Ulster is situated in the
northern part of Ireland. It is surrounded by the Atlantic ocean on
the north and west and by the Irish sea on the east. It covers an
area of approximately 9,000 square miles and has a population of
1,737,000. Six of the nine counties are presently
occupied and controlled by the British army. Ulster is home to
the Protestant Irish and is the main battleground in the present
phase of the struggle for Irish free- dom. In the
new Ireland, Ulster would be the first province to have its own
parliament.
Within the
EIRE NUA concept, Ulster's parliament would be seated in Dungannon,
the capital. The parliament would consist of a single chamber
of deputies elected by the people of the province according to a
system of proportional representation. The function of the
parliament would be to 1) coordinate cultural activity and economic
development within its regions, 2) initiate and promote legislation
for the social, economic and cultural development of its people,
3) coordinate the development and expansion of third-level
education, and 4)@-- collect provincial taxes.
In order to maximize the
concept of devolved government, Ulster would include within its
geographic boundary four clearly defined economic regions, namely,
West Ulster, Greater Belfast, East Ulster and South Ulster. Each
region would be administered by a regional board consisting of 1)
representatives of district councils from within the region, and 2)
expert representatives appointed by the provincial parliament. These
regional boards would be responsible for administering the criminal
justice system and for establishing, promoting and coordinating
their own social, economic and cultural programs.
Within each region,
clearly defined districts would be established. West Ulster would
have ten districts, Greater Belfast would have one, East Ulster
would have fourteen, and South Ulster would have seven. Each
district would be administered by a district council, covering a
population of between 10,000 and 40,000 people. District councils
would be responsible for 1) primary and secondary education, 2)
public works and local planning, 3) welfare and social services, and
4) recreational development.
Voluntary Community
Councils would be established at the local level to pursue local
issues
