Northern Ireland Politics

Arthur Aughey, Duncan Morrow

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781317890836
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Hopes for a peaceful settlement in Northern Ireland have again put the politics of the province under the spotlight. This new text, written by acknowledged experts on Northern Ireland, provides an immediately accessible introduction to the multi-faceted nature of the politics of the region.

Appendix 1

Chronology of Events 1920–95

1920: Passage of the Government of Ireland Act provides for devolved Parliaments to be established in Dublin and Belfast.

1921: First meeting of the Northern Ireland Parliament.

1922: Signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty between the governments of the United Kingdom and the Irish Free State. Proportional Representation is abolished for local elections in Northern Ireland.

1925: Governments in London, Belfast and Dublin agree that the boundary between the six counties of Northern Ireland and the 26 counties of the Free State should remain unchanged.

1929: Proportional Representation is abolished for elections to Stormont Parliament.

1932: Opening of the new Northern Ireland Parliament buildings at Stormont.

1935: Sectarian riots take place in Belfast.

1937: A new Constitution of the Irish Free State. Articles 2 and 3 of that Constitution claim sovereignty over the entire territory of the island of Ireland.

1939: Outbreak of the Second World War. Northern Ireland is committed to the war effort. The Irish Free State stays neutral.

1941: German bombing raids on Belfast.

1945: End of Second World War.

1949: The Irish Free State becomes a Republic. The British government passes the Ireland Act which proposes that Northern Ireland will remain a part of the UK until its Parliament votes otherwise.

1956: Beginning of the IRA’s ‘border campaign’.

1957: Publication of the report An Economic Survey of Northern Ireland which attempts to identify the major developmental problems of the region.

1962: End of the IRA’s border campaign. Fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Ulster Covenant.

1963: Terence O’Neill becomes Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.

1964: Publication of the Hall Report on the economy advises the attraction of outside industry to Northern Ireland.

1965: Seán Lemass makes the first official visit to Belfast by a Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland. Publication of the Wilson Plan for economic regeneration.

1966: Fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and of the 1916 Easter Rising.

1967: Founding of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association.

1968: Holding of the first civil rights marches in Northern Ireland. Formation of the People’s Democracy. Unionist government introduces a programme of reforms to meet Catholic grievances on housing and voting.

1969: O’Neill resigns as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and is replaced by James Chichester-Clark. The Unionist government requests the support of the army to maintain law and order following riots in Derry and Belfast.

1970: Formation of the Alliance Party and the Social Democratic and Labour Party. The Reverend Ian Paisley is elected to Westminster. Principles of the Macrory Report for the reform of local government are accepted. First policeman dies in the Troubles.

1971: Chichester-Clark resigns and is replaced by Brian Faulkner. SDLP withdraw from Stormont. Formation of the Democratic Unionist Party. First soldier dies in the Troubles.

1972: Direct rule is introduced. William Whitelaw becomes the first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Publication of a British government Green Paper on the future of Northern Ireland.

1973: UK and the Republic of Ireland join the European Community. Publication of the British government’s White Paper on the future of Northern Ireland. Agreement on a ‘power-sharing’ Executive. Francis Pym becomes Secretary of State. Sunningdale Conference agrees a Council of Ireland to express the ‘Irish dimension’. Proportional Representation reintroduced for district council elections.

1974: Election of a Labour government in the UK. Merlyn Rees becomes Secretary of State. In the Westminster elections of February anti-Sunningdale Unionists (United Ulster Unionist Council) win 11 of 12 seats. Ulster Workers’ Council ‘strike’ leads to the fall of the power-sharing Executive. Direct rule resumes. Passing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

1975: IRA ‘truce’ is called and runs from January to September. The Northern Ireland Convention meets to discuss constitutional matters. In the national referendum on EEC membership a majority of Northern Ireland voters choose to remain within the Community.

1976: Convention is dissolved without agreement. Founding of the Peace People. Roy Mason becomes Secretary of State. Fair Employment Agency is established.

1977: Another Loyalist ‘strike’ fails to achieve its objectives. The strike leads to a break-up of the UUUC. Unionist politics becomes increasingly a two-horse-race between Ulster Unionists and Democratic Unionists.

1978: House of Commons votes to increase the number of Northern Ireland seats from 12 to 17.

1979: Election of a Conservative government in the UK. Humphrey Atkins becomes Secretary of State. In the first European Parliament elections, Ian Paisley of the DUP, John Hume of the SDLP and John Taylor of the UUP take the three Northern Ireland seats. The IRA murder Lord Mountbatten. Atkins proposes conference on the future of Northern Ireland to a lukewarm response.

1980: Failure of the Atkins conference. First Anglo-Irish summit is held in Dublin. An H-Block hunger strike by republican prisoners, called in October, ends in December.

1981: Beginning of a new H-Block hunger strike by republicans in March. Hunger-striker Bobby Sands wins the Fermanagh/South Tyrone by-election. James Prior becomes Secretary of State. Hunger strike is abandoned in October after the death of 10 republicans including Bobby Sands. Establishment of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council.

