Human Rights as War by Other Means: Peace Politics in Northern Ireland

Glossary

GLOSSARY Agreement See GFA. Alliance A moderate cross-confessional political party in Northern Ireland associated with the liberal bloc European parties. Anglo-Irish Agreement An agreement between the governments of the UK and Ireland in 1985. The agreement stated that the constitutional status of Northern Ireland would not change without the consent of its residents, while establishing a consultative role for the Republic of Ireland in the governance of Northern Ireland. The agreement was part of a shift to cooperative relations between the two governments and was intended to move toward a peace process. Unionists objected to the consultative role of the Republic in northern affairs, and republicans rejected making Irish unification dependent on consent. Armalite and ballot box The republican strategy combining armed struggle and electoral politics, which was developed after the hunger strikes. The phrase is drawn from a 1981 speech by Sinn Féin publicity director Danny Morrison to the party conference after the hunger strikes. In the speech, he asked, “Who here really believes we can win the war through the ballot box? But will anyone here object if, with a ballot paper in one hand and an Armalite in the other, we take power in Ireland?” (see Hannigan 1985: 34). Arguably this strategy led to the peace process and mainstream republicanism’s renunciation of armed struggle. Some committed republicans who were part of the prison protests argue that the hunger strikes were a military, not a political tactic, and should not be subsumed into the narrative of republicanism’s transition to democratic politics. ArmaLite is a small arms manufacturer whose brand has been vernacularized. Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly, the regional legislative body created by the peace settlement and the Northern Ireland Act (1998). The implementation of the GFA took several years, and the assembly was suspended on several occasions, notably from 2002 to 2007. Elections are held at four-year intervals, and seats are allocated on the basis of proportional representation—voters rank candidates rather than choosing only one. The assembly has 108 members, which will be reduced to 96 in the 2015 elections. They are called MLAs—Members of the Legislative Assembly . Members must designate themselves as “unionist,” “nationalist,” or “other” on entrance. “Key decisions” must be ratified on a “cross-community” basis—with 232 Glossary either a majority of nationalists and of unionists voting in favor or a “weighted” majority with 60 percent overall approval and 40 percent of these designations (see Agreement Reached 1998). Key decisions are identified by the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFDFM) or by petition from a “significant minority.” The assembly has devolved legislative powers on matters such as health, social development , economic development, and education. It elects a power-sharing Executive , within which members of the different parties are elected as ministers of these different governmental departments. Ministers implement policy and legislation in these departments, with a staff of nonpolitical civil servants, as well as some politically appointed advisors. This model differs from the UK model, in which a government is formed from Parliament’s majority party or a coalition of parties. Roughly equivalent to the Northern Irish Executive is the UK government cabinet of ministers overseeing departments. However, rather than being drawn from different parties according to their size in the assembly, which is the power-sharing dimension of governance, in the UK, the cabinet is appointed by the prime minister of the majority party. One important consequence for the Northern Ireland Assembly is that there is no official opposition party—all parties are expected to participate in a consensual governing model. CBO Community-based organization. A CBO is a type of nongovernmental organization (NGO). These are formally constituted, nonprofit groups that serve a local area. Sometimes called community organizations or community groups, they usually emphasize self-help and skills or capacity building, rather than direct aid. In this fashion, their grassroots emphasis and modes of practice differentiate them from large international charitable or development NGOs. As conflict in Northern Ireland led to massive mobilizations of people in political or violent actions, it also led to the proliferation of CBOs as a vehicle of rights advocacy, as well as self-help. In Belfast, CBO issues range from political and economic development to basic entitlements, including education, housing, health services, child care, and gender equality. Celtic Tiger The economy of the Republic of Ireland during a period of rapid expansion from 1995–2007. Unemployment fell dramatically, while wages and inflation grew. Growth was...