A 'no-go area' or no-go zone

No-go zone

no-go zone may refer to:*A no-go area, a region where the ruling authorities has lost control and are unable to enforce the rule of law*Areas where fishing is made illegal due to overfishing...

is a region where the ruling authorities have lost control and are unable to enforce the rule of law

Rule of law

The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...

.

Rhodesia

The term 'no-go area' has a military origin and was first used in the context of the Bush War

Rhodesian Bush War

The Rhodesian Bush War – also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation – was a civil war which took place between July 1964 and December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia...

 in Rhodesia

Rhodesia

Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...

. The war was fought in the 1960s and 1970s between the army of the white minority Rhodesian government and black nationalist insurgents who were infiltrating the country from outside.

The initial military strategy of the government was to seal the borders to prevent infiltration, however this became untenable and an alternative strategy ("mobile counter offensive") was adopted. This involved defending only key economic areas and transport links ("vital asset ground"). The rest of the country was abandoned to insurgent control and became a patchwork of "no-go areas". The Rhodesian army would not maintain a permanent presence in a no-go area and civilians were advised to stay out of it.

Northern Ireland

Between 1969 and 1972, the term was used in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 to describe barricaded areas in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 and Derry

Derry

Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...

, which police and the British Army were prevented from entering by militant residents, republican

Irish Republicanism

Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

 or loyalist

Ulster loyalism

Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...

 paramilitaries. The areas' existence was a challenge to the authority of the British government in Northern Ireland, and the army finally demolished the barricades and re-established control over the areas in Operation Motorman

Operation Motorman

Operation Motorman was a large operation carried out by the British Army in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The operation took place in the early hours of 31 July 1972 with the aim of retaking the "no-go areas" that had been established in Belfast, Derry and other large towns.-Background:The...

on 31 July 1972.

Other uses

From the mid 1970s, the term became widely used in the English speaking world to describe anything that was immune to:

• change
• entry
• participation
• interference

For example, consider the following reports:

• "certain parts of Britain's inner cities have become no-go areas for the company's delivery drivers." — report on courier services in the UK, June 2005
• "New legislation to stamp out income tax avoidance will turn Britain's film industry into a wasteland within days. The government was warned that Britain could become a no-go area for film makers." — report on film making in the UK, February 2004
• "The property boom is making homeownership a no-go area. An average priced house is out of the reach of average-income households in more than 50% of English counties …" — report on home ownership, August 2001
• "Fundamental reform of doctors’ pay has been a no-go area for successive governments." — report on doctors' pay, August 2003