An economic downturn is a phase of the business cycle in which the economy as a whole is in decline.  This phase basically marks the end of the period of growth in the business cycle.  Economic downturns are characterised by decreased levels of consumer purchases (especially of durable goods) and, subsequently, reduced levels of production by businesses.

The history of thirty years of conflict in Northern Ireland, as it is being written today, might give the impression of a steady progression towards an inevitable and just conclusion. The new suspect community in this country, Muslims, want to know whether their experience today can be compared with that of the Irish in the last third of the 20th century.