June 14, 2013

Northern Ireland: outward looking? A global competitor?

Here's Prime Minister David Cameron's bargain for Northern Ireland: pull down the peace walls over the next 10 years and get more spending powers.

This was the proposal and announcement made after Cameron summoned Robinson and McGuinness to Downingg Street ahead of the G8 summit in Fermanagh.

Cameron then said, and this is what I found interesting:

"This agreement is a symbol of our ambitious vision for Northern Ireland – a genuinely shared society that is fulfilling its economic potential and strengthening the foundations for peace, stability and prosperity."

The peace walls were built in response to calls from locals who feel threatened by sectarian attacks. In a sign of how the Good Friday agreement brought peace, but not harmony, to Northern Ireland there are more peace walls now than there were in 2006. They play a particularly important role in north Belfast where the two communities live close to each other."

More in the Guardian here.

http://m.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jun/14/northern-ireland-spending-peace-walls

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