THE EMPIRE & THE COMMONWEALTH, THE

EUROPEAN UNION, THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND &

NORTHERN IRELAND
1. The empire and Commonwealth

The British Empire was gradually built up over 4 centuries from the 16 th
century.
The British colonization began in:
- North & South America
- Africa, Asia & the West Indies.
Emigrants from Britain settled in colonies such as the USA, Australia,
Canada, South Africa & New Zealand.
By the 19th century, British imperial rule & possessions embraced a
quarter of the worlds population.

In the late 19th & early 20th centuries large colonies such as:
- Canada, Australia, New Zealand & South Africa
Became self-governing dominions & eventually achieved
independence.
Many of their peoples were descendants of those settlers who
had emigrated from Britain in earlier centuries.
They regarded Britain as the mother country & nurtured a
shared kinship.

1931 the British Empire became the British Commonwealth of Nations &
independence was gradually granted to other colonies.
1947 India & Pakistan became independent.
1950s and 1960s African territories became independent
Many islands of the West Indies became later independent.
The colonies could choose whether to break all connections with the
colonial past or remain within the Commonwealth as independent nations.
Most of them decided to stay in the Commonwealth.

The present Commonwealth = a voluntary association of 53

independent states (including Britain).
It does not have:
- written laws
- an elected Parliament
- one political ruler.
There is evidence of past colonial rule in many of the countries:
- in education
- in legal system.

The Commonwealth
- has nearly 1/3 of the worlds population.
- comprises peoples of different religions, races &
nationalities
They share a history of struggles for independence from
colonialism.

The Commonwealth = a family of nations.

(occasionally there are wars, tensions and quarrels between these
family members).

The British monarch

- is its non-political head
- has varying constitutional rules in the different countries
- is a focal point of identification
- has an important unifying & symbolic function
Has kept the Commonwealth together in times of crisis &
conflict.

The Prime Ministers (or heads of state) in Commonwealth

countries meet every 2 years under the auspices of the monarch
for Commonwealth Conferences in different parts of the world.

In London there is a Commonwealth Secretariat which

coordinates policy for the Commonwealth, in addition to many
Commonwealth societies, institutes, libraries, professional
associations & university exchange programmes.

Commonwealth citizens still travel to Britain as immigrants,

students and visitors.
British emigration to Commonwealth countries continues in
reduced amounts.
English remains the common language of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth Games (athletics & other sports) are held
every 4 years.

There are many joint British/Commonwealth programmes in:

- agriculture
- engineering
- health
- education
British attempts to enter Europe from the 1960s reduced the
importance to Britain of the organization.
There is no longer the old sense of Commonwealth solidarity and
purpose & Britain has little in common with some Commonwealth
nations.

Britain joined the EU in 1973 and the Commonwealth question formed part of
the debate on membership.
Britain had a declining share of the Commonwealth trading market and its
economic priorities are now more with the EU & other world partners.
In the contemporary world the value of the Commonwealth must be based on a
concrete & realistic role which is distinctive from other global organizations.
It might function as a worldwide political forum which emphasizes:
Accountable government
Democratic concerns
Anti-corruption reform
Civil & human rights.

THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU)

The ideal of a united Europe, strong in economic & political
institutions, became increasingly attractive to some European
statesmen after the Second World War (1939-1945).
1957 were established the foundations for more integrated
Europe when 6 countries (West Germany, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Luxembourg & Italy) signed the Treaty of Rome
and formed the European Economic Community (EEC).
Britain did not join, but helped to create the European Free
Trade Association (EFTA) in 1959.

Britain regarded itself as a commercial power & did not wish to be

restricted by European relationships, and had a special relationship
with the USA.
The French President, Charles de Gaulle :
was critical of Britains relationship with the USA (particularly on
nuclear weapons policies)
did not want Britain as a rival to the leadership of the EEC.
resigned from the French presidency in 1969.

On 1 January 1973 Britain jointed the EEC together with:

Denmark
The Republic of Ireland
After it had left EFTA in 1972.
The EEC was based on:
Economic concerns & instituted harmonization programmes
such as common coal, steel, agricultural & fisheries policies
Abolition of trade tariffs between member states.

 1986 the member-states formed an internal or Single European

Market, in which goods, services, people & capital could
move freely across national frontiers within what was then
called the European Community.

2004 59% of British exports went to the EU & Britain

received 54% of its imports from the EU countries.

The Institutions involved in the running of the EU are:

The European Council
The Council of Ministers
The European Commission
The European Parliament
The European Court of Justice.

The European Council consists of government leaders who meet

several times a year to discuss & agree on broad areas of policy.
The Council of Ministers is the principal policy-implementing
and law-initiating body. It is composed of Foreign Ministers from
the member states.
The Commission (under an appointed President) = the central
administrative force of the EU, proposing programmes and policy
to the Council of Ministers

The European Parliament (in which Britain has 78 seats) is

directly elected for a 5-year term on a party political basis from
the EU-wide electorate.
It advices the Council of Ministers on Commission proposals
It determines the EU budget
It exerts some control over the Council & the Commission.

