Ideology and Policing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Hearty
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
The State ◽  
Political Struggle ◽  
Armed Struggle ◽  
Sinn Fein ◽  
Critical Engagement ◽  
The Future ◽  
Irish Republicanism ◽  
Ideological Dimension

This chapter critically examines the overarching ideological dimension to the policing debate within modern Irish republicanism, interrogating how competing views of where Irish republicanism is currently at in transition and where it is believed to be heading in the future are construed through value laden interpretations of where is has come from. It evaluates how ‘critical engagement’ with post-Patten policing in Northern Ireland is interpreted through long held belief systems that frame the move in terms of congruence with or contradiction to past positions. The chapter posits that there are two contesting ideological models for understanding the current Sinn Fein strategy in transitional Northern Ireland; the ‘progressive republican’ model that interprets current Sinn Fein strategy as being premised on a change of tactics that has moved the pursuit of ideological goals from an armed struggle to a political struggle and the ‘constitutional nationalist’ model that interprets Sinn Fein strategy as an abandonment of Irish republican principles that involves a reformist working of the state that can ultimately only lead to assimilation into, rather than removal of, a partitionist state.

Sinn Féin and the IRA

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew Whiting
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Sinn Fein ◽  
Peace Processes ◽  
British Rule ◽  
Irish Republicanism ◽  
The Republic ◽  
British State ◽  
State Responses

When Sinn Féin and the IRA emerged in Northern Ireland in 1969 they used a combination of revolutionary politics and violence to an effort to overthrow British rule. Today, the IRA is in a state of ‘retirement’, violence is a tactic of the past, and Sinn Féin is a co-ruler of Northern Ireland and an ever growing political player in the Republic of Ireland. This is one of the most startling transformations of a radical violent movement into a peaceful political one in recent times. So what exactly changed within Irish republicanism, what remains the same, and, crucially, what caused these changes? Where existing studies explain the decision to end violence as the product of stalemate or strategic interplay with the British state, this book draws on a wealth of archival material and interviews to argue that moderation was a long-term process of increasing inclusion and contact with political institutions, which gradually extracted moderate concessions from republicanism. Crucially, these concessions did not necessitate republicans forsaking their long-term ethno-national goals. The book also considers the wider implications of Irish republicanism for other cases of separatist conflict, and has significance for the future study of state responses to violent separatism and of comparative peace processes.

scholarly journals An bhfuil ár lá tagtha? Sinn Féin, special status and the politics of Brexit

2021 ◽  
pp. 136914812110261
Author(s):  
Jonathan Evershed ◽  
Mary C Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Sinn Fein ◽  
Political Costs ◽  
Irish Republicanism ◽  
Economic Risks

In this article we critically examine how Sinn Féin responded to Brexit, why, and with what consequences. By destabilising the UK’s territorial constitution and intensifying debate about Ireland’s constitutional future, Brexit has represented a moment of unprecedented opportunity for Irish republicanism. However, this has been offset by the very real political and economic risks it has posed for the island of Ireland. We argue that Sinn Féin’s pursuit of ‘Special Status’ for Northern Ireland represented an attempt to mitigate Brexit’s risks, rather than to leverage its opportunities. This approach came with political costs for the party, whose recent electoral surge has arguably been in spite of rather than because of it. We demonstrate how Brexit has served to reshape Sinn Féin’s politics, and how it has functioned to further moderate its ‘Eurocriticism’.

The Patriot Dead

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Hearty
Keyword(s):  
Political Transition ◽  
Armed Struggle ◽  
Critical Engagement ◽  
Counter Narrative ◽  
Political Resource ◽  
Grassroots Support ◽  
Irish Republicanism ◽  
The Dead ◽  
War Dead ◽  
Political Groups

This chapter assesses the centrality of martyrology to Irish republicanism as an ideology. It examines how the dead become a useful political resource for competing memory entrepreneurs who are keen to sanctify their current strategies and in the process keep their grassroots support base on board during periods of political transition. It interrogates contending narratives on whether ‘critical engagement’ is in furtherance of or contradiction to the ideological goals that the Irish republican war dead sacrificed themselves for. The chapter grapples with the policing narrative proffered by each side; the narrative of ‘critical engagement’ being the extension of the courage shown by the dead during armed struggle and the counter-narrative that endorsement of policing represents a defeat of the goals for which the Irish republican war dead sacrificed themselves. It examines how commemoration and memorialisation were used by competing political groups prior to, during and following the Sinn Fein Extraordinary Ard Fheis on policing in order to bolster their respective positions through building a link of continuity with the martyred dead.

scholarly journals THE STRUGGLE OF IDEAS AND «THE NEW TURKEY»

2016 ◽  
pp. 22-31
Author(s):  
V. A. Nadein-Raevskiy
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Political Struggle ◽  
The Future ◽  
Hizmet Movement ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
Said Nursi ◽  
Ruling Party

A famous Islamic philosopher Fethullah Gulen backed up the nowadays president Erdogan in the beginning of creation of his Justice & Development Party (AKP). Gulen though backed up Erdogan criticized some of his actions. He was against the "Freedom Flotilla" that was sent be Erdogan to raise the blockade of Gaza sector. He visited the Roma Pope while defending the idea of the "Dialog of civilizations" and was sharply criticized for this visit by the Islamists. In 2013 he criticized Erdogan for the police attacks against mass demonstrations of protest in Istanbul. Besides he sharply criticized corruption of the AKP officials. Erdogan was irritated by this criticism. In spite of many common ideas of contemporary «moderated Moslems» - the supporters of Erdogan and followers of Gulen severe inter-political struggle among them lead to massive attacks against gulenist's "Hizmet" Movement and Nurcilar (Nur movement - the followers of anti-secular cleric Said Nursi). In respond "Hizmet" started a broad campaign against corruption and nepotism among the Erdogan's supporters. The latter charged gulenists in conspiracy activities against the ruling party and "betrayal of Turkey". They closed gulenist's educational schools and started the cleansing campaign against "Hizmet" in the state structures. This struggle may influence on the ideologic basement and the future of Turkey.

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