Direct Rule Flashcards
What did direct rule mean?
Stormont would no longer meet and NI would be ruled directly from London by the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
How did unionists react to direct rule?
Horrified as they saw the Stormont Government as their best protection against a unites Ireland.
There was a series of strikes by the Ulster workers council in protest at the suspension of stormont.
How did nationalists react to direct rule.
The SDLP and Dublin Govt welcomed the the chance to a new beginning.
IRA welcomed the end of Stormont but was opposed to direct rule. It said it would continue until a United ireland had been achieved.
What were the terms of the sunningdale agreement?
London would not oppose reunification if a majority in NI desired it.
Dublin accepted reunification could only ever be achieved peacefully with the consent of the majority of the people of north.
A council of ministers was established with 14 members to help the development of cooperation between north and south.
A 60 member committee would e elected by the Dáil (Irish Parliament) & NI assembly at a later date.
Control over international security would be returned to stormont at a later date.
What were some problems with the sunningdale agreement?
The views of anti power sharing unionists were not represented.
The SDLP saw the agreement as a stepping stone towards an eventual United Ireland.
Faulkner only saw it as a way of getting the republic to accept NIs position within the UK. He saw it as only an advisory body.
Republicans saw the agreement as offering too little = partition still existed.
What was the UWC strike?
Since nothing else seemed to be working, the ulster workers council organised a strike to protest their disapproval to direct rule.
It lasted from 14th may 1974 to 29th may.
Most of NI was shut down. Road blocks were erected and most industries were shut as electricity and petrol supplies were controlled by the strikers.
How did the British government react to the UWC strike?
They refused to negotiate with the strikers. The new PM, Harold Wilson, described the strikers as “people who spend their lives sponging on westminister and British democracy.” On TV.
This enraged the strikers further, and made them more determined to continue.
How did people in Northern Ireland oppose power sharing?
Anti power sharing unionists (UUUC) contested the first assembly elections and secured the majority of unionist votes and won 11 of the 12 seats.
Loyalist bombs exploded in Dublin and Moneghan.
The IRA were not satisfied with power sharing and set off a series of bombs in London in December 1973.
How did Brian Faulkner, the SDLP and alliance party support power sharing?
Some unionist such as Brian Faulker and his supporters supported power sharing and took part in the executive.
Faulkner believed power sharing offered a chance to get rid of direct rule.
Faulkner believed the council of Ireland was merely an advisory body to help improve economic relations in Ireland.
Faulkner saw power sharing as a tool which he had used to get the Republic of Ireland to accept the position of NI in the United Kingdom.
The SDLP took part in the executive.
They saw it as a chance to build links with the Republic of Ireland and give it more of a role in Northern Ireland affairs.
The alliance party took part in the executive. They believed it was a chance for peace and progress.
