Developments In Northern Ireland Research Articles

‘…it’s a United Ireland or Nothing’? John Hume and the Idea of Irish Unity, 1964–72

This article explores John Hume’s thinking on Irish unity from the point of his first public commentary on the issue, a two‐part article written for The Irish Times in May 1964, through to the infamous statement he made in the aftermath of the Bloody Sunday killings in January 1972. In doing so it attempts to put in their proper context the words for which Hume he is most well remembered, particularly by the Protestant community and unionist commentators. The article shows that, at the outset of his political career, Hume’s position on Irish unity was aspirational rather than imperative. However, it demonstrates how political developments in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s and early 1970s – chiefly the increasing repression and radicalisation of the Catholic community, and the revival of the republican movement in that context – impacted on Hume’s articulation of his ideas regarding Irish reunification, such that this end came to be seen, quite wrongly, as his sole political ambition. The article concludes by suggesting that Hume’s original position on Irish unity was vindicated by the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

Band Development in Northern Ireland: Ethnographic Researcher to Policy Consultant

Band Development in Northern Ireland: Ethnographic Researcher to Policy Consultant

Learning Lessons from the Past or Re-Visiting Old Mistakes: Social Work and Community Development in Northern Ireland

In recent years there has been a re-emphasis on community development approaches in health and social work in Northern Ireland. Underpinning these approaches is the belief that local communities can be organized to address health and social needs and to work with government agencies, voluntary bodies and local authorities in delivering services and local solutions to problems. These methods of working challenge the traditional social work focus on individual and family casework interventions. Government in Northern Ireland has stressed that community development should no longer simply be an afterthought in key aspects of Health and Social Services, but should instead be at the core of their work. It is now officially recognized that community development has the potential to make a significant impact on a broad spectrum of policies and programmes, which are delivered through agencies in both the statutory and voluntary sectors. This commitment to community development has been outlined in a number of key documents and reports. This paper assesses the relationship between social work and community development in Northern Ireland. The first section looks briefly at the history of community development and social work and then sets out the context in which this move towards the promotion of a community social work approach is occurring. Against this backdrop, a case study of a Family Support Team, which provides a range of services in a community setting, is used to illustrate how the strategy has already been adopted and the lessons of this experience are explored and discussed. It is concluded that while this approach has a lot to offer it is not without its difficulties. Far from being a new philosophy, community development is being reinvented and reapplied. It is therefore crucial that old mistakes are not revisited and old prejudices

Northern Ireland Food Safety Night

A meeting on food safety entitled “Food Safety: Is It All ‘“Pie-in-the-Sky?’“was held on June 19, 2003, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Because Northern Ireland has a largely agrarian economy with a strong agricultural food sector, highlighting the importance of safe food production was timely. The meeting was organized by the Northern Ireland Microbiology Discussion Group (NIMDG) and was well attended by several local stakeholders in food safety, including representatives from hospital and public health microbiology laboratories, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Northern Ireland, academia, and the food industry. The group heard presentations from Hugh Pennington, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, and. Mike Kelly, Head of Food Safety and Environmental Health, British Airways. Professor Pennington examined risk assessment in food safety, and discussed the approach to risk assessment of the oil and rail industries, and compared risk assessment between these industries and the food industry. He emphasized that, although science is important at addressing fundamental issues, an important emerging strategy is the translation of scientific findings into everyday practice to ensure that food safety is maintained. The attendees concluded that a greater interaction between microbiologists and psychologists should be encouraged, to add value to the science and ensure tangible benefits in reducing the incidence of foodborne illnesses. The group also learned that differences exist in the incidence of foodborne illnesses between Northern Ireland and Great Britain (England and Wales/Scotland), particularly with Campylobacter and Salmonella infections, and explored possible reasons for such differences, including climate, lack of consumption of unpasteurized milk, and the social custom of having foods “well done.” Mr. Kelly described 42 documented cases of foodborne infections found in the literature that involved contaminated foods on aircraft and detailed, in practical terms, how the concept of a hazard analysis critical control point (HACP) has been used successfully by airline caterers to reduce such infections to a rare occurrence.

