Northern Ireland.

However throughout this time there was growing unrest due to:

1. Widespread discrimination against the Catholic Nationalists of Housing, Employment and from the Government.
2. Constituency boundaries were changed to ensure favourable results.
3. Nationalists were excluded from elections because they were not ratepayers.
4. The Police were also overwhelmingly Protestant.

  Background post-1960’s.

In 1968 a civil rights movement began and was soon adopted in Northern Ireland to combat inequality within, however when the Catholics started using civil rights marches they because increasingly unpopular and frequently resulted in fights with both the Protestant police and the Protestant population as a whole.

The problems that erupted were relayed top Harold Wilson, the leader of the Labour party who deployed the army as a temporary solution.

Direct Rule to the Peace Process.

1. The Sunningdale agreement, 1973/4.
2. The political convention, 1975.
3. The Atkins initiative, 1980.
4. Rolling Devolution, 1982/6.
5. The Anglo-Irish treaty.
6. Brookes-Meyhew talks 1991/2

1. The most influential of these processes was the Sunningdale agreement, an agreement between the British government, the Southern Ireland government and the main constitutional parties in Northern Ireland (Ulster Unionists, SDLP). The agreement had two main elements:

• Who governed Northern Ireland.
• Who governed the whole of Ireland.

In the whole of Ireland a group called the Council of Ireland was to be set up and would involve politicians from the Republic and Northern Ireland and although a relatively powerless institution it was a medium through which all members could discuss issues.

In the agreement the British were recognising the IRISH DIMENSION, i.e. the fact that Southern Ireland had some influence in Northern Ireland, this was a measure intended to appease the Catholic Nationalists. To appease the Unionist Protestants Southern Ireland had to lay down their claim to Northern Ireland until a majority of people wanted unification, the PRICIPLE OF CONSENT.

The aspect of the agreement relating solely to Northern Ireland was the establishment of a POWER SHARING ASSEMBLY, i.e. not the relatively powerful Stormont parliament, with a POWER SHARING EXECUTIVE. The institution was elected using a Single Transferable Vote PR system and meant a sharing of power between the forces, Nationalists and Unionists at every level. Although it was meant as a reassurance it made the Nationalists recognise the legitimacy of Northern Ireland by making them a legitimate part of it.

However by May of 1974 it had been closed down following 6 months of Unionist opposition, they opposed the institution because they saw it as a “sell out” by the British government. Although they wanted to be part of the UK the pro-Sunningdale Unionists were wiped out in the 1974 elections.

The PSA had to be closed down following protests in Northern Ireland by the Unionists, if Sunningdale was to be kept troops would have to be sent in therefore it was abandoned, however the abandonment sent the following messages:

• The Unionists saw the UK as weak; they could achieve their aims through direct action.
• The Nationalists learn not to trust Britain.

2. The Political convention failed in making any headway and was abandoned altogether.

3. The Atkins initiative was a series of talks that came about but achieved little; they were the result of two issues:

Military failure

• Lord Mountbatten, cousin to the Queen was murdered; bombed in his own private boat whilst sailing around Southern Ireland.
• Warren Point Massacre, in which 18 soldiers were killed.
• Airey Weave, war hero and conservative MP, good friend of Thatcher was blown up in the House of Commons car park.

Political challenge.

Republicanism, (belief the Ireland should be united by force) formed the political challenge, the IRA and Sinn Fein began to move toward a policy of “BULLET AND BALLOT”, using the elections as a show of support for their cause.

This began in 1980 with a hunger strike whereby Republican prisoners claimed they were prisoners of war and therefore should be treated as such, i.e. not wearing prison uniforms. These actions continued and climbed to prisoners living in blankets after refusing to wear prison uniforms and smearing their cell walls with faeces. The more organised hunger strike that followed showed the IRA and Sinn Fein through the fact that Bobby Sans was elected whilst in prison that they could use the support as a propaganda technique and therefore considered standing.

Rolling Devolution.          

Although this was much the same a Sunningdale it had very limited powers, to be granted more as it progressed, however this came too late as Sinn Fein already had 30% of the Catholic vote and refused to take their seats. The Unionists also pulled out of Devolution because of the Anglo-Irish treaty.

Anglo-Irish Treaty.

• Unintentionally Thatcher helped the peace process.
• Like the Council of Ireland but instead of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland being the parties involved it was Dublin and London.
• London agreed with Southern Ireland that they would give up their claim on Northern Ireland until they had a majority of support PRICIPLE OF CONSENT, and in return London recognised the IRISH DIMENSION.
• Gave explicit rights to Southern Ireland on: Taxes, Security, Defence and Education.
• The reaction from the Unionists was abrupt, as they had not been consulted they immediately staged protests and showed the “Third Way”, according to Ian Paisley, they even fought by-election on the basis that they opposed this.
• DESPITE THE PROTEST THE BRITSH GOVERNMNET DID NOT BUDGE.

