Topic Three - Northern Ireland 1965-1985 [17] Flashcards
How effective were British governments in dealing with the political situation in Northern Ireland between August 1969 and March 1972?
During this period 1969-72 there were two separate British governments in office who were presented with the difficulties in dealing with Northern Ireland. In the period 1969 to 1970 a Labour government was led by Harold Wilson and after 1970 a Conservative government led by Edward Heath. Both these governments were faced with a situation of mounting civil and political unrest from the late 1960s which forced the British governments to intervene at various junctures.
Tensions had been rising in the late 1960s with the campaign for Civil Rights and the Unionist reaction from various quarters which ranged from resistance to outright opposition. These tensions spilled onto the streets in August 12th-15th 1969 with the Civil Rights march in Derry which ended in violence and precipitated what became known as the Battle of the Bogside.
This was a period of intense rioting and disorder which began in Derry but spread across the six counties. The British government observed from London and felt they had to intervene. On the night of August 14th British troops were deployed from England into Northern Ireland and arrived on August 15th. This was the first deployment of British troops in Ireland since 1922.
The reasons for deployment were simple, it was first and foremost to protect the Nationalist community who were under sustained attack from Loyalist mobs, then it was also to offer respite and rest to the beleaguered RUC and B-Specials who had been spread thin by the violent upsurge and finally to afford the politicians of Northern Irleland an opportunity for a break to come to some sort of internal solution to their difficulties.
The troops were welcomed in Nationalist areas by residents who greeted them with cups of tea and so it seemed the situation had been calmed by their presence.
Four days after the commencement of Operation Motorman the British government introduced the Downing Street Declaration on August 19th 1969 which set out a series of reforms to be implemented in Northern Ireland. This declaration guaranteed the Unionists their place within the UK and Nationalists that they would be treated equally before the law.
It appeared that the British government’s interventions were positive and working.
However, the Unionist government at Stormont were slow to implement the changes recommended by the Downing Street Declaration and soon the troops were placed under the control of the Stormont government and this changed everything.
The British troops were deployed by the Unionist government in riot control situations and as a result were placed alongside the RUC and B-Specials. They were now less see as the protectors of the Nationalist population and more a tool of the Stormont regime.
At this time the Provisional IRA was emerging and the Stormont government ordered arms searches and the British army were deployed in this guise also.
The most famous of these was on the Falls Road in July 1970 when a curfew was enforced on the Lower Falls. This incident did much to alienate the British Army and the Nationalist population.
In 1971 the Unionist Government introduced internment without trial under the SPA of 1922 and again only Nationalists were targeted in this operation.
In protest at internment the NICRA organised a march in Derry on January 30th 1972. The march ended in violence but this time the British army fired live ammunition into the crowds killing 13 innocent civilians with another dying later in hospital from injuries sustained.
The tide against the British army had turned completely and the PIRA benefitted from a wave of recruits as a result of these policies and incidents.
While the British government were not directly responsible for these events ultimately they were in charge and so felt compelled to intervene. It was perhaps their failure to intervene after the Falls Road Curfew or internment that allowed the situation to escalate out of control.
The British government summoned the Northern Ireland government to London to discuss these matters. As a result of the hunt commission the RUC were disarmed and the B-Specials were to be disbanded. The British government took responsibility for policing and justice in Northern Ireland but it was perhaps too little, too late.
These measures were designed to reassure Nationalists and to admonish the Unionist Government for their mismanagement of the situation. The Unionists present demanded the re-armament of the RUC and the devolution of policing and justice powers.
At this point the British government made their decision to take power away from the Stormont government prorogue the Stormont parliament and impose Direct Rule from Westminster. The various interventions of the British government were intended to ease the situation in Northern Ireland. The initial introduction of troops was a short-term measure which appeared to work. However, the handing over to the Unionists government of control proved to be an unsuccessful policy and the failure to intervene between 1969 and 1972 was also a failure on their part. Finally, the introduction of Direct Rule, again meant to be a temporary measure did not serve to resolve the problems of Northern Ireland. So, in conclusion, it is fair to say that the British government’s policies were short-term effective in the period but in the longer term they were not.
‘O’Neill’s policies and actions improved life in Northern Ireland in the 1960s’ Do you agree? Explain your answer.
Terence O’Neill became the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and Prime Minister of Northern Ireland in 1963 after the retirement of Lord Brookeborough from the position. O’Neill would become a very different prime minister to the traditionalist Brookeborough. O’Neills programme was three fold, first he was determined to improve NI’s economy which he saw as the root of all its problems, secondly he wanted to improve relations within NI and thirdly to improve relations with Northern Ireland’s nearest neighbour the Republic of Ireland.
To improve the economy O’Neill set aside £900 million sterling to be invested in economic improvement. He established the Ministry for Development in 1965 which would oversee major projects like the building of the new motorway system between Belfast and Dungannon. A new international airport was also built at RAF Aldegrove. This project was controversial as it didn’t serve the west of Northern Ireland which was underdeveloped and overwhelmingly Catholic and Nationalist.
O’Neill planned the building of a new city between Lurgan and Portadown to be called Craigavon and the construction of a new university at Coleraine. These decisions again caused controversy with Nationalists as it appeared the investment was disproportionately concentrated in areas which were populated by Protestants and Unionists. The university decision was especially controversial as Derry city appeared a more obvious choice.
