10 Anglo-Irish Agreement Flashcards
Why did the nationalists switching support from SDLP to Sinn Fein worry the British and Irish governments ?
- Sinn Fein wanted a United ireland
- They were linked to PIRA violence
Following the PIRA attack which took place in October 1984, what began soon afterwards ?
Faced with violence and growing support for SF, the British and Irish governments decided to work more closely together
On what date was the Anglo-Irish Agreement signed?
15th November 1985
Name the two prime ministers who signed the agreement
Margaret Thatcher and Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald
Give three reasons which suggest why the agreement was signed :
- Constitutional nationalists and the British government were afraid that Sinn Fein might overtake the SDLP and become the principal nationalist party in NI
- Thatcher’s main reason for signing the agreement was security. The IRA’s attempt to kill her at the 1984 Conservative Party Conference in Brighton made her realise that unless she dealt with nationalist alienation in NI she would not be able to improve security
- Fitzgerald hoped that reduced nationalist alienation and reform of the security forces in Northern Ireland would undermine the minority’s toleration of the IRA
List the three main points to the Agreement:
- the establishment of an intergovernmental conference, dealing with issues such as security, legal matters, political questions and improving cross-border co-operation
- a permanent secretariat made up of northern and southern civil servants to provide administrative support to the conference
- devolution would only occur if there was agreement on the sharing of power
Why did unionists reject the agreement ?
- They felt that they had been abandoned by their own government and believed that they were now in a process that would eventually result in a United ireland.
- They had been kept in the dark during negotiations while it looked like the SDLP had been at least consulted
Why did the SDLP back the agreement
- The SDLP had been given more of a role in the creation of the agreement than any other party in NI.
- Therefore they viewed the accord as an opportunity to create a better way of life for all those living in the province
Why did Sinn Fein reject the agreement
- Rather than bringing a United ireland closer, it actually made the division of Ireland more permanent, since in the Agreement the Irish government was recognising the existence of NI and accepting that a United ireland was a long-term aim that would only happen with the consent of a majority in NI
List 4 Unionist tactics used to show their opposition to the agreement
- marches to the HQs of the new Anglo-Irish Secretariat
- a huge protest rally was held at Belfast’s city hall on 23rd November 1985, attended by an estimated 100,000 people. The crowd was addressed by the OUP leader, James Molyneaux and DUP leader Rev. Ian Paisley
- All 15 unionist MPs resigned their seats at Westminster on 17th December but then stood for the, again in the resulting by-elections. The aim was to show the strength of unionist opposition through the total number of votes the candidates received
- the laundering of a campaign of civil disobedience with measures including the shunning of British ministers, the refusal to set rates in unionist council areas and a boycott of Westminster
What impact did Unionist tactics have on community relations in N Ireland
Loyalist paramilitaries engaged in a campaign of violence and intimidation against the RUC, who were seen as essential to the success of the agreement
Results of the protest campaigns (2)
- these tactics failed to have any impact on the British government’s determination to stick by the agreement
- By September 1987 when the unionist leaders agreed to talk to British ministers again, it was clear that the campaign to destroy the agreement had failed
