A Critical Review of Northern Ireland - Essay Example

Northern Ireland History: A Critical Review Northern Ireland, one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom, has been dealing with volatilepolitical and social dilemmas for quite some time now, and continues to do so. Although the prospect of peace has been noted and determinably followed numerous times, all attempts have seemed to be to no avail. In order to come to a more intellectual and proper understanding of this subject matter, the following questions will be addressed: 1. What can you learn from source A about the disadvantages faced by Catholics in Northern Ireland in the early 1960s 2. How useful are sources B and C in helping to assess the extent of discrimination against Catholics 3. How do sources D, E, and F help to explain why Londonderry became a centre of the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland 4. What are some descriptions of sources G, H, and I 5. In studying source J, do you agree with this portrayal of the reasons why the troubles continued into the 1990s By thoroughly discussing these five questions, we can come to a significantly more understanding viewpoint on these issues. The aim of this paper is to discuss thoroughly the elements involved in the struggle for peace that the people of Northern Ireland find themselves involved in - both past and present. By examining the history of Northern Ireland, including the factors, obstacles, and pinnacle points involved, we can come to a clearer and more knowledgeable understanding on the subject matter. This is what will be dissertated in the following. What can you Learn From Source A About the Disadvantages Faced by Catholics in Northern Ireland in the Early 1960s I can learn many disadvantages faced by Catholics from the first paragraph through the learning that Catholics were a significant minority in regards to employment; only a mere 400 out of 10,000 workers in a Belfast shipyard were Catholic. This proves to be a significant disadvantage towards Catholics in the early 1960s considering that it seems as though they were given less employment opportunities. As well as facing disadvantages in city areas like Belfast, the second part of the source also shows other disadvantages faced in rural areas through another staggering statistic; although the population at the time in Fermanagh was over half Catholic, in regards to employment their position was still strikingly minor. Out of the Fermanagh City Council's 370 employees only 48 were Catholic, and out of 75 school bus drivers, only 7 were Catholic. In conclusion from this I can learn that although sometimes the Catholics were actually a majority in population, such as in the rural city of Fermanagh, they continued to make up only the minority in regards to employment. This shows us that they were treated unfairly, and were not given equal employment opportunities. How Useful are Sources B and C in Helping to Assess the Extent of Discrimination Against Catholics These two sources are significantly helpful in assessing the discrimination against Catholics, in that they show severe examples of the scrutiny and injustice that they faced. For example in source B, when Billy Sinclair, a former player-manager of Linfield, a football club in Northern Ireland, is making statements in 1984; he explained that if a Linfield soccer scout asked a player what school he went to and "if it's Saint something, then all of a sudden the boy's not good enough." This is a perfect example of the unfair discrimination the Catholics faced during that time period. In regards to source C, a similarly severe example is used, as it was described that Protestants are preferred during times of depression in preference to their fellow Catholics. This proves that people were not looked upon for their talent or humanity, but rather for whether they were Catholic or not, which is completely stereotypical and unjustified. How do Sources D, E, and F Help to Explain why Londonderry Became a Centre of the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland Londonderry, which is also commonly referred to as the Maiden City, is a city in Northern Ireland that lies on the west bank of the River Foyle, but the city now covers both banks and is connected by two bridges. Londonderry is one of the longest continuously inhabited places in all of Ireland, and it became a centre during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Founded on the 29th of January, 1967, NICRA is short form for the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, which was an organization which "campaigned for civil rights for Northern Ireland's Catholic minority during the 1960s and early 1970s." (Wikipedia, 2006). In a conscious imitation of tactics used by the American Civil Rights Movement, this organization held such things as marches, pickets, sit-ins, and protests in order to attempt to pressure the government of Northern Ireland to grant their demands. The organization's resulting demands for reform, and the subsequent backlash caused by the unionist majority, led to The Troubles - a conflict which has lasted for more than thirty years. The city of Londonderry took an exceptional position in Northern Ireland because of the fact that the majority of its population was Catholic. It also took the leading role in the beginning of The Troubles. "Together with disproportionate high unemployment rates and housing shortage the Catholic majority of Derry felt left behind by the Stormont government." (Triskelle, 2005). Starting in 1967 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, dedicated to electoral reforms, along with the Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC), organized several protest and marches independent from each other. There are many sources which support this issue, such as source D which shows the severe condition of Catholics in Londonderry. Considering that this was the average Catholic family, it is easy to see then that all Catholics were monetarily poor. The condition of Catholics in Londonderry appears to be overtly grim and improper, and is obviously a far cry from the rest of the more civilized population. This would certainly make Catholics feel unhappy, especially so considering the far more desirable conditions which their 'neighbors' were living in; the Protestants' homes were certainly not as shabby and beggarly as this picture of a Catholic family depicted. The election system was vastly overruled by non-Catholics, which is a substantially acceptable reason and connection in regards to the poor living conditions of Catholics. We can see by the manner of the house in the photograph that the structure itself is improper and rather shabby looking, and if this was considered to be the average Catholic family, then we can almost positively sure that most all Catholics were poor. Sources E and F are