Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is created. John Redmond & Arthur Griffith 1922) The Ulster Covenant, 28 September 1912

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1 rthern Ireland rthern Ireland is created After centuries of Anglo-rman/English/British involvement, the Kingdom of Ireland was incorporated into the UK in 1800 by Act of Union. Ireland s relationship to/within the UK (and England beforehand) was always contested, periodically by violent revolt e.g uprising & the C19th campaign by the IRB & IRA (known as the Fenians ) Gladstone spoke of local patriotism calling for Home Rule for Ireland within UK but his ruling Liberal Party was divided; a Conservative House of Lords blocked Home Rule twice in 1886 and 1893, while Unionists in Ulster threatened revolt John Redmond & Arthur Griffith ( ) ( ) 1922) The Ulster Covenant, 28 September rd attempt at Home Rule by a Liberal Government helped by Labour & moderate Irish nationalists in Westminster; Unionists opposed to Home Rule ( Rome Rule ) for Ireland Home Rule Bill suspended for duration of WWI Easter Rebellion in Dublin rebel leaders executed by the British for treason, alienating the vast majority of ordinary Irish people 1918 last all-ireland election within the UK; triumph for Sinn Fein but also Unionists in rth 1919 mounting civil unrest and violence 1920 Government of Ireland Act and Partition Two new Irish parliaments formed based on devolution only Unionists attend the southern Parliament but it is ignored by Sinn Fein which continues to sit illegally in its Dail Eireann The rthern Parliament convenes, dominated by Unionists; rthern Nationalists remain away Unionists come to see devolution as a way of preserving the Union with Great Britain 1921 Devolved Government formed in Belfast last days of British rule in the south before Anglo-Irish Treaty leads to IRA ceasefire 1922 Irish Free State formed; civil war begins 1

2 Devolution in rthern Ireland Devolved Parliament & Government (later based at and known as Stormont) to deal with transferred matters; London retained reserved and excepted matters. Stormont (opened 1932) Home of the NI Parliament & Government Civil war ends in the South with victory for pro-treaty forces 1937 Irish Free State renames itself Eire Eire neutral; NI at war as part of UK 1949 Eire finally leaves the Commonwealth/ Republic of Ireland formed James Craig & Eamonn de Valera ( ) 1940) ( ) 1975) 1945 Labour Government at Westminster establishes a Welfare State; Unionist Government in Stormont reluctantly follows Operation Harvest (the IRA s Border campaign ) withers away but the 1960s witness increasing sectarian tensions inside NI over civil rights and Catholics experience of discrimination in public housing & employment 1969 UK Government introduces the Army to NI to aid the civil power amid mounting unrest 1971 Stormont introduces internment; sharp escalation in civil unrest and terrorist violence 1972 Stormont abolished. Direct rule starts From Civil Rights to Civil War? Life goes on in Ulster. Bloody Sunday & Bloody Friday (30 January and 21 July 1972) 2

3 Brian Faulkner and the NI Government resign, Direct Rule imposed William Whitelaw becomes 1 st Secretary of State for NI, March 1972 Direct Rule in rthern Ireland 1972 Worst single year of the Troubles Direct Rule established as a temporary measure pending restoration of some form of devolved settlement that commands cross-community consent and agreement Sunningdale Agreement for power-sharing in NI and a Council of Ireland collapses amid Unionist/Loyalist opposition 1975 Constitutional Convention Rolling Devolution and new Assembly (boycotted by Nationalists, wound up 1986) The Sunningdale Power-sharing Executive, Dec.1973-May Anglo-Irish Agreement 1993 UK has no selfish, strategic interest in NI 1993 Downing Street Declaration by UK & RoI st IRA Ceasefire nd IRA Ceasefire 1998 Good Friday Agreement & Referendum 1998 Assembly Election 1999 Devolved assembly begins rthern Ireland Referendum on Belfast 'Good Friday' Agreement, 22 May % 71.12% % rthern Ireland Referendum on the Belfast Agreement - Breakdown by Religion Catholic Protestant Overall Religion 3

4 Republic of Ireland Referendum on Belfast 'Good Friday' Agreement, 22 May 1998 NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY ELECTION 1998: SEATS BY PARTY 94.39% 5.61% UUP PUP DUP UKUP IND U SDLP SF AP WC NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2003: SEATS BY PARTY UUP DUP ALLIANCE OTHERS SDLP SF Devolution-plus in rthern Ireland Good Friday Agreement based on the consent principle and on giving effect to three strands Internal devolution based on power-sharing Assembly with a 12 member Executive Cross-border dimension - all-ireland intergovernmental rth-south ministerial council (12 areas of cooperation and mutual interest) British Isles dimension - British-Irish Council linking all sovereign & devolved bodies across archipelago; British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference between the UK and Irish Govts Confidence building measures: reform of the police and criminal justice system; decommissioning of terrorist arsenals; Human Rights and Equality Commission; release of convicted terrorist prisoners rthern Ireland Assembly Unicameral assembly but not sovereign (Westminster can over-rule) Quadrennial elections MLAs elected by Single Transferable Vote form of PR MLAs designate themselves as Unionist, Nationalist or Other - consociationalist Primary legislation on transferred matters fiscal powers to levy taxation although power over the Regional rate (property tax) Discretion over devolved NI public spending Key decisions by weighted majority (60% of those present and voting; at least 40% of both nationalist and Unionist delegations) rthern Ireland Executive Diarchy of First and Deputy First Minister one from each main community 10 Ministers, drawn by the d Hondt form of PR from the Assembly a Grand Coalition? Continued failure to secure decommissioning of terrorist weapons, and paramilitary activities led to Unionist refusal to share power with Sinn Fein Republicans claimed Unionists don t want to share power with them; & UK Govt deceitful Assembly suspended 4 times with Direct Rule re-imposed during the suspensions 4

5 2003 New election finally held but result ensures that suspension remains Internal NI institutions and cross-border bodies supposed to be mutually interdependent Despite suspension of the Assembly and Executive, rth-south bodies continue to work Under devolution, unlike Scotland or Wales, little evidence emerged of major policy divergences from UK government partly due to small policy capacity, regular suspensions & mistrust both between the parties and of the NI Civil Service which was so powerful under Direct Rule Alternatives? United Ireland little prospect in the short-medium term and, what would it mean anyway? Full integration into the UK difficult in a UK with growing internal devolution Independence for rthern Ireland - unviable Repartition of the island of Ireland - unviable Joint UK/Irish authority/sovereignty - possible European authority or UN protectorate v.unlikely Continued Direct Rule from London most likely Internal subsidiarity empowering local government Demographic change will the minority one day out number the majority? Even so, this does not imply an automatic support for an all-ireland state. Conclusions Ireland (& later rthern Ireland) has long had a chequered relationship with England (& the UK) Partition was a solution of sorts for almost 50 years, Ireland ceased to be a major issue in British politics NI was hermetically sealed off Discrimination & inter-communal violence/terror forced the UK Govt to intervene to seek a new dispensation to satisfy both communities 1998 Belfast Agreement offered a way forward at last but has stalled indefinitely but at least the worst excesses of terrorism have eased somewhat. 5