Northern Ireland Coursework

What attempts at peace have been made and how much left is there to

do?

Background to issue

• March 1972 following increasing violence in the North direct rule was imposed by the British government

• Province to be ruled by the Northern Ireland Secretary

• Meant to be a temporary measure while a political solution was worked out

The Sunningdale Agreement 1973-74

• A new Assembly to be elected by proportional representation

• Power sharing executive would guarentee power sharing between Nationalists & Unionists

• Council for Ireland to be set up with reps from Belfast, Dublin & London

How much chance of success?

Willie Whitelaw – Secretary of State for N.Ireland

Threatsfrom?

How stable does it seem?

Reasons for failure

• Main aim to give Nationalists share of power

• Internment still in effect• Nats pleased with Council of Ireland• Unionists very unhappy• Ulster Workers Council organised general

strike• New govt forced to resign

The Anglo-Irish Agreement-1985

• Identities of 2 communities in North recognised & respected

• Any change in status to be made with consent of majority

• Intergovernmental Conference to be set up to deal with political matters, security, legal matters & cross –border security

What went wrong?

‘This agreement will not bring peace, but a sword. I have to say

honestly and truthfully that I have never known what I can only

describe as a universal cold fury’

James MolyneauxLeader UUP ‘The hearts of Ulster have been

stricken with the deepest of sorrows. Mrs Thatcher tells us the Republic has

got a say in this province. We say never, never, never. We are prepared to

lay down our lives for Ulster.’

Background to the Downing Street Declaration 1993

• Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein had series of meetings with John Hume of the SDLP

• This was an attempt to end the killing

Moves towards Peace

• The British PM John Major and the Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds produced the Joint Declaration for Peace in December 1993

• The idea was to include Sinn Fein and representatives of the Protestant paramilitaries

The Declaration

• Talks would take place to decide a new form of government for Northern Ireland

• Only parties which rejected violence would be part of the talks

• British government said that possible unity for Ireland would be decided by the Irish

• A Forum for Peace and Reconciliation would be set up to promote trust and understanding

Chances of success?

• Sinn Fein were losing support in elections• Catholics and Protestants both started to

vote for the SDLP• Thousands attended peace rallies after the

Shankill bombing• The new Irish President argued that peace

& justice in the North was more important than removing Partition

Chances of success? (2)

• Sinn Fein described the Declaration as ‘very disappointing’

• Ian Paisley accused John Major of having ‘sold out Ulster to buy off the fiendish republican scum’

• Summer of 1994 saw the sectarian killings continue

• But some politicians and paramilitaries seemed to be working towards peace

The Good Friday Agreement

• Signed 10th April 1998• Multi-party talks took

place representing all political opinion

• Strand 1 of the Agreement deals with how Ulster will be ruled

• Strand 2 deals with Ulster & the Irish Republic

• Strand 3 deals with Ireland & the UK

Agreement at last?

• Agreement showed high level of agreement between the different political parties

• 71% in the North & 94.% in South voted for the agreement

The Omagh Bomb

• 29 people died and 100s more hurt August 15th 1998

• Attack was by the Real IRA

• Had the effect of making people more determined than before to get peace

What problems still remain?

• Every August the Orange Order march

• This causes tension between the 2 communities

• The most well known example of these is at Drumcree

What problems still remain?(2)

• Recently there was trouble at the Holy Cross School

• Children at a Catholic primary school had to be protected by the police

• Ignorance and prejudice still divide the community

What problems still remain? (3)

• Paramilitary groups like the IRA and the UDA have a huge number of weapons

• There is argument over destroying (‘decommissioning’) these weapons