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Green and orange, sand and gold - an environmental free-for-all in Northern Ireland?

Neoliberal ideas about reconciliation, a formalisation of sectarian pork barrel politics, and political stasis, are all leaving a legacy of environmental destruction in some of Northern Ireland's most beautiful and important regions.

By Tommy Greene
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lough neagh.jpg
lough neagh.jpg

Image: Lough Neagh. Credit: Eskling/Flickr, CC 2.0.

Where do you think the largest illegal landfill in Europe is? Hint: it’s also the place where there’s about to be a bonanza in metals mining, especially if Brexit continues along its current direction of travel. No? Here’s another, not-unrelated clue: it’s the part of the UK with the highest regional number of millionaires after London and Aberdeen, and with the lowest levels of discretionary income in the union.

Where? Most people would be surprised to learn the answer is Northern Ireland.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0