How did the Protestant politicians explain the social, economic and political differences between Catholic and the Protestant?

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How did the Protestant politicians explain the social, economic and political differences between Catholic and the Protestant?

There were many social, economic and political differences between the Protestants and Catholics which often led to the mistreatment of the Catholic population.

From the years 1921 to 1972, Northern Ireland was ruled by the Ulster Unionist Party as a separate state within the United Kingdom. During the period, the Catholics were treated very differently from the Protestants. New council houses generally went to the Protestants which resulted in the Catholics living in poorer homes. Their education system was segregated but Catholic schools received less money so they couldn’t afford all the necessary equipment needed to run a good school. Universities encouraged Protestant applications rather than Catholic, which meant they were less likely to get a good job, or promotion, which furthermore meant they were less likely to reach a high social status. They therefore received lower pay which links back to why they were living in poorer homes.

They were also more politically disadvantaged as the majority of politicians were Protestant, who were inclined to help their own people. Catholics were seen as ‘traitors’ and were stopped from having any political power by gerrymandering. Protestants felt they had the right to make all the important decisions due to their numerical advantage. They were afraid of granting the Catholics power in case it was then used against them. This was a strong argument that brought the Protestants together. The Unionist politician, Basil Brooke, summed up many of his people’s feelings by saying,

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“How can you give somebody who is your enemy, a higher position in order to allow him to destroy you.”

This dislike towards Catholics is traditional as past incidents are often remembered, such as the massacres of 1641, which fosters the hatred between them. By the 1960s, they were living in separate communities and educated in completely different ways. In 1921, when the Republic was declared a separate country, the Catholics realised the Protestants wanted nothing to do with the South. They were pleased with the partition even though the Catholics hoped the North would become a part of ...

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