Changing Republican Strategy Flashcards
What was ulsterisation and its problems?
This was where the British army had decreased in NI and the RUC increased with the UDR being created. The problem was that the RUC still hadn’t been reformed so there was still no nationalist trust.
What was criminalisation and its problems?
This was where the special category status was removed and all prisoners were to be treated as criminals. Problem with this is that it caused outrage.
What was the blanket protest of 1976 and the dirty protest of 1978?
Prisoners initial reaction was to wear blankets as clothes which then lead to the dirty protest when prisoners started to smear excrement on the wall of their cells
What were the two hunger strikes of 1980 and 1981?
The first one was organised by IRA members and the second was led by Bobby Sands and he was joined by a new hunger striker every week
What did Sands believe the strikes would do?
He believed that the strike would lead to a prisoner dying each week therefore increasing the pressure on the British government to end criminalisation.
What happened while Sands was on strike?
He was put forward to be MP and won for Fermanagh-South Tyrone. Even though he was an MP the British government remained to not give the prisoners what they were demanding.
What happened when Sands died?
Nine other prisoners lost their lives and through this period 61 people died because of the violence that broke out following each hunger striker’s death and throughout this time no concessions were granted.
What happened after the strike?
It ended on Oct 1981 and the British government granted some concessions like: prisoners allowed to wear own clothes, greater number of prison visits and greater degree of association among prisoners
Consequences of the strike?
Increased nationalist alienation
Growth in support for Sinn Fein
Unionists worried about growing support for IRA
Sinn Fein adopted both militant and constitutional tactics in “the ballot box and the armalite
What was rolling devolution?
This was proposed by Jame Prior in 1982 and proposed an elected assembly which would be given decision making powers in there was cross-community support in NI for it. It failed and was wound up in 1986
How did republicans use more political methods to achieve their objectives?
Elections for a new assembly in oct 1982
The 1983 general election where Gerry Adam’s beat Gerry Fitt
Local government elections in 1985
What was Dublins New Ireland Forum?
For all of Ireland’s constitutional parties to meet and work out a solution to the violence in NI. It was hoped that violence would die out and support for Sinn Fein would fade away. It was weakened by refusal of unionist parties to attend and lost republican support by not inviting Sinn Fein
What solutions did the New Ireland Forum suggest?
A united ireland, achieved by agreement.
A federal solution with a Belfast parliament within a united ireland.
London and Dublin having joint authority order NI.