Some Nationalists believed it was deliberate to disadvantage them.
The prime minister also tried to attract new investment into NI as the traditional industries of shipbuilding and textiles were in decline. Generous grants and tax incentives were offered and some major international companies like Grundig, Michelin, Goodyear and ICI did set up in Northern Ireland creating 35,000 jobs. O’Neill also established five economic development zones west of the river Bann to try to encourage enterprise there.
Terence O’Neill was aware they internal relations between Nationalists and Unionists would have to be improved and so he set about reaching out to the Catholic community in a number of ways. He increased the government funding to Catholic run schools and hospitals and went on visits to Catholic secondary schools notably Assumption Grammar in Ballynahinch and St. Colman’s college in Newry.
O’Neill also extended his sympathies and condolences to Cardinal Conway in 1963 on the death of Pope John XXIII to illustrate he was the Prime Minister for all in Northern Ireland. This was met with some opposition within his own party. He also travelled to Armagh to meet Conway the Catholic Primate of All-Ireland which again was a gesture to the Catholics in Northern Ireland.
After a series of sectarian murders O’Neill’s government banned the UVF as an illegal organisation. On November 22nd 1968 O’Neill introduced a reform package which became known as the Five Point Programme which included the abolition of the Londonderry Corporation, the appointment of an Ombudsman and the revision of the Special Powers Act of 1922. Again like most things in Northern Ireland it fell short of Nationalists’ demands and went too far for some Unionists so O’Neill was caught in the middle.
Finally, he wanted to improve relations with the Republic of Ireland. O’Neill famously stated that both the Republic and Northern Ireland, ‘Shared many of the same rivers and mountains and many of the the same problems’. He began the process of reconciliation by inviting the Taoiseach Sean Lemass to Belfast in 1965 and returned the compliment by visiting Dublin four weeks later. This would be the first meeting of its kind and continued with Lemass’ successor Jack Lynch. He had not consulted his cabinet colleagues about the invitation and it caused some problems for him.
O’Neill made arrangements for North-South co-operation on tourism and electricity supply which he saw would be mutually beneficial and permitted trade unions from the Republic to establish offices in the North.
Altogether Terence O’Neill’s plans we progressive and visionary seeking to improve the economy and improve relations but too many within his own party were against his moves and were not ready for them while at the same time others had become too impatient and demanded more than he could deliver. While he created new jobs unemployment remained high. Ultimately, O’Neill’s plans did not get enough support and time to be allowed to work and events overtook him and he was forced to resign in April 1969 being replaced by his cousin James Chichester-Clarke.
‘The Civil Rights Movement failed to achieve their objectives in the 1960s’ Do you agree? Explain your answer.
At the end of the 1960s pressure was mounting on the Northern Ireland government under Terence O’Neill to give into the demands for reform which were coming from a newly educated Catholic middle class. Those demanding change were influence by the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States and by protest movements across Europe demanding change and reform. In January 1967 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was formed under the leadership of John Hume and Ivan Cooper and in Belfast the more radical People’s Democracy was formed in Queen’s University.
The NICRA made public their ambitions for all and set out their seven demands clearly. They wanted to end/implement:
Gerrymandering Fair Allocation of local government jobs Fair allocation of local government housing Plural Voting Repeal SPA Disband B-Special police Ombudsman
People’s Democracy = The same demands except Free Speech has been added to their aims.
The two organisations also had similar methods to achieve their aims. The NICRA organised large scale marches and demonstrations to highlight their cause and these were witnessed in Dungannon in August 1968, in Derry in October 1968 and in Derry again in August 15th 1969.
The People’s Democracy also organised a major march between January 1st and 4th between Belfast and Derry to draw attention to their demands. There were also sit-ins and squats and the use of media and the court system to bring attention to their cause. One principle they held in common was that of non-violence but this did not prevent violence from resulting.
The Unionist government were reluctant to give into the demands of the Civil Rights Campaigners and some in the Unionist party saw them as a cover for the old Republican movements of the past and a front for gaining Catholic rights not Civil Rights. However, after repeated violence and the threat of more violence Captain Terence O’Neill ordered that reforms be introduced in November 1968.
Prime Minister O’Neill introduced his Five Point Programme of reform on November 22nd 1968. These reforms included the introduction of an Ombudsman’s office which would investigate complaints formally. This represented a victory for the Civil Rights Activists. It also promised a review of the Special Powers Act which was not what the NICRA had demanded. O’Neills reforms also offered an end to Gerrymandering and the end to multiple voting in local government elections which had been key demands of the Civil Rights Movement.
Finally, the Programmes abolished the Londonderry Corporation which was seen as typifying the discrimination and inequality in the NI system and it was to be replaced by a Development Commission.
So, it would appear that many of the demands made by the Civil Rights Campaigners were met. Crucially, however, there were some areas that were not addressed such as the hated B-Specials and the right to free speech.
Therefore, it would be fair to state that NICRA did achieve some of its aims set out in 1967 and likewise so did the People’s Democracy but time had moved on and both were left unsatisfied by that which was promised by the O’Neill government.
