Two studies published yesterday cast valuable new light on attitudes between Catholics and Protestants in both parts of Ireland and on opinions about Britain held by citizens of the Republic.
They paint a picture of continuing deep divisions on political identity and constitutional structures in Ireland, but of much closer similarity than difference on many other values. There is a decided improvement in the already close relationship between Irish and British people. Such popular attitudes provide a bedrock for political agreement as well as for conflict. Based on these surveys there are good reasons for optimism about the prospects for more harmonious north-south and west-east relations among the peoples of these islands.
The study of attitudes and values among Catholics and Protestants in the Republic and the North by Tony Fahey, Bernadette Hayes and Richard Sinnott is based on a range of public opinion surveys over the last 30 years, and especially on a European Values Survey from 1999-2000, which included extra sampling in Border areas. This has enabled the authors to draw comparative conclusions about abiding religious and political cleavages in Northern Ireland, notably on national identity, which nevertheless coexist with distinctive cultural similarities concerning family and sexual morality.
In the Republic, both Catholics and Protestants align themselves with an Irish identity. In both parts of the country secularisation has affected changing attitudes to religion, but not weakened its role as a marker of political identity in Northern Ireland. Compared to the rest of Europe, Irish people are positive about their political systems and have high levels of socio-economic welfare, individual life satisfaction and social capital.
The survey of attitudes towards Britain in the Republic, published by the British Council, shows clearly that citizens regard the British as most like ourselves, followed by the United States and Australia. Compared to these France, Spain and Italy trail way down the list. With respect to Britain, there are sharply more favourable attitudes towards the Scots, the northern English, Londoners and the Welsh than towards other parts of England. Asked about their attitudes to international soccer games, these attitudes are reinforced, but they do not spill over into a wider anti-Englishness.
Writing in an accompanying book of essays on Britain and Ireland, Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair point out that such attitudinal proximity and complexity underwrite political convergence in what is probably the closest relationship between neighbouring peoples in Europe.