Northern Ireland and Scotland Comparison

1853 Words8 Pages
Compare and Contrast the political cultures of Scotland and Northern Ireland since c.1920 Before comparing and contrasting the political cultures of both Scotland and Northern Ireland since 1920, it is important to first identify what defines a political culture. For many, a political culture can consist of a variety of different aspects. This essay aims to establish the key aspects which make up the respective political cultures of both countries and whether or not similarities or differences exist. Some of the themes that will be discussed in this essay include History, Religion, Class, Sectarianism, Political Parties, devolution and identity. Since 1920, both Northern Ireland and Scotland have differed in relation to their respective position within the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland was the first region of the UK to experience a form of devolution from 1921 until 1972, when direct rule from Westminster was reinstated due to an outbreak of violence. Scotland on the other hand was administered by a Scottish office and a Scottish secretary which had been re-established in 1885 and in 1926 the Scottish secretary became the Secretary of State. However, similarities presently exist with both parts of the UK enjoying devolution of similar powers from Westminster through the Scottish Parliament at Hollyrood, Edinburgh and The Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont, Belfast. Walker makes the argument in his book, Intimate Strangers that both N.I and Scotland are similar in that they are ‘culturally interwoven’ but that specific contrasts and differences exist which will be highlighted throughout this essay. The first themes which I believe are extremely important when comparing and contrasting the political cultures of both countries are Religion and identity. In Northern Ireland, the two main religions are the minority Roman Catholicism and the majority Protestantism
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