Delivering Integrated Rural Development: Insights from Northern Ireland

This article explores progress being made in the sphere of integrated rural development in Northern Ireland, based on the experiences of 15 LEADER II local action groups. Research suggests that the local action groups experienced difficulties in developing integrative and multi-dimensional approaches to rural development during the initial stages of strategy formulation. In addition there appears to have been an emphasis on delivering the products of rural development with little importance attached to supporting processes such as capacity building and animation. However, as the programme progressed, this article examines the potential added value of LEADER II in Northern Ireland as demonstrated by the enhanced scope for cross-sector dialogue and local collaboration rooted in partnership based activity.

Consulting with children and young people: Building on what we know

Consulting with children and young people about issues that directly affect them is not only their right but is increasingly seen as best practice. But what are the outcomes from participation; how do we consult and interpret what children are telling us; how can the views of children inform policy and service development in Northern Ireland. I These were some of the issues discussed at the National Children's I Bureau second annual children's conference in Northern Ireland held in October 2001. The aims of the conference were to:

The Co-Option of Radicalism: Conflict, Community and Civil Society: Community Action and Social Change in a Post-Colonial Context

Many view the emergence of a community action dynamic as one having the constituency and the power to affect the pace of economic development. Such a dynamic implies a rejection of the planned economy as well as an embracing of the philosophy of `small-is-best'. Disenchanted by the failure to respond effectively to the widening gulf between rich and poor, some turned to an `inclusive community' politics as an alternative. A new political correctness appeared in which `community' rather than `class' becomes the motor for change. Many of these developments satisfy the `New' Labour leadership's needs aimed at minimizing the negative effects of their rejection of socialist solutions. Against that background community workers warmly embrace this new direction; endorse a new communitarianism in which forms of subsidiarity are expected to replace a diminishing welfare state. In this paper contrasting examples are presented as evidence of these changes. All represent the nature of the failing expectations taking place in the world of `community' politics as the concept of `social partnership'—driven by the needs of the state—becomes, instead, synonymous with compromise and concession. Much of this is set in the context of the post-colonial political development of Northern Ireland in a post `Good-Friday' agreement situation in which `community' continues to remain indistinguishable from sectarian division.

Grant Assistance and Small Firm Development in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

Small business support is an important element of industrial development policy in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This paper examines the effect of grant support on small business performance from 1991–94. Around 50% of small businesses in Northern Ireland and 30% of small businesses in the Republic of Ireland received financial support over this period. In Northern Ireland, three clusters of assisted companies were identified who received support for marketing, training and capital investments. In the Republic of Ireland, two assisted clusters of firms were identified who received marketing and training grants. In each case, firms in the assisted clusters grew faster, tended to be more profitable, were more active in terms of sales and market development and adopted more ambitious strategic directions than those in the non‐assisted clusters. Selection models are used to explore whether these differences are due to differences in the characteristics of the assisted and non‐assisted groups or can be directly attributed to the effect of government financial support. In the Republic of Ireland there is no evidence of any effective targeting of assistance at better performing firms. In Northern Ireland, there is some evidence that assistance was targeted at firms with higher productivity growth. Grant aid had no effect on either the turnover growth or profitability of small businesses in either area. It did, however, boost employment growth. This is good‐news for job creation but has potentially worrying implications for firms’ longer‐term competitive position through its negative effect on productivity.

The Voluntary–Community Sector and Political Development in Northern Ireland, Since 1972

This paper traces the development of the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland from the early 1970s onwards. Particular attention is given to the expansion of the voluntary and community sector in the 1970s, community action in conflict with government in the 1980s, and new funding--from the European Union and other international sources--for development work since the mid-1990s. More recent trends discussed include the rapprochement of the voluntary and community sector with government, which has seen a growth in formal partnerships and networking, as well as the impact of the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

