Northern Irish devolution collapses—again
The province’s politics are very far from the heady days of the Good Friday Agreement
NORTHERN IRELAND’S most famous exports include Rory McIlroy, George Best, Van Morrison—and peace. Since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, it has been marketed around the world as a template for ending seemingly intractable political violence. And if peace is defined as the absence of violence, it has been remarkably successful. An average of 124 deaths from political violence every year during the three decades of “the troubles” fell to just eight a year in the two decades since. But sectarian divisions remain bitter and the centre piece of the deal, a power-sharing government involving almost every shade of political opinion, has failed.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Dashed promises”
Britain February 12th 2022
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- Northern Irish devolution collapses—again
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