Introduction Following the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, a “piecemeal” method of dealing with the past emerged due to that agreement’s lack of an overarching method to confront the legacy of the Troubles.[1] Due to this lack of continuity, the Stormont House Agreement (2014) provided for four measures to fill this gap: (1) an Implementation…Continue reading Immunity for State Forces in Latin America and Northern Ireland: A Comparative Perspective By Gemma Canham, Graduate in Politics and Spanish, Queen’s University Belfast
Tag: Good Friday Agreement
Autumn in Northern Ireland: Parameters of a political, social and economic crisis Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
As autumn arrives in Northern Ireland a many-sided crisis, already developing, will affect all our lives. There is a crisis of governance at a UK level. The current government, headed by Boris Johnson, has a working majority of one in the House of Commons, even with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The…Continue reading Autumn in Northern Ireland: Parameters of a political, social and economic crisis Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
A re-tread of tired approaches: A review of ‘Sectarianism in Northern Ireland: A Review’ Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
“The attention paid to ‘sectarianism’ in this paper, is not intended to be judgemental or pejorative, but to describe a common predicament: we were raised in a society where sectarianism was ‘built in’ to normality.” That single sentence taken from page 8 of Sectarianism in Northern Ireland: A Review, published in early May, encapsulates the…Continue reading A re-tread of tired approaches: A review of ‘Sectarianism in Northern Ireland: A Review’ Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
Will NI-born Irish citizens have to pay a £65 or £437 fee to keep some EU rights after Brexit? Guest post by Daniel Holder, Deputy Director, CAJ
The above derided Home Office tweet and other official Brexit communications overlook the part of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) where the UK recognises the birthright of those born in Northern Ireland to be accepted as Irish and hold Irish citizenship. Given this recognition it is hardly compatible with the GFA to casually imply…Continue reading Will NI-born Irish citizens have to pay a £65 or £437 fee to keep some EU rights after Brexit? Guest post by Daniel Holder, Deputy Director, CAJ
Addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past Guest post by Chief Commissioner Les Allamby, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC)
One of the realities of the legacy of the past and moving forward the institutions created in the Stormont House Agreement is that they are the only game in town. There is no plan ‘B’ and no realistic prospect of any alternative arriving in the foreseeable future. The Commission welcomes the draft consultation and legislation…Continue reading Addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past Guest post by Chief Commissioner Les Allamby, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC)
BREXIT – Sleepwalking into second class EU citizenship? Guest post by Daniel Holder, CAJ
Despite earlier commitments, recent UK and EU statements now point to Northern Ireland (NI)-resident Irish passport holders being stripped of access to almost all active EU rights following BREXIT. Should a recent EU Commission response to a question by Martina Anderson MEP stand it would leave NI resident citizens with only the same ‘dormant’ EU…Continue reading BREXIT – Sleepwalking into second class EU citizenship? Guest post by Daniel Holder, CAJ
The Agreement at 20 Guest Post by Kevin Hanratty
(This personal reflection is a cross posted article from the Irish News and The Human Rights Consortium) 20 years ago today I sat with friends in our student accommodation in Belfast and watched as politicians emerged to announce the new peace deal that was the Good Friday Agreement. We were all students at Queens, had grown up in the…Continue reading The Agreement at 20 Guest Post by Kevin Hanratty
Brexit, the Withdrawal Agreement, and a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland Guest post by Dr Amanda Kramer, BrexitLawNI
Concerns surrounding the impact of Brexit on human rights and Northern Ireland have featured prominently in ongoing Brexit debates, media coverage of Brexit, and the Brexit negotiations themselves. It is well known that NI is the region of the UK most likely to be negatively affected by leaving the EU – with potential consequences for…Continue reading Brexit, the Withdrawal Agreement, and a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland Guest post by Dr Amanda Kramer, BrexitLawNI
15 YEARS AFTER REFERENDUM, UK GOV URGED TO DELIVER BILL OF RIGHTS
Fifteen years ago today people in Northern Ireland took to the polls to vote in the Good Friday Agreement referendum. From an exceptionally high voter turn-out of 81.1% a resounding 71.1% voted in favour of the Agreement, with all of its provisions. The Agreement was firmly anchored in human rights and equality and a key…Continue reading 15 YEARS AFTER REFERENDUM, UK GOV URGED TO DELIVER BILL OF RIGHTS
Still Waiting for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland
Fourteen years after the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement set in place the groundwork for a future Bill of Rights, the people of Northern Ireland continue to wait. Yesterday, Professor Colin Harvey, as part of a UU Transitional Justice Institute panel discussion on the Bill of Rights debate, likened the situation to Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Certainly…Continue reading Still Waiting for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland