Northern Ireland (i)

Abstract

The signing of the Anglo-Irish agreement on Northern Ireland raises once again the question of the political future of the ‘six counties’. The following two articles provide a critical analysis of the recent accord, from two rather different positions. Ronnie Munck sets the accord in its historical and political context, and argues that it is an inherently unstable agreement which will not necessarily resolve the underlying problems. Paul Bew's lively polemic argues forcefully that the accord is at best a substitute for serious structural reforms in the economic and civil liberties field.