allegiances; history of secret societies
• Physical force vs constitutional politics
  
  • Not a moral question; a question of expediency: which is going to work?
• Conflict involved territory, not religion; the question was whether or not to be part of the UK, not religious tenets. Catholic/Protestant divide over this one issue was effectively happenstance
• ‘Cultural’ apartheid or ‘Verzuilling’
  
  • i.e. polarisation of both sides due to lack of contact/interaction between them

Question 2

What changes in NI have occurred since 1998?

Answer 2

• Expansion of integrated (Protestant/Catholic i.e. UK vs Irish) education
• Growth in ‘Northern Irish’ Identity
• same (high) % of Social Contact Among Own Religion
• Unionist/Loyalist Support fallen
• Nationalist Support risen

Question 3

Was the Belfast agreement a success?

Answer 3

• Political Violence
  
  • Political violence radically reduced
  • But failure to deal with victims
  • Victims’ policies piecemeal and divisive
• Support for the New Political Arrangements
  
  • Unstable beginning, the institutions now operate effectively
  • Old political centre ground has weakened considerably
• Community relations
  
  • Still deeply divided on religion
  • Two communities still go to seperate schools, live in seperate areas and lead separate lives