linked in that they both describe elections and the amount of Catholic councilors. We can see by reviewing both these sources that the Catholics were not allowed a fair say in the elections, and that they were the significant minority. This would certainly make Catholics want to do something about the situation because not only are they not being allowed a say when they are the minority, but the same applied even when they were the majority, which is completely unjust. We can also see by comparing sources E and F that in the South Ward the nationalist votes are significantly overwhelming, however in both the North Ward and Waterside the unionist votes are greater. When we compare this to the number of Catholics living in the specified areas: out of 11 105 voters in the South Ward, 10 047 are Catholics, and only 1157 are Protestants; out of 6476 voters in the North Ward, 2530 are Catholics, and 3946 are Protestants; and out of 5549 voters in the Waterside Ward, 1852 are Catholics, and 3697 are Protestants. Through this statistical data, we can see that all of the Catholics voted nationalist, while all the Protestants voted unionist. The term gerrymandering is used to refer to the controversial form of redistricting in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are manipulated for an electoral advantage. "Gerrymandering may be used to advantage or disadvantage particular constituents, such as members of a racial, linguistic, religious or class group, often in favor of ruling incumbents or a specific political party." (Wikipedia, 2006). Gerrymandering is of great relevance in regards to the electoral issue in Londonderry, in that Catholics were at a complete disadvantage in the electoral system of the city. They knew they were being treated unfairly and that the system was unjust in regards to their minority position, and this is why they not only wanted but felt it necessary to do something about this issue; the result was their protesting. The long history of tension between Catholics and Protestants in Londonderry is another key factor as to the reason why Catholics in Londonderry were unhappy and felt the need to protest; as well, elements such as the undeniably severe violence on the streets (Apprentice boys March, battle of Bogside, Bloody Sunday), the discrimination in employment, as well as education and housing - just to name a few. From a review of the available literature as well as the offered sources, it appears that the main reason Londonderry became a centre of Civil Rights was due to the fact that the city perceived itself as suffering under unionist government in Northern Ireland, both politically and economically. Despite having a quite obvious nationalist majority, the city seemed permanently controlled by unionists due to the partisan drawing of electoral boundaries. As well, the city had very high unemployment levels and very poor housing. "Overcrowding in nationalist areas was widely blamed on the political agenda of the unionist government, who wanted to confine Catholics to a small number of electoral wards." (Wikipedia, 2006). Londonderry has thus become known worldwide on account of the troubles. What are Some Descriptions of Sources G, H, and I Source G depicts an interview with the Reverend Ian Paisley in Britain in the 1980s. The interviewer asks Paisley who he thought was behind civil rights, to which Paisley replied, "The Irish Republican Army, or at that time those who were dedicated to the views and objectives of that army." It is obvious that he believes that the Irish Republic Army had everything to do with the starting of civil rights, and feels negatively towards them as well as anyone who "at that timewere dedicated to the views and objectives of that army." Source H is similar in that it was broadcast on the same television programme as the Reverend Ian Paisley had spoke on; this time however the interviewee was Michael Farrell, a member of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. Farrell was quoted as saying that "There were a number of Republicans and the proportion of them varied from time to time, but they never dominated it. They were never in control, at least not until maybe later on. They were also used as stewards on civil rights marches, but the stewards always played the role of trying to prevent trouble, in fact the younger People's Democracy often had clashes with the stewards because we felt that the stewards were co-operating too much with the police." This quote of Farrell's supports Paisley's view in that he too believes that it was the Irish Republic Army behind the civil rights of Ireland. Source I is instead a quote from a report on the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association which was produced for the British government in the early 1970s. This source states that "The membership was politically varied and undoubtedly included persons of known extreme Republican views and activities as well as members of the Northern Ireland and Liberal parties." This source supports Paisley's view with the quote "It is undoubtedly the case that it has been the policy of the Association to refuse to permit the display of provocative symbols and banners, in particular the Republican tricolor, at any demonstration that it has organized." Regardless of the similarities however, there are some things in sources H and I that don't support source G, such as in source I where it is quoted that "It is and always has been a basic rule of the association to place no bar on people from political groups. There is no doubt that the IRA has taken a close interest in the Civil Rights Association from its beginning." Although there are clear resemblances and similarities between source G and sources H and I, the differences and contrasts are perhaps even more significant and meaningful. The opinions are all strong and complex, and are yet all incredibly different. In Studying Source J, do you Agree With This Portrayal of the Reasons why the Troubles Continued Into the 1990s Source J is a depiction of a cartoon which was used to illustrate the front cover of a book called Troubled Times, about the Troubles in Northern Ireland from 1970 to 1991. Its attempt is to show how Catholics in Northern Ireland did not identify at all with the new Protestant state and felt "cut off from their co-religionists in the South." (BBC, 2006). Works Cited BBC. "Wars and Conflict." BBC. 2006. 20 April 20, 2006 < http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/troubles/factfiles/catholics.shtml> Triskelle. "Civil Rights Movement." Triskelle. 2005. 20 April 20, 2006 http://www.vincentpeters.nl/triskelle/history/civilrightsmovement.phpindex=060.170.030 Wikipedia. "Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association." Wikipedia. 2006. 20 April 20, 2006 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_Civil_Rights_Association> Read More