d) Describe and explain the reactions of Unionist groups to the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985 and the idea of further links with Southern Ireland.
Since 1980 the British government have been involved in talks with leaders of the Republic of Ireland. It was thought by the leaders in the south that the conflict in the north couldn’t be solved unless they were part of a peace plan. They suggested in 1984 that the only solution was to unite North and South in a single state. This idea was rejected by the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. However in 1985, the ‘Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed by the British and Republic. (The full agreement is shown in the Personal Research section of this project.) A joint committee was set up with the two governments to decide matters such as justice, the laws in Northern Ireland and security forces. They all hoped to find ways of getting the Unionists and Nationalists to respect each other’s rights and views. Although, the Unionists claimed that since the partition in 1921, the British were allowing the government of the Republic to have a say in the running of the North for the first time. Talks in the 1990’s then led to the Downing Street declaration in 1993 which was a joint statement outlining the future of Northern Ireland agreed by the Dublin and Irish court. It aimed to increase the level of cooperation between the UK and the Irish Republic in limiting terrorism and in working together for peace. The pact was a sign of the improving relations between the two countries; it also included provision for giving Dublin a greater voice in the conduct of Northern Irish affairs (and was therefore unpopular with many Unionists in Ulster).
