Jonathan Tonge – författare

Northern Ireland's political system is dominated by an Irish Catholic nationalist versus British Protestant unionist faultline, based upon the long-running argument over whether the region should remain part of the United Kingdom or form part of a United Ireland. Yet the largest category of elector in Northern Ireland says they are neither a unionist nor a nationalist and the third most popular political party is now Alliance, which is not aligned to either of the two traditional constitutional positions. Drawing upon a unique in-depth survey of its members, this volume analyses the history and contemporary rise of Alliance and the surge of a centrist party in Northern Irish politics which is challenging the old order. How has a party which eschews ethnic bloc politics, has no constitutional preference, and contains a mix of Catholics, Protestants, and many of no religion come to prominence in a polity whose political institutions are framed upon an old binary divide? The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland undertakes an extensive membership survey analysing the role of a non-ethnic party in an ethnic system, assessing Alliance identities, politics, and futures. Can Alliance integrate Northern Irish society through shared education and housing or will continuing polarisation thwart the Party's project? Would Alliance take a position in the event of a constitutional referendum on Northern Ireland's future - and what might that stand be? These and other key questions form part of a novel study of the party of Northern Ireland's often overlooked centre ground. The volume is essential reading for those wanting to understand how non-ethnic parties can survive and even thrive within an ethnic party system.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has moved from a religion-dominated protest party to a pragmatic party of government in Northern Ireland, the most popular in the region, with more votes, Assembly seats, and MPs than any of its rivals. This book draws upon the first-ever survey of the party's members, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, along with over one hundred interviews, to analyse their views on the transformation undergone by the DUP. The book analyses what categories of individual make up the DUP, ranging from religious fundamentalists or moderates, detailing the religious composition of the party. How Free Presbyterian or Orange is the modern DUP and how is its membership changing? What identity do those members hold? The book then assesses the attitudes of members to the contemporary power-sharing arrangements in a divided society. How comfortable is the DUP to sharing political spoils with the republican 'enemy'? How supportive are members of the Executive and Assembly in Northern Ireland and what progress do they think has been made? The book also dissects the modern fears of DUP members, ranging from the dilution of religious fervour to continuing fears over security and opposition to policing reforms. Attitudes to unity with other Unionist groups are explored, as are the prospects of capturing support from Catholic supporters of Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom.Drawing upon unprecedented access to a party traditionally suspicious of outsiders, this book offers a unique insight into how an opposition party grounded in religious principles has accommodated change and broadened its appeal, whilst retaining most of its traditional hardcore membership.

The 2015 General Election was one of the most extraordinary contests of recent times, with an outcome which surprised some analysts. Britain Votes 2015 provides a comprehensive analysis of the campaign and outcome. A team of experts assess the results, offering detailed analysis of the overall and English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish contests. The strategy, finance and performance of the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, SNP and UKIP, along with several other parties, are dissected in detail. Key issues such as economy and immigration are explored. Combining retrospective analysis with assessment of future directions, Britain Votes 2015 is indispensable for all scholars of British elections and politics.The latest in a distinguished series of election volumes produced by the Hansard Society and Oxford University Press, Britain Votes 2015 features the work of a range of top academics, including Tim Bale and Paul Webb on the Conservatives, Rosie Campbell and Sarah Childs on women and the election, John Curtice on the impact of the electoral system, Steven Fielding on Labour, Matthew Flinders on political disaffection, Matthew Goodwin on UKIP, Andrew Gamble on the economy, and James Mitchell on the Scottish National Party.Britain Votes 2015 is essential reading for anyone interested in the campaign, outcome and consequences of the 2015 General Election.

The Ulster Unionist Party: Country Before Party? uses unprecedented access to the party that dominated Northern Ireland politics for decades to assess the reasons for its decline and to analyse whether it can recover. Having helped produce the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) struggled to deliver the deal amid unease over aspects of what its leadership negotiated. Paramilitary prisoner releases, policing changes, and power-sharing with the republican 'enemy' were all controversial. As the UUP leader won a Nobel Peace Prize, his party began to lost elections. For the UUP leadership, acceptance of change was the right thing to do for Northern Ireland - a case of putting country before party.The decades since the peace agreement have seen the UUP eclipsed by the rival Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) even though most of what the UUP agreed in 1998 has remained in place. This book examines the travails of the UUP in recent times. It draws upon the first-ever survey of UUP members and a wide range of interviews, including with the five most recent leaders of the party, to analyse the reasons for its reverses and the capacity to revive. The volume assesses why the UUP's (still sizeable) membership remains loyal and discusses what the UUP and unionism means to those members, in terms of loyalty, policy, national and religious identity, views of other parties and what a shared future in Northern Ireland will constitute. Amid Brexit and talk of a border poll, crises of devolved government, rows with republicans and intra-unionist tensions, how secure and confident does the UUP membership feel about Northern Ireland's future?Written by the same expert team that produced an award-winning book on the DUP, this book is indispensable to understanding parties and political change in divided societies.

