ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a resume of the macro-political context over the period. It outlines the nature of community relations chiefly in terms of policy, legislative and infrastructural developments before offering an assessment of community relations in Northern Ireland. The chapter considers evidence from the Northern Ireland Social Attitudes surveys conducted in 1989 and 1996. From 1987, a sustained twin-track approach to resolving Northern Ireland’s constitutional imbroglio emerged. At the political level, the focus has been on attaining a constitutional settlement which will accommodate both unionists and nationalists. The outbreak of violence in 1969 which followed Catholic demands for civil rights forced the British Government at Westminster to play a more active role in the local politics of Northern Ireland. Changes at the macro-level have resulted in the proliferation of a broad range of community relations initiatives, programmes and organisations.