Several messages were sent to the parties in Northern Ireland:    

• Nationalists were not betrayed and began talks through Sinn Fein with the Northern Ireland office in Britain; they tried to make the announcement more pronounced.
• Republicans see that the British government do not want to be in Northern Ireland even by force.

Brooke-Mayhew talks, 1991/2.

 

Another attempt to compromise that failed, again talking of devolution.

DOWNING STREET DECLARATION.

Three things created the 1993 Declaration:

1. The contact between Sinn Fein and the Northern Ireland office in Britain in 1989/93
2. Hume-Adams talks, 1989/93. Hume was the leader of the SDLP, a Nationalist, non-violent organisation and Adams was the leader of Sinn Fein, a Republican militarist party.
3. Brooke-Mayhew talks, whereby both Northern Ireland secretaries of state and all the unionists were invited to talk over the problems.    

The Downing Street Declaration consisted of these main items:

• Signed by John Major and Albert Reynolds in 1993.
• Showed the British had no “ specific, selfish or economic interests” in Northern Ireland, therefore neutral.
• Invited the representatives of paramilitary forces to join the talks, including Sinn Fein if the violence was stopped.

The Northern Ireland Peace Process 1993 – 1998.

DECEMBER 93.

Following the Hume-Adams talks the British government declares no “selfish, strategic interest in Northern Ireland” and invites parties representatives form the paramilitary groups to join the talks.

AUGUST 1994.

Following a ceasefire by the Loyalist paramilitary groups the Provisional IRA declared “…a complete cessation of military operations…recognising the potential of the current situation” however there was no time frame or guarantee.

FEBRUARY 1995.

The joint framework document prepared by the British and Irish governments as the basis for talks included; an elected border body accountable to both a Northern Ireland assembly and the Irish Dail, and a paramilitary forum including reps from both north and south.

FEBRUARY 1996.

Following Major’s rejection of the Mitchell report, where recommendations were made for parallel peace talks and arms decommissioning, the IRA bombed Canary Warf and central Manchester.

APRIL 1996.

Elections form the Northern Ireland forum (Mitchell report) gave Sinn Fein 17/110 seats and granted representation to the new parties linked to the loyalist paramilitary.

SUMMER 1997.

Following a Labour victory a new IRA ceasefire was announced and SF leaders were admitted to talks with the most senior members of the British government.

JANUARY 1998.

A spate of sectarian killings by the IRA led to a temporary exclusion from the peace talks. Mo Mowlam entered direct talks with the Loyalist prisoners to sustain a ceasefire.

The Good Friday Agreement.

1. - Northern Ireland assembly, power sharing. Like Sunningdale.

- Executive and First/Prime Minister.

• All were power-sharing assemblies and could not be formed without a majority of support from both Nationalists and Unionists.

2.        - There was a N/S ministerial council, like the Council of Ireland, both S and N ministers would stand, this largely operated by consensus, however some see it as an embryonic republic government.

3.         - Council of the Isles, people from N and S, and from the British government, and from Scotland and Wales all to discuss devolution.

4.        - The agreement committed Southern Ireland to remove the claims on Northern Ireland.

The main differences are the paramilitary allowances into the talks and actually wanting to be involved, this underpinned the ceasefire.

Why has this ceasefire survived?

• Ceasefire and participation of paramilitary representatives.
• Military stalemate became increasingly obvious to the IRA leaders; the British were not to be forced out of Ireland like post WWI, where parties would not compromise at all.
• British realisation that they would not remove the terrorist threat by military actions alone.
• A deterioration between British Tory opinion and Irish Unionist opinion, as the Unionist proved their ability to only ever say NO the British became more willing to offend Unionist opinion.
• The change in economic situation meant that Northern Ireland were no longer an economic asset at all.
• Southern Ireland became more prosperous and secular, Catholicism became a less prominent feature of society as attitudes were relaxed on; contraception, divorce etc, therefore there is less reason to oppose the Peace Process.
• The involvement of international powers, USA, EU and much more support for Peace Process from other institutions.

 

Threats to the Good Friday Agreement.

• Weapons decommissioning- deadlock between Loyalists and Unionists- trust in the IRA seems unlikely- General John De Castelain announces decommissioning was taking place and therefore the Peace Process continues.
• When David Trimble lost his seat as head of the PSA 3 members of the Alliance re-designated themselves to Unionist- therefore confidence in the Peace Process.
• Policing in Northern Ireland was to be changed under the Patten report, e.g.   the RUC becomes the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and despite protest from the Unionists this is planned for May 2002.