Britain Votes 2017 offers a comprehensive analysis of one of the most extraordinary elections ever, with an outcome few predicted. It contains dedicated chapters on the results; the fortunes of each the major parties; the campaign and outcomes in each country of the UK; the Brexit context; campaign finance; party campaigning and digital strategies; engagement, disengagement and populism; women voters; young voters; the roles of the media; and much more.The latest in a distinguished series of election volumes produced by the Hansard Society and Oxford University Press, Britain Votes 2017 features the work of a range of top academics, including Tim Bale and Paul Webb on the Conservatives, John Curtice analysing the outcome, Eunice Goes on Labour, Matthew Flinders on engagement, disengagement and populism, Emily Harmer and Rosalynd Southern on women voters, James Dennison on UKIP, Sarah Harrison on young voters, and Sara Hagemann on the Brexit context. Britain Votes 2017 is essential reading for anyone interested in the campaign, outcome and consequences of the 2017 General Election.

The 2010 General Election proved to be one of the most dramatic contests of recent times. Britain Votes 2010 provides a comprehensive analysis of the campaign and its remarkable aftermath. A team of experts assess the results, outline the new electoral demography and examine its national and regional variations. The book explores the ideas and fortunes of the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, discusses the impact of new campaign features, notably the leadership debates, and examines the key issues which featured in an exciting and unusual election. Combining retrospective analysis with assessment of likely future directions, Britain Votes 2010 explores how the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition was formed and analyses whether coalition government is likely to become far less exceptional in future. Britain Votes 2010 is indispensable for all scholars of British and electoral politics.

The repeated crises of devolved power sharing in the face of continued paramilitary activity and persistent sectarianism have hindered attempts to shape a new Northern Irish politics, based upon peace and consensus. In this important new book, Jonathan Tonge analyzes the underlying issues, explores the ways in which rivalries within and between unionism and nationalism perpetuate instability, and assesses the potential and limitations of consociational deals like the Good Friday Agreement in conflict resolution.

First published in 1997, this volume responded to the peace process of the 1980s and 1990s between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, emerging just prior to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. It constituted one of the first major academic examinations of the attempts to bring peace to Northern Ireland in the 1990’s, and explores the historical origins of the process, before moving towards a critical account of the role of political parties in the development of the peace process. Critics have argued equally that the process was a sham, tactically repositioning Irish republicanism, and that it provided a framework for reconciliation or even conflict resolution. This book outlines the political changes which allowed the peace process to develop, along with analysing specific themes divided into three broad sections: the general aims of the peace process, the political perspectives and the issues under discussion. Aiming to promote discussion, these contributors explore the origins and function of the peace process, followed by an analysis of political perspectives including the Unionists, the SDLP and Irish Republicanism. Finally, they consider key issues of interest for the peace process, including the ever-present border debate, security strategies, education, and economics, whilst Rachel Ward makes the case for the skilled contributions of women available to formal politics.

First published in 1997, this volume responded to the peace process of the 1980s and 1990s between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, emerging just prior to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. It constituted one of the first major academic examinations of the attempts to bring peace to Northern Ireland in the 1990’s, and explores the historical origins of the process, before moving towards a critical account of the role of political parties in the development of the peace process. Critics have argued equally that the process was a sham, tactically repositioning Irish republicanism, and that it provided a framework for reconciliation or even conflict resolution. This book outlines the political changes which allowed the peace process to develop, along with analysing specific themes divided into three broad sections: the general aims of the peace process, the political perspectives and the issues under discussion. Aiming to promote discussion, these contributors explore the origins and function of the peace process, followed by an analysis of political perspectives including the Unionists, the SDLP and Irish Republicanism. Finally, they consider key issues of interest for the peace process, including the ever-present border debate, security strategies, education, and economics, whilst Rachel Ward makes the case for the skilled contributions of women available to formal politics.

This essential text for undergraduate courses on Northern Ireland combines coverage of the historical context of the situation in Northern Ireland with a thorough examination of the contemporary political situation and the peace process. The book explores the issues behind the longevity of the conflict and provides a detailed analysis of the attempts to create a lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

Containing contributions from leading names in British politics, this review continues to publish front-rank research on parties, elections and voting behaviour in Britain.

Irish Protestant identities, available for the first time in paperback, is a major multi-disciplinary portrayal and analysis of the often overlooked Protestant tradition in Ireland. A distinguished team of contributors explore what is distinctive about the religious minority on the island of Ireland. Protestant contributions to literature, culture, religion and politics are all examined. Accessible and engaging throughout, the book examines the contributions to Irish society from Protestant authors, Protestant churches, the Orange Order, Unionist parties and Ulster loyalists. Most books on Ireland have concentrated upon the Catholicism and Nationalism which shaped the country in terms of literature, poetry, politics and outlook. This book instead explores how a minority tradition has developed and coped with existence in a polity and society in which some historically felt under-represented or neglected.

