From Sunningdale to St Andrews
I first visited Northern Ireland in August 1969, the week after troops were deployed on the streets of Belast and Londonderry to stop what we would now call a version of ethnic cleansing. I could not believe that such an occurrence was taking place in the UK and wanted to see for myself what was the Troubles was all about..
A little later, I spent two years (1972-1974) working in the House of Commons for the Opposition spokesman on Northern Ireland Merlyn Rees. After the return of a Labour Government, I spent another two years (1974-1976) working with him in Whitehall in his capacity as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
So I remember well the Sunningdale agreement of December 1973, concluded at the Civil Service College (now the National School of Government), that led to the first power-sharing government in Northern Ireland and I remember equally clearly the effective overthrow of that government by the Ulster Workers’ Council strike of May 1974.
More than three decades later, this week has seen the St Andrews agreement between representatives of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein. This might mean that Northern Ireland will at long last have a devolved government again by the end of March 2007.
Between 1969 and 2001, 3,523 people were killed as a result of the Troubles. Meanwhile we have created devolved government for Scotland and Wales. We have seen the end of the Cold War and the arrival of democratic governments throughout central and eastern Europe. We have seen the overthrow, largely peaceful, of the apartheid regime in South Africa and the emergence of democratic government there. We have seen the end of armed conflicts and the institution of representative government all the way from Nicaragua to Rwanda.
What did the Provisional IRA really achieve by its campaign of terror, what took the politicians of Northern Ireland so long, and why did so many have to die and be maimed?
October 24th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Did you ever find out what ‘the troubles’ were about?
Apart from Power.
October 24th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
Now that’s a HUGE question, Mavis. But, in part at least, the troubles were about identity – see these general notes.
October 25th, 2006 at 5:27 pm
Read the notes and they were quite illuminating.
I have trouble identfying me whenever someone asks. I tend to answer by saying “Human being who happened to be born in the North of the UK”. I have had some funny looks, decent or awkward conversations and sometimes made good acquaintances with that response.