Refuses to be swept under the carpet
Paul Givan has resigned as First Minister of Northern Ireland. He was a member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and has thrown the governance of Ireland into chaos. His reason was the Northern Ireland protocol which effectively left Northern Ireland in the European Union. Ireland is a divided island, divided on sectarian grounds; Northern Ireland is basically Protestant, the Republic of Ireland is Catholic.
There were 30 years of violence between the two sides which was finally resolved in April 1998 under the Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast agreement (the date in April was the 10th and was Good Friday, hence the name). This governed the status of Northern Ireland within the UK, the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the relationship between the Republic and the UK. Importantly, it removed the hard physical border between the two countries.
The DUP were opposed to the Good Friday Agreement for several reasons.
1. The early release of paramilitary prisoners
2. Allowing Sinn Fein to hold government office (Sinn Fein were the political wing of the IRA, although they have persistently denied any connection)
3. The lack of accountability of ministers in the Northern Ireland executive and the…
