The aspect that pleased people from Northern Ireland was that they got the final say in the form of a ballet box. This way they would have to agree before any final changes went ahead.
Lastly the point that has made the most impact on Northern Ireland is the fact that the I.R.A. has begun decommissioning. This came after years of talks from Jerry Adams trying to persuade the Irish Republican Army to give up or destroy any weapons they had.
This breakthrough is the most important as it ties in with the democratic side of the argument. Before, the democrats were looking at aspects like power sharing to balance out the power within Northern Ireland. Now with the decommissioning taking place the violence will hopefully start to decrease and there will be less pressure for democracy to do more when the I.R.A. don't have all their weapons.
The aspects that have not made as much progress as the above are as follows. Firstly there is the reformation of the R.U.C. There has been a start to this aspect but no major progress has been made. One part of the agreement that has to be made in years to come is the removal of the U.K. flag from the police stations.
Also although the I.R.A. have started to decommission there is still time for them to obtain more weapons. They have not destroyed all of their weapons as of yet so there maybe a fear of the I.R.A regaining action.
The aspects of the agreement that have had no progress whatsoever are as follows.
Firstly the North-South Ministerial Council has not been formed as yet. It is meant to allow co-operation between the U.K and Irish Republic but being as it has not been formed there is no progress in that department.
Secondly there is no British-Irish Council that will bring the U.K and Irish Parliaments together. This would help solve matters because both sides of the argument can be expressed in a civilised environment without the violence.
Probably the most important aspect is the fact of the decommissioning but although the I.R.A. has put their weapons beyond use, the Real I.R.A. have not. They are still refusing to give their weapons up in a bid to put across their argument with the aid of violence. They are unlike the I.R.A. because the I.R.A. is willing to disarm but are still determined to support their cause but without the violence.
These problems are greatly related with the past. This is because when the problems originally the people of Northern and the Republic of Ireland were greatly determined never to give up on their beliefs both religious and social and it is this determination that has pushed them to action they take today.
For instance the Hunger Strikes were a protest in their belief that they were not criminals and the outcome was a rise of support for Sinn Fein.
Although most action that is taken today is referred to as a long-standing argument between the two religions is also a fight for power. Each grouping has its own opinion and reason for their actions but both look for the end result going their way. Until all the aspects are fully implemented there is not much chance of either sector getting the result that they'd been wishing and fighting for.
In conclusion, I would say that the Good Friday agreement has had many positive effects, and I believe that the setbacks are due to a number of parties and people being too stubborn. I think that the agreement does not mean that Northern Irelands problems are over, but with a bit more compromising and discussions I believe in a few years there will be peace once again.
