How did Heath's Government respond to the troubles?

Question 1

What happened in NI?

Answer 1

• There was an outbreak of sectarian violence, the political situation in Belfast was close to breakdown and the British Army was caught in the middle, struggling to control the violence on both sides.
• As the violence spiraled, extreme nationalists and unionists set up paramilitary organisations to defend ‘their people’ and to attack opponents.
• The biggest nationalist organisation was the IRA, which split in 1970 into the ‘official’ and ‘Provisional’ IRA.
  -The INLA (Irish Nationalist Liberation Army) formed out of the ‘official’ IRA in 1974.
• On the loyalist side, the UDA (Ulster Defense Association) and the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) were formed
• Bloody Sunday Jan 1972 - NICRA organised a march against internment
• Increase in violence after Bloody Sunday.

Question 2

What did the government do to solve the problems?

Answer 2

• Heath’s Government tried to find a political solution to the growing problems.
• Since 1912, Ulster Unionists had always been part of the Conservative and Unionist Party and had tended to support them
• At first, Heath backed Brian Faulkner, the UUP leader who led the Stormont government.
• Heath supported a policy of night-time curfews and supported the introduction in 1971. This policy allowed the arrest of troublemakers and holding them without trail - the aim of the policy was to remove violent men from their communities and so reduce sectarian tension
• Attempted to control the marches

Question 3

Why did the government fail to respond to the troubles?

Answer 3

• Internment was a disaster: it alienated the nationalist community - 95% of those interned between 1971 and 1975 were Catholic
• Strained relations between Irish government in Dublin and British government in London.
• Broke down cross-party understanding in the House of Commons over Northern Ireland, since many Labour mps opposed internment and called for British troops to be withdrawn.
• These measures helped the British army to be seen as the enemy of Catholics in NI. Anti-British Army feeling intensified yet further following ‘Bloody Sunday’.
• Further strained relations between Britain and SI