For almost three decades the troubles in Northern Ireland raged, claiming over 3,600 lives, with civilians accounting for almost half the fatalities. In this book, Jonathan Tonge examines the reasons for that conflict; the motivations of the groups involved and explores the prospects for a post-conflict Northern Ireland. The book: assesses the motivations and campaigns of the IRA, UVF and UDA and other armed groups discusses what each paramilitary group achieved through violence analyses the continuing controversies surrounding the Northern Irelands dirty war outlines the extent of collusion between British security forces and loyalist paramilitaries explores how governments and political parties shaped the peace process scrutinizes prospects for the political development of unionism and nationalism within a devolved power sharing framework examines whether the sectarian divide is strengthening or weakening concludes by assessing whether Northern Ireland can move permanently from violence and instability to become a normal peaceful polity, in which the war is merely a historic relic Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, Northern Ireland combines incisive analysis, original research and a lucid style to provide an important assessment of what has been described as an 800 year old problem.

For almost three decades the troubles in Northern Ireland raged, claiming over 3,600 lives, with civilians accounting for almost half the fatalities. In this book, Jonathan Tonge examines the reasons for that conflict; the motivations of the groups involved and explores the prospects for a post-conflict Northern Ireland. The book: assesses the motivations and campaigns of the IRA, UVF and UDA and other armed groups discusses what each paramilitary group achieved through violence analyses the continuing controversies surrounding the Northern Irelands dirty war outlines the extent of collusion between British security forces and loyalist paramilitaries explores how governments and political parties shaped the peace process scrutinizes prospects for the political development of unionism and nationalism within a devolved power sharing framework examines whether the sectarian divide is strengthening or weakening concludes by assessing whether Northern Ireland can move permanently from violence and instability to become a normal peaceful polity, in which the war is merely a historic relic Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, Northern Ireland combines incisive analysis, original research and a lucid style to provide an important assessment of what has been described as an 800 year old problem.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2015The term �peace process� is now widely used to describe attempts to manage and resolve conflict. As the nature of conflict has changed, so the range of available tools for producing peace has grown. Alongside a plethora of political actions, there is now a greater international awareness of how peace can be brokered and policed. As a result, peace processes now extend well beyond the actuality of ceasefires and an absence of war to cover legacy issues of victims, truth and reconciliation. This book expertly examines the practical application of solutions to conflict. The first part analyses various political means of conflict management, including consociational power-sharing, partition, federalism and devolution. The second explores the extent to which these political formulas have been applied - or ignored - in a wide range of conflicts including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Israel-Palestine, Lebanon, the Basque Region and Sri Lanka. Comparative Peace Processes combines optimism with a realist approach to conflict management, acknowledging that the propensity of dominant states to engage in political experimentation is conditioned by the state of conflict. It will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in general theories of political possibilities in peace processes and the practical deployment of political ideas in conflict zones.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2015The term �peace process� is now widely used to describe attempts to manage and resolve conflict. As the nature of conflict has changed, so the range of available tools for producing peace has grown. Alongside a plethora of political actions, there is now a greater international awareness of how peace can be brokered and policed. As a result, peace processes now extend well beyond the actuality of ceasefires and an absence of war to cover legacy issues of victims, truth and reconciliation. This book expertly examines the practical application of solutions to conflict. The first part analyses various political means of conflict management, including consociational power-sharing, partition, federalism and devolution. The second explores the extent to which these political formulas have been applied - or ignored - in a wide range of conflicts including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Israel-Palestine, Lebanon, the Basque Region and Sri Lanka. Comparative Peace Processes combines optimism with a realist approach to conflict management, acknowledging that the propensity of dominant states to engage in political experimentation is conditioned by the state of conflict. It will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in general theories of political possibilities in peace processes and the practical deployment of political ideas in conflict zones.

Essential text for a 1 term/semester undergraduate course on Northern Ireland (usually a 2nd year option).  Combines coverage of the historical context of the situation in Northern Ireland with a thorough examination of the contemporary political situation and the peace process. The book explores the issues behind the longevity of the conflict and provides a detailed analysis of the attempts to create a lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

Politics in Ireland is the first major text to provide an accessible and systematic analysis of the politics of Ireland: North as well as South. With the development of a new Northern Irish political system and increasing links across the island, the authors argue that the time is ripe to study together the two polities, which share so much of a common history but which have had very different evolutions through the 20th century.Drawing upon an exceptionally wide range of sources and their own original research, the authors deploy a thematic approach to the study of political institutions, political behaviour and public policy in both the Republic and Northern Ireland in order to produce a detailed, but highly readable, assessment of governance and politics in both political systems. This approach enables them both to outline the differences and similarities between the polities and to explain how they relate to the wider world, in particular to the UK and to Europe.

Politics in Ireland is the first major text to provide an accessible and systematic analysis of the politics of Ireland: North as well as South. With the development of a new Northern Irish political system and increasing links across the island, the authors argue that the time is ripe to study together the two polities, which share so much of a common history but which have had very different evolutions through the 20th century.Drawing upon an exceptionally wide range of sources and their own original research, the authors deploy a thematic approach to the study of political institutions, political behaviour and public policy in both the Republic and Northern Ireland in order to produce a detailed, but highly readable, assessment of governance and politics in both political systems. This approach enables them both to outline the differences and similarities between the polities and to explain how they relate to the wider world, in particular to the UK and to Europe.