The statement is very much true, because if we observe social division and politics together at first sight:
(i) It would appear that the combination of politics and social division is very explosive and dangerous.
(ii) Democracyinvolvescompetitionamongvarious political units/parties. Their competition tends to divide and if they start competing in terms of some existing social divisions it can make social division into political divisions and lead to conflict, violence or even disintegration of a country. This has happened in many countries like India, Belgium, etc.
(iii) In the case of Northern Ireland this region of the United Kingdom has been for many years the site of violent and bitter ethnopolitical conflict.
(iv) All this shows that ‘politics and social divisions must not be allowed to mix’.
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