The Unionist agreement with Sinn Fein caused dissolution of powers from London back to Stormont in Belfast in 1999. In 2000, the Unionist party was unhappy because of the lack of progress by the IRA not decommissioning their weapons, they threatened to pull out of the executive agreement they had with Sinn Fein. Quickly after the threat from the Unionist party the British government stepped into suspend the Sinn Fein agreement and to reinstate direct rule over Northern Ireland. This stormy history of Ireland has yet to see an end in sight. The book touches upon some of these issues through continued hatred by both sides toward each other.
Civil rights are brought up in the book through hateful slang by angry Protestants. One man blames the loss of his job on a new Commission that made sure that Catholics were represented fairly. He says, "I was at Shorts for ten years. Laid me off four months ago. They"re letting fucking Taigs in now (p.9)." The anti-catholic sentiment is expressed throughout the book and even a fear by Protestants. "Catholics were moving in everywhere, including across the table from them if they but knew. The Fair Employment Commission was putting them into the workplace. They were then getting enough money to buy property in good protestant areas where the houses had no shit on the walls (p.163)." Catholics had gained some equality as a result of the Civil Rights movement but they had been so badly intimidated before the cease fire that none of them actually got to capitalize on equal opportunity. Even though Northern Ireland was trying to change and trying to make efforts for peace many of the people have a tough time adjusting to new ways. People that are set in their ways are clearly shown in the book through slang and religiously charged comments. In the book the bar called the Ashley was a place that Protestants drank, "many of the men who drank there had done time for chasing, beating, baiting, or just killing the Catholics of the city (p.
