adcharles

Margaret Thatcher changed Britain, for better or worse that may be the question and everyone’s answer will differ. Thatcher’s legacy in Ulster began with one of standing up to terrorists, after all the Provisional IRA murdered her close adviser and companion, Airey Neave and later the INLA murdered Ian Gow. Thatcher initially stood up to …

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Mar 04

Alliance Party: Part of the new establishment?

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This weekend marked the spring conference of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. The Alliance Party emerged out of the New Ulster Movement in 1970, originating as an off shoot of the Ulster Unionist Party taking an alternative and more moderate view from the then Leadership. At the core of their beliefs was the advancement …

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Feb 19

Unionist Unity in Mid Ulster, but elsewhere?

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The agreement on a single Unionist candidate in the parliamentary constituency of Mid Ulster is, most likely, the out workings of a new and dynamic relationship that Peter Robinson and Mike Nesbitt have formed in the aftermath of the flag crisis which emerged at Belfast City Hall. The Unionist Forum, set up by the DUP …

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Jan 29

NI, Unionism, and the Future

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Sectarian conflict remains in Northern Ireland. This should not shock people, despite the deal struck on Good Friday 1998. The Good Friday (or Belfast) Agreement signed in April 1998 effectively settled the constitutional position of Northern Ireland; that is that NI remains part of the United Kingdom. It should not be a surprise to anyone …

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Jan 17

Who will benefit from flag upheaval?

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The aftermath of the removal of the Union Flag from Belfast City Hall in December of last year has, I am sure, created many a sleepless night for some of our Unionist politicians here in Northern Ireland. Politicians, always watching their votes in an electorally competitive environment, would be wise to worry as this saga …

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Jan 04

Sinn Féin, 2012, and All That

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As 2012 nears an end we look to 2013, Gerry Adams has described the year ahead, in his New Year message, as quite possibly, maybe, being the year of reconciliation. He also describes the ‘peace process’ as ‘work in progress’. These are all words of ‘peace’ and ‘reconciliation’ but are carefully guarded terms which have in …

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Dec 14

#Flegs: Riots are about more than City Hall

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Flags, or “flegs” as they have been dubbed in Ulster speak on social media sites, have dominated the headlines this week in Northern Ireland and indeed nationally. As readers will only to be too aware Belfast City Council voted to reduce the number of days the Union Flag flew over Belfast City Hall last Monday. …

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Nov 07

Sir James Craig MP – NI’s first Prime Minister

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This article follows the other papers on the Ulster Covenant and Ulster Crisis of 1912 and Sir Edward Carson – Leader of Unionism 1910-21. — Sir James Craig In 1973 the Kilbrandon Royal Commission on the Constitution observed that ‘the Government of Ireland Act of 1920 was the only Home Rule bill that ever came …

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Nov 06

Sir Edward Carson – Leader of Unionism

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The following continues on from my paper on the Ulster Covenant and Ulster Crisis of 1912. This paper is on Sir Edward Carson, the Leader of Unionism 1910-21. Sir James Craig MP will follow tomorrow at 12 noon. — Sir Edward Carson Carson is simultaneously both one of the most revered and most maligned figures …

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Nov 05

The Ulster Covenant and the Ulster Crisis of 1912

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