What a Bloody Awful Country: Northern Ireland's Century of Division
- ISBN-10
- 1785906674
- ISBN-13
- 9781785906671
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 320
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2021-04-27
- Publisher
- Biteback Publishing
- Author
- Kevin Meagher
Description
'What a bloody awful country.' – Conservative Home Secretary Reginald Maudling’s description of Northern Ireland after he was sent to close down Stormont following the Bloody Sunday massacre in 1972. In May 2021, Northern Ireland celebrates its centenary. This book makes the case that there is little to celebrate. Northern Ireland has never worked – politically, socially or economically – and stands out as a masterclass in failed statecraft. Kevin Meagher highlights the landmark events, particularly through the Troubles, and the catalogue of mistakes that have been made by successive British governments over that time. This is a tough but reasoned critique. First, of partition itself, which has been a running sore, triggering not one but two civil wars on the island of Ireland. Secondly, of fifty years of Unionist misrule, where Northern Ireland was largely left to its own devices in what remains the biggest experiment in devolution that the British state has yet seen. Meagher explains how Northern Ireland curdled into a sectarian state and why this set the backdrop for the emergence of the Troubles. This extraordinary book explores the missed signals, the turning points and the principled decisions that, at various stages, should have been taken, as well as the raw realpolitik of how Northern Ireland has been governed over the past 100 years. A century on, and we are still living with the consequences.
Get the book
Similar books
-
The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People
By Paul S. Boyer, Clifford E. Clark, Karen HalttunenBy her own account, Peggy O'Neale Timberlake was “frivolous, wayward, [and] passionate.” While still married to a naval oflicer away on duty ...
-
The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People, Volume I
By Paul S. Boyer, Clifford E. Clark, Karen Halttunen... had married the widowed daughter of a Washington tavern keeper. By her own account, Peggy O'Neale Timberlake was “frivolous, wayward, [and] passionate.
-
Rice University: One Hundred Years in Pictures
By Karen Hess Rogers, Lee Pecht, Alan Harris Bath... Bill, Kennedy, Jacqueline, Kennedy, John F., Kidd, Albert and Elizabeth, Kieran Timberlake (architects), Kilpatrick, John, Kirkland, William, Kissinger, ...
-
Cengage Advantage Series: The Enduring Vision
By Paul S. Boyer, Clifford E. Clark, Karen Halttunen... 195–196, 361; abolishing of, 257 Ticonderoga fort, 157, 169 Tilden, Samuel J., 524 Timberlake, Peggy O'Neale, 301 Timbuktu, Mali, Sankore Mosque in, ...
-
The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People, Volume 1
By Paul S. Boyer, Clifford E. Clark, Karen HalttunenBy her own account, Peggy O'Neale Timberlake was “frivolous, wayward, [and] passionate.” While still married to a naval officer away on duty, ...
-
The Cherokee Struggle to Maintain Identity in the 17th and 18th Centuries
By Jr., William R. ReynoldsTimberlake, p. 8 (9–10). 2. Timberlake, p. 36 (70). 3. Hoig, p. 45; Kelly, p. 22; Timberlake, p. 37 (72–73). 4. Alderman, p. 6; Timberlake, p.
-
Prehistoric Copper Mining in Europe, 5500-500 BC
By William O'BrienTimberlake, S. 2002. 'Ancient prospection for metals and modern prospection for ancient mines: the evidence for Bronze Age mining within the British Isles', ...
-
The Sixties in the News: How an Era Unfolded in American Newspapers, 1959-1973
By William J. Ryczekhadn't known Timberlake until the two moved in together. Kathy had worked at a series of jobs, including electronics assembler and a dancer in a bar, ...
-
A Borderland Confederate
By William Lyne WilsonTerrill, Philip, killed Thompson, William S. Timberlake, George, wounded. Timberlake, Harry. Timberlake, J. H., wounded. Timberlake, J. L., wounded.
-
Golf in Columbus at Wyandot Country Club: A Lost Donald Ross Classic
By William R. CaseAs the caretaker of the clubhouse, Timberlake was furnished living quarters on the second floor. Around 8:00 p.m., he descended into the basement for the ...