The Problems of Northern Ireland

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The Problems of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is part of Ireland which is the most western part in

Europe. It is a small place with a population of 1.5 million and is no

larger than Yorkshire. It has been the centre of media attention

because of a conflict between the people of the province. Many people

have been killed there and in the years 1968-1994 over three thousand

died. Northern Ireland is ruled by the British parliament in London

where as the republic of Ireland has its own government and parliament

in Dublin.

Unionists are made up of Protestants wanting Northern Ireland to be a

part of the UK. They think that British troops in Northern Ireland

should stay and help fight terrorism. Unionists have four main groups

they are; UUP (Ulster Unionist Party) Established in the late 19th

Century, DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) Established in 1971 by Ian

Paisley, UDA/UDF (Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer

Force) Established in early 1970’s and the Orange Order. The Orange

Order takes a frontal approach by organising regular marches to

celebrate traditions of the protestant community. Although this isn’t

a violent approach it would cause violence if they came into contact

with Nationalists and they made sure they did. The UUP defends the

interests of Northern Protestants. The DUP and UDA/UDF all use

violence to get there own way and what they want and the UDA/UDF is

illegal. They were both established to fight the IRA. They have taken

a tough and uncompromising view leading to them being responsible for

the murders of innocent Catholics.

Nationalists are made up of Catholics wanting Ireland to be one

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... middle of paper ...

...ined an unsolved issue. The power sharing was

stopped in October 2003 because of an IRA spy ring. Also a recent

major bank robbery was alleged to be carried out by the IRA. Ian

Paisleys DUP is now the main unionist party in Ireland and is against

the agreement therefore this makes it hard for the agreement to go

ahead.

Throughout this piece of coursework it is clear that there have been

several attempts at finding a peaceful solution for Northern Ireland.

I have identified the details of the peace agreements and explained

why some of these agreements failed. I have also identified problems

that Northern Ireland still faces. It is clear that until Northern

Ireland solves these problems and the people talk about important

issues like education and health there will never be a lasting peace

there.

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