The Theoretical Solution to the British/Irish Problem


Book Description

This New book offers prescription to cure British-Irish conflict Michael Gillespies thesis offers both an examination and corrective actions DERRY/LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland Historians have a severe drawback in that they describe but dont prescribe, says author Michael Gillespie. They can describe events and problems but are lax in prescribing remedies for these. Gillespie does more in his new book The Theoretical Solution to the British/Irish Problem Using The General Theory of a Federal Kingdom clearly stated and fully discussed in this Thesis (published by AuthorHouse), which examines the perennial points of conflict between Britain and Ireland. It is the purpose of Gillespies book to revive the concept of a federal kingdom in Ireland as a solution to the British/Irish problem. The kingdom was federal before the Acts of Union in 1707 and 1801. According to the author, the Act of Union which established the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was an attempt to devise a unitary state for the British Isles in which those islands were ruled directly from Westminster in London and the inhabitants of Ireland were British. This failed dismally and was resisted by federalists in Ireland throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. There is no simple solution to the British/Irish problem and half-measures of the Good Friday and St Andrews agreements at Stormont will fail. The coalition at Stormont of loyalists and Republicans is a constitutional obsenity Gillespie says. You are urged therefore to read this book in full to gain a valuable insight into the complexities of the nuts and bolts of this historic problem and find in the National Government of Ireland Act an approach that can be built in bricks and mortar in Ireland if the will of compromise among politicians and the people can be found to do it.




What Do We Know and What Should We Do About the Irish Border?


Book Description

The Irish border is a manifestation of the relationship between Britain and Ireland. When that relationship has been tense, we have seen the worst effects at the Irish border in the form of violence, controls and barriers. When the relationship has been good, the Irish border has become - to all intents and purposes - open, invisible and criss-crossed with connections. Throughout its short existence, the symbolism of the border has remained just as important as its practical impact. With the UK’s exit from the European Union, the challenge of managing the Irish border as a source and a symbol of British-Irish difference became an international concern. The solution found in the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement gives the Irish border a globally unique status. A century after partition, and as we enter the post-Brexit era, this book considers what we should know and do about this highly complex and ever-contested boundary line.




Why Did the Chicken Cross the World?


Book Description

Veteran journalist Andrew Lawler delivers a “fascinating and delightful…globetrotting tour” (Wall Street Journal) with the animal that has been most crucial to the spread of civilization—the chicken. In a masterful combination of historical sleuthing and journalistic adventure, veteran reporter Andrew Lawler “opens a window on civilization, evolution, capitalism, and ethics” (New York) with a fascinating account of the most successful of all cross-species relationships—the partnership between human and chicken. This “splendid book full of obsessive travel and research in history” (Kirkus Reviews) explores how people through the ages embraced the chicken as a messenger of the gods, an all-purpose medicine, an emblem of resurrection, a powerful sex symbol, a gambling aid, a handy research tool, an inspiration for bravery, the epitome of evil, and, of course, the star of the world’s most famous joke. Queen Victoria was obsessed with the chicken. Socrates’s last words embraced it. Charles Darwin and Louis Pasteur used it for scientific breakthroughs. Religious leaders of all stripes have praised it. Now neuroscientists are uncovering signs of a deep intelligence that offers insights into human behavior. Trekking from the jungles of southeast Asia through the Middle East and beyond, Lawler discovers the secrets behind the fowl’s transformation from a shy, wild bird into an animal of astonishing versatility, capable of serving our species’ changing needs more than the horse, cow, or dog. The natural history of the chicken, and its role in entertainment, food history, and food politics, as well as the debate raging over animal welfare, comes to light in this “witty, conversational” (Booklist) volume.




Northern Ireland


Book Description

Since the plantation of Ulster in the 17th century, Northern Irish people have been engaged in conflict - Catholic against Protestant, Republican against Unionist. This text explores the pivotal moments in this history.




