1. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast Equality and Social Inclusion in Ireland Project Fran Porter Queen’s University Belfast Northern Ireland f.porter@qub.ac.uk Eighty Years of Talking about Equality in Northern Ireland

2. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast Equality and Social Inclusion in Ireland Project Paper presented at the Pluralism and Equality Conference, Helsinki, 18-21 May 2005 The full paper will be available from the project website at www.qub.ac.uk/heae in June 2005 www.qub.ac.uk/heae

3. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast Equality Where? How do the specific and distinct historical, socio-economic and political factors in Northern Ireland affect the emergence, presence and/or resolution of other equality questions: Why equality? Equality for whom? Equality of what? How much equality?

4. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast Northern Ireland oA small jurisdiction constitutionally within the United Kingdom but geographically on the island of Ireland oCreated in 1921 oPopulation of 1.6 million oApproximately 60% of the population identify politically and culturally with Britain and 40% with Ireland

5. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast ‘The Troubles’ British and Irish? Catholic and Protestant? Ethnic or Sectarian?

6. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast. Paramilitary ceasefires 1994-1997 Multi-party talks The Belfast Agreement 1998 –the Good Friday Agreement –The Northern Ireland Peace Agreement The Northern Ireland Act 1998 The Northern Ireland Assembly (suspended) The ‘Peace Process’

7. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast Five Equality Domains John Baker et al (2004) Equality from Theory to Action (Palgrave Macmillan) Respect and Recognition Resources Love, Care and Solidarity Power Work and Learning

8. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast Equality Discourses Origins of the Northern Ireland State The post World War II Welfare Provisions Civil Rights Movement (1967) Fair Employment Legislation Women’s Movement Gay and Lesbian Liberation and Rights Racism Disability

9. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast Peace Process 1994-2005 Nine grounds of positive equality duties for statutory bodies (Section 75 of the 1998 Northern Ireland Act) religious belief political opinion racial group age marital status sexual orientation men and women persons with and without a disability persons with and without dependants

10. Project Coordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast Final questions