Northern Ireland Portal

Welcome to the Northern Ireland Portal on Powerbase

Welcome to the Northern Ireland Portal on Powerbase—your guide to networks of power, lobbying and deceptive PR. An A-Z list of all articles in the Northern Ireland portal is here. Northern Ireland was established in 1921, consisting of the six North-eastern counties which remained in the United Kingdom following the Anglo-Irish Treaty which ended the Irish War of Independence. It has remained deeply divided between a largely Protestant unionist majority which favours a continuing relationship with Britain, and a largely Catholic nationalist minority which favours unity with the Republic of Ireland. Unionist domination came under increasing challenge in the late 1960s with the emergence of the civil rights movement. By 1969, the situation had erupted into a violent conflict, the Troubles, which would go on to cost more than 3,700 lives and would not wind down until the emergence of the peace process in the 1990s. Propaganda, disinformation and various forms of covert political action were practised by all sides during the conflict. In the aftermath of the Troubles, truth recovery regarding the roles of the major actors remains a key, issue with particular controversy surrounding allegations of state collusion with both loyalist and republican paramilitaries. Following the end of the conflict, the creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly has paved the way for more mundane forms of political spin, such as the emergence of a Northern Ireland lobbying industry. The huge intelligence gathering machine which grew up around the Northern Ireland conflict has been described by Tony Geraghty: "British civilian agencies included the Security Service, MI5, the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, GCHQ, and the National Criminal Intelligence Service. Military teams, working under the Intelligence and Security Group, were the SAS troop posted to the Province, 14 Intelligence Company, the Field Reconnaissance Unit, running its informers in competition with the RUC Special Branch; various other arms of the Intelligence Corps such as Weapons Intelligence Unit and the computer experts of 12 Intelligence Company." Powerbase has a policy of strict referencing and is overseen by an Managing editor and a Sysop and several Associate Portal editors. The Editor of the Northern Ireland Portal is Tom Griffin. Priority pages on Northern Ireland Stormontgate Robert Hannigan Alistair Irwin Austin Hunter Janet Malcolmson Barron report Stewart Young Robin Jackson Gary Armstrong Ian Mitchell Laurence McClure Billy Hanna David Payne William Marchant Ivor Dean Knox Young Joe Bennett John Somerville Wesley Somerville Down Orange Welfare Armagh Special Patrol Group William McCaughey Robert McConnell Sammy McCoo Harris Boyle Robert Kerr Billy Mitchell David Alexander Mulholland Brian Dixon John Burgess Bernard Dearsley Hugh Galton-Fenzie CH Rodgers John McCoy Vince Heavin Colm Browne Nelson Young Force Research Unit Martin Ingram Philip Campbell Smith Margaret Walshaw David Moyles Ronnie Anderson Journalists Chris Ryder Workers' Association for a Democratic Settlement in Northern Ireland Others See more...

Propaganda Information Research Department | Northern Ireland Information Service Collusion Military Reaction Force | Special Reconnaissance Unit | Force Research Unit

Categories There are a list of categories associated with this page: Northern Ireland Northern Ireland lobbying firms References and Resources TheyWorkForYou.com - Northern Ireland Assembly Conflict Archive on the Internet Information and source material on 'the Troubles' and politics in Northern Ireland from 1968 to the present. Bloody Sunday Inquiry Rosemary Nelson Inquiry Billy Wright Inquiry British Irish Rights Watch NGO concerned with the human rights dimension of the Northern Ireland conflict and latterly the peace process. The Pat Finucane Centre Human rights group named after solicitor murdered in 1989 by loyalists acting in collusion with elements of British intelligence. Justice for the Forgotten Group campaigning on behalf of the families of those killed in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974. Relatives for Justice Belfast based organisation working with the families of the victims of state violence and collusion. Omagh Support and Self Help Group Group campaigning for the victims of the 1998 Omagh bomb. The McGurk's Bar Massacre Campaign for the victims of the 1971 McGurks Bar bomb. Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland Newshound Links to Daily newspaper articles about Northern Ireland. Slugger O'Toole Blog on Northern Ireland politics

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