Beyond Orange and Green: The Politics of Northern Ireland’s ‘Neithers’
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/20419058231198586 |
| Author | Jamie Pow |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
36 POLITICAL INSIGHT • SEPTEMBER 2023
Northern Ireland is well known
for its divisions – between
Protestants and Catholics,
British and Irish, unionists and
nationalists – and these divisions remain
central to the politics of the region. But
contemporary Northern Ireland is more than
a place of binary groups and identities.
The latest census shows that one in ten
people do not belong to, and were not
brought up in, either of the main religious
communities – the highest proportion ever
recorded. Three in ten identify as ‘Northern
Irish’, either exclusively or alongside at least
Beyond Orange
and Green: The
Politics of Northern
Ireland’s ‘Neithers’
Northern Irish elections remain dominated by unionist and
nationalist parties. But a growing bloc of non-aligned voters could
have a major say in Northern Ireland’s political – and constitutional
– future, writes Jamie Pow.
one other national identity. Even more
strikingly, four in ten people identify as
neither nationalist nor unionist, according
to the most recent Northern Ireland Life and
Times Survey. Who are these ‘neithers’? How
do they vote? What do they think about
politics? And what does the emergence of
‘neithers’ as a substantial bloc mean for the
future of Northern Ireland?
The Alliance surge
The nuances and complexities of identity
in Northern Ireland are nothing new.
© Carlos Sánchez Pereyra / Alamy Stock Photo
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