1982: Prior introduces proposals for ‘rolling devolution’. Elections are held for the new Northern Ireland Assembly. SDLP refuses to take up its seats.

1983: Establishment by the Irish government of the New Ireland Forum. The Conservative Party wins the general election in the UK. Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin wins the seat of West Belfast.

1984: Publication of the Report of the New Ireland Forum. It proposes options of a united Ireland, a federal Ireland or British–Irish joint authority over Northern Ireland. In the second European Parliament elections the three sitting MEPs are returned. Douglas Hurd becomes Secretary of State. The IRA bomb the Conservative Party conference in Brighton. British government rejects the Forum options.

1985: In the local council elections Sinn Féin wins 11.8% of the vote. Tom King becomes Secretary of State. The Anglo-Irish Agreement is signed. Beginning of Unionist campaign of protest. The 15 Unionist MPs resign their seats to force a test of public opinion in Northern Ireland on the Agreement.

1986: In the Westminster by-elections Unionists increase their overall vote but lose the seat of Newry and Armagh to the SDLP. On 3 March there is a Unionist ‘Day of Action’ against the Agreement. Unionist-controlled councils obstruct normal business in protest at the Agreement. The Northern Ireland Assembly is dissolved.

1987: A Unionist-sponsored petition against the Agreement receives 400,000 signatures. The Conservative Party wins the UK general election. Beginning of ‘talks about talks’ for an alternative to the Agreement between Unionist parties and Secretary of State. IRA murder 11 people at the Enniskillen Remembrance Day service.

1988: SDLP begins talks with Sinn Féin. Three IRA members are shot dead in Gibraltar. Irish Supreme Court rules that Articles 2 and 3 of the Republic’s Constitution entail a ‘constitutional imperative’ to reunify the island. A broadcasting ban on direct statements by paramilitary groups is imposed by the British government.

1989: British and Irish governments publish a review of the workings of the Agreement. European Parliament elections are held. Hume and Paisley are elected. Jim Nicholson replaces John Taylor for the UUP. Peter Brooke becomes Secretary of State. Conservative Party conference votes to organize in Northern Ireland. Brooke suggests that the British government might talk to Sinn Féin if it renounced violence.

1990: A new and stronger Fair Employment Act is enacted. First meeting of the British–Irish Interparliamentary Body takes place. Unionists refuse to take up their seats. Brooke attempts and fails to get agreement on arrangements for talks about alternatives to the Agreement. Mary Robinson is elected President of the Irish Republic. The Conservative Party replaces Mrs Thatcher as leader. John Major becomes Prime Minister.

1991: Brooke announces agreement on a formula for ‘three-stranded’ talks on the future of Northern Ireland. Anglo-Irish Conference is suspended to allow the talks to take place. Talks begin on 17 June and end on 3 July.

1992: Albert Reynolds becomes Prime Minister in the Irish Republic. The Conservative Party wins the UK general election. Gerry Adams loses the West Belfast seat. Sir Patrick Mayhew becomes Secretary of State. There is a three-month suspension of the Anglo-Irish Conference. A new round of political talks takes place from April to November. Progress is made on structures for devolution. After the ending of these talks the British government begins bilateral discussions with the Northern Ireland parties. Mayhew repeats Brooke’s statement that Sinn Féin could be included in talks if IRA violence is ended.

1993: Hume and Adams resume their discussions. Irish Foreign Minister Dick Spring proposes a joint framework document with the British government to be put to the electorate over the heads of the Northern Ireland parties. Hume and Adams reach agreement on principles and forward a document to the Irish government. Intensified discussions take place between the British and Irish governments to seek a formula for ending violence. It is revealed that representatives of the British government have been conducting secret discussions with Sinn Féin. The Downing Street Declaration is published.

1994: Sinn Féin demands ‘clarification’ of the Downing Street Declaration. The British government refuses and then concedes. First meeting of the Northern Ireland Select Committee. European Parliament elections return the three sitting MEPs. First the IRA and then the Loyalist paramilitaries announce ceasefires. Sinn Féin demands inclusion in talks on the basis of their ‘democratic mandate’. The British government requires assurance on a permanent end to violence. The Forum for Peace and Reconciliation is established in Dublin.

1995: The British and Irish governments launch the Frameworks for the Future. A government minister talks officially to a Sinn Féin delegation. Gerry Adams meets Sir Patrick Mayhew in Washington. Robert McCartney QC wins the North Down by-election as a UK Unionist. Riots at Orange marches during summer. Stalemate over the issue of the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. David Trimble elected leader of the UUP.

Appendix 2

Abbreviations

ACAS	Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service
ACE	Action for Comm...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• List of contributors
• Maps
• Section One: Twentieth Century History
• Section Two: Ideas and Movements
• Section Three: Parties and Elections
• Section Four: Administration
• Section Five: Policy
• Section Six: Aspects of Society
• Postscript
• Appendix 1. Chronology of events 1920–95
• Appendix 2. Abbreviations
• Appendix 3. Bibliography
• Index