Consociational Theory


Book Description

Consociational power sharing is increasingly gaining ground, right around the world, as a means for resolving political conflict in divided societies. In this volume, edited by Rupert Taylor, nineteen internationally-respected scholars engage in a lively debate about the merits of the theory underlying this approach. The volume focuses specifically on one of the leading cases under the global spotlight, the Northern Ireland conflict, and brings together the most prominent proponents and opponents of consociationalism. Northern Ireland’s transition from war to peace is seen by consociationalists as flowing from the historic Belfast Agreement of 1998, and specifically from the Agreement’s consociational framework. The Northern Ireland case is marketed by consociationalists as representing best practice, and as providing a template for ending conflicts in other parts of the world. However, as this volume interrogates, on what grounds, and to what extent, can such a positive reading be upheld? Taken as a whole, this volume, structured as a symposium around the highly-influential argument of John McGarry and Brendan O’Leary, offers comparative, engaging, and critical insight into how political theory can contribute to the creation of a better world. Consociational Theory is an important text for anyone with an interest in political theory, conflict resolution in divided societies, or Irish politics.







Christian Socialism


Book Description

This book is a companion to my book The Theoretical Solution to the British/Irish Problem, which gives a suggested constitution for the Federal Kingdom of Ireland and it recognizes a right, center, and left political structure of the Federation. The left structure is the Irish Christian Social and Democratic Party. Christian Socialism is peaceful in its origins and present form and is opposed to the violence of Marxist class conflict. In place of class struggle, Christian Socialism places class togetherness. Christian Socialism envisages a New Ireland and a New Ireland needs a new economic theory of the left. Georgeist economics fits the bill. George argued that land shouldnt be owned by individuals but collectively by the people. He held that there should be only a single land tax raised to meet the expenses of the state. This was a popular economic theory in the nineteenth century but was crushed by neoclassical economists such as Marx in the interests of the landed gentry in Ireland and England. Marx condemned the excesses of capitalists in their exploitation of labor but was silent when it came to the exploitation of tenant farmers in Ireland by the landed gentry. Georgeist economics need to be looked at again in twenty-first century Ireland.




The Northern Ireland Conflict


Book Description

This book collects some of the major essays, past and new, of two of the leading authorities on the Northern Ireland conflict. It is unified by the theory of consociation, one of the most influential theories in the regulation of conflicts. The authors are critical exponents of the approach, and several chapters explain its attractions over alternative forms of conflict regulation. The book explains why Northern Ireland's national divisions have made the achievement of a consociational agreement particularly difficult. The issues raised in the book are crucial to a proper understanding of Northern Ireland's past and future, which, the authors argue, is likely to involve some type of consociational democracy, whether or not the one agreed to on Good Friday ..... The issues addressed are not particular to Northern Ireland. They are relevant to a host of other divided territories, including Cyprus, Kosovo, Macedonia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and Afghanistan. The book is therefore vital reading not just for Northern Ireland specialists, but also for anyone interested in consociation and in the just and durable regulation of national and ethnic conflict.




The Irish Question


Book Description

From 1800 to 1922 the Irish Question was the most emotional and divisive issue in British politics. It pitted Westminster politicians, anti-Catholic British public opinion, and Irish Protestant and Presbyterian champions of the Union against the determination of Ireland's large Catholic majority to obtain civil rights, economic justice, and cultural and political independence. In this completely revised and updated edition of The Irish Question, Lawrence J. McCaffrey extends his classic analysis of Irish nationalism to the present day. He makes clear the tortured history of British-Irish relations and offers insight into the difficulties now facing those who hope to create a permanent peace in Northern Ireland.




Consociational Theory


Book Description

Consociational theory explains how democratic stability is possible in culturally or ethnically segmented political systems. It is one of the most important theories in Comparative Politics and one of the most contested. This volume brings together the leading proponents and opponents of consociational theory and conflict resolution.