Contested Transparency and the Fragile Peace: Secrecy and Openness in Northern Ireland.
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck 43 Gordon Square
This seminar asks how openness and secrecy can shape the past, present and future of Northern Ireland. Transparency is a key component of Northern Ireland’s ‘fragile peace’ (Cochrane 2021). But how could it help or hinder in a divided society? Transparency could, on the one hand, operate as a ‘window’ on the new institutions of peace, providing much needed democratic accountability and legitimacy, while helping move politics towards a less essentialist or divisive place. On the other hand, it could serve as a political ‘weapon’ for either side, subjecting peace process institutions to challenge, manipulation, and division, which could undermine and de-legitimise them and presents dangers, as seen in the leak of Police Service of Northern Ireland data. .
Transparency has played a central part in the peace process and has been used to secure legitimacy and trust, over issues from decommissioning to policing and legacy. But the peace process itself was famously founded on a ‘constructive ambiguity’ (Dochartaigh 2021). Since then, many claim the culture of secrecy is alive and well in Northern Ireland, from the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal to covid. The opening up of the past has also been plagued with claims of secrecy and resistance, with transparency over the past threatened by ‘contested’ and ‘flawed narratives’ (Lundy 2011: Gallagher 2022).
This seminar offers some preliminary findings and thoughts on a new project and chance to discuss where we are and what the future might hold.
Contact name:
Sue Wiseman
- Dr Ben Worthy