Belfast, U.K.
The British parliamentary elections brought hard-liners to power in the British province of Northern Ireland this week. Among unionist Protestants who want Northern Ireland to stay part of Great Britain, the uncompromising Democratic Unionists won more seats than the moderate Ulster Unionists. And among nationalist Catholics who want Northern Ireland to join Ireland, the IRA’s Sinn Fein party did better than a moderate Catholic party. David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader who shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize for helping forge a peace accord with the IRA, lost his seat to a member of the Democratic Unionists. Now the most prominent unionist leader is the DU’s Ian Paisley, a gruff 79-year-old who refuses to negotiate until the IRA is completely disbanded.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
China looms large over India and Pakistan's latest violenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT Beijing may not have had troops on the ground, but as South Asia's two nuclear powers bared their teeth over Kashmir, China eyed an opportunity
-
Where the new Pope Leo XIV stands on various issuesThe Explainer The first American pontiff is expected to continue some of his predecessor's work
-
What's wrong with America's air traffic control systems?Today's Big Question The radios and radar keep going out at Newark International
