The Origins of the Present Troubles in Northern Ireland

Defeated by Popular Demand: Public Support and Counterterrorism in Three Western Democracies, 1963–1998

“…In 1974, a new Northern Irish executive took office that was based on this agreement. 36 Catholic support for the Agreement appears to have been considerable, as during this attempt at power sharing support for Irish unity dropped from more than 60 percent in 1973 to slightly over 20 percent in 1974. 37 But the new executive was to be short lived.…”

“…Instead of the British government formulating a coherent policy for dealing with the unrest and defining the Army's role within that plan, the soldiers were largely left to come up with their own answers to the deteriorating security situation. 17 Rod Thornton points out that many within the British political establishment believed that the Army's colonial experiences had provided it with the necessary skills to restore order to Northern Ireland on its own accord, thereby failing to recognize that this was a domestic operation and that, unlike for example in Malaya, the Army could not count on an effective local police force. 18 Armed forces are essentially organizations that are trained in the application of largescale violence.…”

“…The Agreement brought the British a measure of support from moderate nationalists, which contributed in turn to declining electoral success for the PIRA's political wing, Sinn Fein. 41 Another benefit for the government in London was increased cooperation with Ireland on security matters, especially in the border regions. But, the AIA also led to a widespread sense of betrayal among Northern Ireland's Protestant community and heralded a marked increase in overall violence levels.…”

The British State and the Northern Irish Crisis: from Wilson to Thatcher

“…Il s'agissait donc pour cette armée d'être une force neutre d'interposition. Toutefois, avec l'implication grandissante de l'IRA Provisoire (PIRA) à partir de 1970/1971, l'armée britannique se transforma très rapidement en une force anti-terroriste dont le but premier était la défaite de la PIRA 6 . Cette évolution se fit non seulement à l'initiative du gouvernement de Londres (notamment sous le gouvernement Heath) mais il s'agissait aussi pour Londres de répondre à la demande de la communauté unioniste locale.…”

“How Can You Write About a Person Who Does Not Exist?”: Rethinking Pseudonymity and Informed Consent in Life History Research

“…The colonisation of Ireland by Britain was partially brought to an end with the partition of Ireland in 1920, although Northern Ireland remained under British sovereignty. In Northern Ireland, "the political conflict was given a religious hue" Brewer (2015, p. 210), as people in the Catholic minority are traditionally perceived as Irish while Protestant people are perceived as British (Kennedy-Pipe 2014). Following protracted internal conflict in Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 and subsequent accords resulted in a cross-community power-sharing structure with minority veto rights, the Northern Ireland Assembly (Galligan 2013).…”