From Protest to Pragmatism

How do two ideologically opposed governments co-operate? The Unionist government struggled to answer this question during the sixties and seventies. This book charts the development of this government's policy towards its neighbor in Southern Ireland and explains how it ended up in a total stalemate with the emergence of the Troubles.

'Not much has been written about the political/diplomatic dance that was taking place between Belfast and Dublin from the late 1950s to the prorogation of Stormont in 1972, so this is both a useful and interesting addition to the literature. It tends to be assumed that the relationship between Northern Ireland and the South was always a frosty one until fairly recently yet, as McCann points out, there was a noticeable and very significant thaw between 1963 and early 1968 From Protest to Pragmatism is worth reading, particularly for those who believe that there were never any moments when an effort was made to improve relations.'- Newsletter

'From Protest to Pragmatism turned out to be a wordy yet accessible text, and provided a thorough introduction to a period of history and a set of relationships admittedly through the eyes of governing unionists which still resonates with much of today's politics.'- Slugger O'Toole

Autorentext

David McCann was Researcher at the University of Ulster, UK. He has conducted seminars on the development of the Irish political system from Independence to the present day and on Ireland after the Celtic Tiger.

Inhalt

1. Diplomacy: North-South relations 1959-64 2. The Politics of Co-operation: North-South Relations from 1965-66 3. Co-operation falters: The Politics of North-South relations: 1966-68 4. Breakdown in relations: 1968-69 5. North-South relations during the Troubles: 1969-72 Conclusions Bibliography