'Trouble' In Ireland IV: The 1970s & The Dominion Of War

In this series, we examine the very peculiar 'state' that came together in the North (or more accurately, the North-East) of Ireland from Protected content , and its troubled, still unresolved 'neither one thing nor another' existence ever since.

In Episode IV: 'Insurgency & Counter-Insurgency', we examine how Protected content civil protest and political engagement was eclipsed by a voluntarist 'national liberation struggle' during much of the Protected content , where social politics was seen as secondary at best. We will query whether this process was indeed inevitable, and if so, what factors enabled it.

We also look at the conflict strategies pursued by all sides, on how the horrors of a 'low intensity' war impacted ordinary peoples' lives, and in particular we dissect the outright colonial attitudes and violent policies implemented by successive British administrations in the name of 'containment' and 'pacification'.

The approach follows the broad outline of my earlier 'Social History of Early Ireland' and 'What Was The USSR?' series, with an illustrated talk followed by a discussion. However, as we did in Episode III, we will also watch a couple of short videos and listen to contemporary related music that adds to our understanding.