Ireland: historical echoes, contemporary politics

* List of Acronyms * Preface * Introduction * Three Irelands Many Interpretations * Ireland: The Place * The Chapters to Come * 1. The Question of Irish History: From the Celts to O'Connell * The Early Peoples * The Norman Conquest * The Shipwreck of the Old Order * The Penal Laws * The Protestant Nation * 1798 * Union * Daniel O'Connell * Notes * 2. From the Famine to the Rising * The Famine * The Famine's Legacy * The Struggle for Home Rule * The Rise of Irish Nationalism * The Easter Rising of 1916 * Notes * 3. From Guerrilla War to Independence * The Rise of Sinn Fein * The Anglo-Irish War and the Treaty * The Free State * De Valera's Dream * The Emergency and After * Notes * 4. Doors Opening and Closing: Economy, Education, and the Irish Language * Introduction * The Insulated Economy * The Whitaker Plan and the Planning Period, 1959-1972 * Entry into the European Union, 1973-1987 * The Emergence of the Celtic Tiger, 1987-1997 * Explaining Ireland's Economic Development * Education: The Traditional System * Reform and Renewal * The Irish Language * Notes * 5. Mixed Messages: The Catholic Church and the Media * The Catholic Church * The Media * Censorship * Notes * 6. Veneration Versus Rights: The Role of Irish Women * The Suffrage Movement * Venerated But Excluded * The Search for Equality * Controversial Issues in the 1980s * Women's Status in the 1990s * Notes * 7. Catholic State or Catholic Nation: Political Culture, Constitution, and Political Structure * Political Culture * Constitutional Foundations * The Structure of Government * Not Corporatism But Neo-Corporatist Policy Making * The Impact of Europe * Irish Democracy * Notes * 8. The Chosen Few: Parties, Pressure Groups, and Policy * The Irish Voter * Political Parties * Bases of the Irish Party System * Pressure Groups * Policy Issues: The Environment * Social Problems and Issues * Notes * 9. Northern Ireland: The Gordian Knot Tied * Introduction * The Creation of Northern Ireland * Character of the Conflict * Discrimination and Separation * British Policy in Ulster, 1922-1968 * The United States and Northern Ireland, 1922-1968 * Years of Violence, 1968-1972 * British Policy in Ulster, 1968-1972 * The United States and Northern Ireland, 1968-1972 * Northern Ireland, 1972-1981 * British Policy in Ulster, 1972-1981 * The United States and Northern Ireland, 1972-1981 * Notes * 10. Northern Ireland: The Gordian Knot Untied? * Developments in Northern Ireland, 1981-1992 * British Policy, 1981-1992 * The United States and Northern Ireland, 1981-1992 * External influences on Northern Ireland * The Peace Process, the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998, and the Prizes of Peace * Explaining the Conflict Explaining the Peace * Notes * 11. Ireland in the World : Policy, People, and the Arts * Irish Foreign Policy * The European Union * People * Irish America * The Arts * Conclusion * Notes * Selected Bibliography * Index

Injury surveillance in Northern Ireland

A recent development in Northern Ireland shows much promise for injury control in the province. A new electronic injury surveillance system has been introduced at the Royal Belfast Hospital for...

Electricity market development in Northern Ireland

This article describes the developments of the electricity market in Northern Ireland, with emphasis on the commitment to a workable, but inexpensive, system generating minimum overheads. The focus is on the simplicity of the trading arrangements, the minimal cost of introducing these arrangements, and the criteria to be satisfied in the development of systems to meet an evolving market culture.

Strategy 2010: Planning Economic Development in Northern Ireland

(1999). Strategy 2010: Planning Economic Development in Northern Ireland. Regional Studies: Vol. 33, No. 9, pp. 885-890.

Ragged justice: Loyalist vigilantism in Northern Ireland

Loyalist paramilitaries have been carrying out vigilante attacks since the earliest years of the Troubles. In four of the past six years, they have actually carried out more vigilante attacks than republican paramilitaries. Yet despite this history, virtually nothing has been written about this aspect of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland. This article explores the origins and growth of loyalist vigilantism. The impact of pivotal events such as the 1985 Anglo‐Irish Agreement and the 1994 cease‐fires are discussed. The vigilantism clearly fulfils a number of important functions for the loyalists but it also carries heavy costs. The article examines how the political parties associated with the paramilitaries have struggled to accommodate the vigilante campaigns while attempting to build wider political appeal. The article concludes that despite the political costs, current developments in Northern Ireland appear to favour an intensification rather than a diminution of loyalist vigilantism.