The Court of Justice comprises appointed judges from the

member states.
It interprets EU laws & treaties
It settles disputes concerning EU law
It resolves conflicts between member-states and the EU.

In Britain all the major political parties are pro-European in the

sense of wanting to be in Europe, although there are opposition
groups in the Labour & Conservative parties.
The Labour government:
wanted a strong Europe in which Britain could play a central
role
was in favour of Britain entering the European common
currency (euro)
proposed a common defence & foreign policy for the EU.

A 2003 MORI poll found that only 30% of British respondents

felt that EU membership was a good thing.
Public support for the EU tends to be lukewarm & indifferent.
There is ignorance about & little trust in the EU, its benefits & its
institutions.

A 2004 MORI poll found that:

32% of British respondents felt that the EU needs Britain more
than Britain needs the EU.
32% also felt that Britain and the EU need each other equally.
Polls also show Europe is considered to be relatively more
important to Britain than the USA & the Commonwealth.

The Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland (also known as the six counties, or Ulster after
the ancient kingdom in the N-E of the island) is constitutionally a
part of the United Kingdom.
1921 Ireland was divided into 2 parts as a result of uprisings,
violence & political agreement.
26 counties of southern Ireland became the Irish Free State & a
dominion in the Commonwealth.
This later developed into the Republic of Ireland, remained
neutral in the Second World War & left the Commonwealth in 1949.

The 6 counties in the north became known as Northern

Ireland & remained constitutionally part of the United Kingdom.
Until 1972, they had a Protestant-dominated Parliament (at
Stormont outside Belfast), which was responsible for governing
the province.
There arouse conflicts between the Protestants and the minority
Catholics who suffered systematic discrimination.

1968-1969 were held marches to demonstrate for civil liberties ,

fighting erupted between Protestants & Catholics and violence
escalated.
The Northern Ireland government asked for the British army to be sent
in to restore order.
The army was initially welcomed, but was soon attacked by both sides.
Relations between Catholics & Protestants worsened; violence
continued.

IRA (Irish Republican Army) has 2 wings:

The Provisional wing + other splinter nationalist groups, which
are supported by some republicans & Catholics.
(IRA is illegal in both the Republic and Northern Ireland)
The Provisional Sinn Fein = the legal political wing, which is
committed to the unification of Ireland.

The IRA wants to remove the British political & military

presence from Northern Ireland.
Prior to the Peace Agreement in 1998, they had engaged in a
systematic campaign of bombings, shootings & murders.
Protestant paramilitary groups & Unionist Parties (such as the
Democratic Unionists) are loyal to the British Crown and insist
that they remain part of the United Kingdom.

From 1972, responsibility for Northern Ireland rested with the

British government in London (direct rule) after the Northern
Ireland Parliament was suspended.
There was little agreement with views including
Ethnic
Religious
Political
Economic reasons

British governments have launched initiatives to persuade

Northern Irish political parties to discuss the realistic possibilities
to power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
1985 the Anglo-Irish Agreement was a joint attempt to resolve
the situation.
It aimed to solve difficulties (such as border security &
extradition arrangements) in order to achieve a devolved powerdsharing government for Northern Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland

had to make some concessions as the price for the agreement
was given a significant role to play in the resolution of the
Northern Irish situation.

In December 1999, some political power was devolved by the

Westminster Parliament to the Northern Ireland Assembly and its
Executive.
It has legislative & executive authority to make laws and take
decisions in Northern Ireland, except for reserved UK powers
over policing, security matters, prisons & criminal justice.
The British-Irish Council was established

In February 2000 the Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended

due to a lack of progress on the decommissioning of illegally held
weapons, mainly by the IRA.
Direct rule from London was reimposed.

In 2005 the IRA announced that they would put all their weapons
beyond use and ordered their members to stop military action.
But criminal activities continue to be carried out by both
Unionist & Nationalist organizations.

The Protestant Unionists

want to remain part of the United Kingdom
oppose union with the Republic of Ireland
insists upon the verifiable decommissioning of all IRA weapons
and
argue that any future solutions for Northern Ireland must lie in
consent by a majority of the people living there.

Sinn Fein & the IRA

are committed to a united Ireland and
argue that a majority of all people (Northern Ireland & the
Republic of Ireland) must consent to any eventual proposed
solution.

Opinion polls in recent years indicate

A weariness by a majority of the mainland British population with
both sides in Northern Ireland.
they are in favour of Irish unification
they do not accept the Labour governments strategy of British
withdrawal only with the consent of the majority in Northern Ireland.

A MORI poll of people in main land Britain found that 26% of

respondents believed that Northern Ireland should remain in the UK
and 41% believed that the province should reunite with the Republic of
Ireland.