Estudios Irlandeses (Mar 2009)
…the Bad and the Ugly: Good Guys after all? Representations of Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley in the English Press
Abstract
This article aims to explore developments in the way political agents in Northern Ireland have been re(presented) in the British media, particularly in the light of the recent and historic agreement between the leaders of the DUP and Sinn Féin to enter into government together on May 8th 2007. According to media specialists like David Butler (1995), protagonists in the Troubles have traditionally been attributed the roles of “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”, (the British Army, the IRA and Loyalists), in accordance with the British state’s bipartisan approach to the Troubles and its policy of incriminating endogenous agents. However, Butler remarks on a shifting discourse during the peace talks of the 1990s, with Northern Irish protagonists being separated into “Hawks” and “Doves” (anti and pro Belfast agreement respectively). May 8th 2007 saw the “Bad” and the “Ugly” firmly installed at Stormont as deputy First Minister and First Minister of Northern Ireland, following a long peace process in which the British State played a significant part. Consequently, this paper will aim to determine whether a new pattern of representation has been adopted by the media or whether the “old roles” still remain. It will also explore whether any interpretation has been offered for two such “extremes” coming together.
