Was N. Ireland a one party state like North Korea, Erithrea, China etc?

Francis McM

I have heard Republicans state this. For example, yesterday, FrancieBrady who readers of this forum will know has posted many many thousands of posts regarding N. Ireland / the six counties / call it what you want, wrote yesterday (post 1058 of the General Irish Politics Discussion Thread):

"NI was a one party state in the opinion of all but a few ouliers who cannot face the facts. Other examples of one party states are North Korea, Erithrea, China and many of the states that emerged from the Soviet Union break up."

His words, not mine. Do most people think N.Ireland was like North Korea etc? In North Korea, for those who do not know, there is only one name on the ballot paper. Those who want to vote against the sole candidate on the ballot must go to a special booth—in the presence of an electoral official—to cross out the candidate's name before dropping it into the ballot box—an act which, according to many North Korean defectors, is far too risky to even contemplate. All seats are won by the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea. Voting is mandatory and turnout is habitually near 100%. (99.98% in 2019).

It is thought by many there is a revisionism / rewriting of history going on, and Republicans like to paint Catholics in N.I. as MOPEs ( most oppressed people ever ) but was it ever as bad as North Korea? Did innocent protestant politicians of different parties, whose happened to be unionists, deserve to be assassinated by the PIRA, simply because they were protestants and unionists? Innocent northern protestant politicians (of the "one party state" according to Republicans) like James Stronge MP, Robert Bradford MP, Edgar Graham, John Barnhill etc? Or even south of the border the murder of Billy Fox ( a protestant who was a FG TD ) murdered in Co. Monaghan in 1974, as a warning to other protestants to keep their heads down at least? Of course some of the younger generation, - even the ladies Irish national football team who chant "uh ah up the ra" after a match - may not be aware of the full facts of history, just having had one side glorified to them repeatedly throughout their youth?

Was N.I was a one party state like N.Korea? Somehow I do not think so. In the Border Poll referendum there in 1973, catholics had the exact same voting rights as protestants, nobody can deny that. And, even then, while far from perfect, there were lots of different parties in N.I. and the rest of UK, to where there were no travel restrictions. I do not think it was like North Korea? I wonder what kids in 100 years time will be taught by republicans?

FrancieBrady

Didn't read all of the above.

I would like to clarify.

I never said 'NI was like North Korea'

I said, that 'NI was a one party state, as was North Korea, Erithrea, etc.'

I.E. I made no comparison to how those parties ran the individual states.

Please correct.

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120390943#Comment_120390943

If you read the post, you will see what I wrote. Your quotation is in bold and in Italics. I could not make it clearer than that.

You wrote

"NI was a one party state in the opinion of all but a few ouliers who cannot face the facts. Other examples of one party states are North Korea, Erithrea, China and many of the states that emerged from the Soviet Union break up."

I am wondering do others think N.I was a one party state like N.Korea?

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120390985#Comment_120390985

Do most people think N.Ireland was like North Korea etc?

I DID NOT say this ^. Please edit.

FrancieBrady

From the establishment of the Northern Ireland Parliament in 1920–1921, Northern Ireland had a dominant party system of an exceptionally strong type in which the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) formed every government for 50 years.

Not sure how you can represent the above as anything other than a 'one party state', with, as John Hume stated, an 'exclusive hold on power'.

How they ensured that it would remain a one party state is also interesting and contributed to NI going up in flames.

Quin_Dub

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Pointless Thread - Closed