Partitionism

In Ireland, partitionism refers to views on Irish politics, culture, geography or history that treat Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as distinct. Partitionists may emphasise the perceived differences between the two jurisdictions and the people who live within them.

It has mostly been used to describe those in the Republic of Ireland who view Northern Ireland and the people who live there as separate and different. It is usually used among Irish nationalists and republicans "as a criticism of those in the south who pay lip-service to the ideal of Irish unity but who are smugly comfortable with a 26 county republic".

The Derry Journal has described partitionism as "a criticism of those in the south who pay lip-service to the ideal of Irish unity but who are smugly comfortable with the 26 county Republic". Likewise, in his book Luck and the Irish, Roy F Foster used the term "partitionalism" to describe "the tacit acceptance in the South of a border that worked to its economic advantage".

In 2009, Sinn Féin MLA Martin McGuinness used the term in denouncing Lord Mayor of Dublin Eibhlin Byrne who had suggested it was "unpatriotic" for people from the Republic of Ireland to go shopping for cheaper prices in Northern Ireland. Commenting on McGuinness's remarks, Peter Robinson said: "For republicans, partitionism, I think, is defined as the practice of advocating the removal of the border but behaving in a manner which reinforces it".

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