The changing governance of rural development: State‐community interaction in Northern Ireland

Astract This paper examines the emergence and maturing of community‐led rural development in Northern Ireland during the 1990s and considers the relationships between state and community that are associated with policy making and implementation. The analysis points to a changing policy arena marked by the entry of new stakeholders into the sphere of rural development. This has required a set of tactical responses from core institutions, at a time when these bodies are faced with additional challenges. The discussion seeks to draw out some significant implications for broader debates on the changing governance of rural development.

Strategic planning for multicommunity rural development: Insights from Northern Ireland

This paper examines progress being made in the sphere of community‐led rural development in Northern Ireland. Multicommunity development practice carried out by the authors using a transactive model of strategic planning is reported. This case study is located in the borderlands of Ireland, in an area where contested traditions of culture and political allegiance are deeply rooted. The analysis explores, inter alia, the tensions associated with community group formation, the difficulties in winning consensus and how these problems were addressed, the origin and selection of projects, and the first steps towards implementation. By way of conclusion a number of key issues of arguably wider interest are identified: engaging in strategic planning, supporting multicommunity activity and forging new partnership arrangements.

Sectarian demography, territoriality and political development in Northern Ireland

The demography of religion in Northern Ireland is politically charged because of the unresolved conflict between Irish nationalists and British unionists, assumed to be Catholics and Protestants, respectively. Territoriality defined in sectarian religious terms is of crucial importance both nationally and locally because the statelet was delimited to give it a ‘safe’ Protestant majority. The region is thus particularly revealing for the study of political geography, territory and power. This was especially so following the 1991 Census which suggested a dramatic increase in the number of Catholics and growing sectarian segregation after two decades of armed conflict. The ensuing public discourse based on empiricist analysis of Census data was itself often explicitly sectarian, which raises important questions about whether research in politically sensitive areas simply adds to the problem being analysed or potentially transcends it, and whether policies based on inadequate analysis perpetuate rather than solve the problem. Here we discuss, firstly, the limits of Census-based empiricism and the usually unacknowledged problems of data and interpretation which have resulted in a seriously misleading ‘conventional wisdom’. Secondly, we question its sectarian terms of reference, the over-identification of religion and politics, and misconceptions of ethnicity. We discuss sectarianism's complex relationships with ethnicity and territoriality, the functions and symbolic meanings of territory, and the connections between territorialities at different spatial scales. Thirdly, we focus on some of the flawed policy ‘solutions’ associated with empiricism and sectarianism, including ‘internal’ power-sharing and ‘consociational’ strategies for political development. Local sectarian territorialities and conflicts are continually reproduced by the exclusive British territorial sovereignty at state level, which suggests that ‘internal solutions’ within Northern Ireland would be ‘cures’ perpetuating ‘disease’.

In defense of the realm: Financing loyalist terrorism in Northern Ireland—part one: Extortion and blackmail

The revival of loyalist terrorism has been one of the most important developments in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. This article examines the recent fund‐raising activities of the two main loyalist paramilitary groups, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The article focuses particularly on the financial importance of extortion and blackmail to the groups in the 1990s. It also explores how the loyalist paramilitaries have responded, as organizations, to the constant need for funds, a need that has continued unabated since both groups implemented cease‐fires in 1994. The paper concludes that because of internal arrangements, the loyalist groups are consistently risking the spread of corruption among their most senior members.

"The gangrene in one limb" : British political memoirs and the troubles

Since the beginning of the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland, a number of British politicians have written their memoirs. From James Callaghan to Margaret Thatcher, they have tried to clarify and justify their role. This article examines those memoirs. It attempts to assess their accuracy and their contribution to our apprehension of developments in Northern Ireland as well as what they tell us about the attitudes of the politicians concerned. Those memoirs afford an fascinating perspective on the 'Troubles'.

Policy Dilemmas in Belfast

ABSTRACTMajor policy developments in Northern Ireland concerned with socioeconomic differences between Protestants and Catholics have involved a concern with structural issues and the nature of the policy making process. These initiatives have raised considerable debate concerning the extent to which religion-specific policies are appropriate. In this article each of these initiatives is considered in detail. It is suggested that the debates in Northern Ireland could have significance in the light of proposals to develop race-specific policies in Britain.