Lecture 9 PDF

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Lectures covering the last 200 years of Irish history and the influence of the British....

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Key debates in the historiography eg in civil rights, how much discrimination was there, what role did Britain play [eg cartoons – public understandings of the public / troops / Cameron??] > what conclusion is reached and what question being answered At least 3 primary sources – use handbooks and maybe optional difference one [include in appendix] Referencing historiography – seminar and extra readings The king website Irish newspapers online

Northern Ireland between war and peace – civil rights movement 1975 – 1998

14 deaths of Irish as British opened fire British embassy burnt down after bloody Sunday Many walk outs and strikes as a reaction Low point / controversial still now – destroyed Britain’s international reputation Government resign in march 1972 as they cannot control NI

Reaction to direct rule: Protestant = suspension of government was a massive betrayal by Britain – Belfast’s Ormeau park between 50-90000 people protesting

‘exterminate the enemy’ = massive increase of violence in NI Catholic: harder to define, imagine Britain having more control would be a problem but the SDLP it was privately celebrated as they had more influence at the top

British policy: 1st Secretary of state for Ireland – William Whitelaw Heath as PM Plan to push out the extreme – silent majority of the moderate centre

SDLP claimed they wouldn’t cooperate without the releasing of all internees – they were dependent on britain though and by announcing this they regretted

British needed to move SDLP where they would be less susceptible to public pressures and could negotiate Try to isolate extremist and consolidate centre Offers secret talks to provisional IRA in 1972 – ira take them up on this, this meant the SDLP would have to abandon their ^previous announcement = they ultimately fail, but highlights different between public and private talks By 1973 – only way to resolve issue in NI is local negotiations between political parties = idea of power shar between unionist and nationalists, representation of votes power-sharing = more issues for unionist party, first time SDLP have been in the polls. Support visualised for the first time. Do they have mandate from catholic community?

Sunningdale elections / talks 28% of vote SLDP = Power-sharing yes but needed an Irish dimension. Problems of Northern Ireland cannot be solved within NI internally = needed a council for talks and coming together tot speak of common interests etc = this idea of a council of Ireland scared unionist as they saw it as the first step of unite Ireland = union party splits based on this

The council of Ireland had no power to make decisions – for unionist it was used as a scare tactic

Catholic and protestant community = december 1973 agreement = key problems : council of Ireland, policing (SDLP couldn’t agree to support to initially the police, they proposed the OCU had to be reformed which unionists didn’t like = it was looked over and would come back to it) , unionist demand remove articles 2 and 3 from government (Irish government said to change constitution there needs to be a referendum – they wouldn’t get the public to vote on it which undermine the sunnidale agreements – unionists didn’t like this but there seems to be assumption that north and south) Sunnidale attacked very quickly = Mainly by unionist , split over articles 2 and 3 Union of the discontented

1974 = Britain calls general election – due to pressure from miners -

12 west minister seats in NI . Those who opposed sunningdale teamed with them = mandate on whether power-share should have Anti sunningdale supporters won 11/12 of those seats in Ireland

May 1974 – ulster workers council general strike -

Loyalist groups joined together. Saw it as a strip away of their right s Band together Essentially a fascist movement – nothing related to workers rights – dismisses the socialist rhetoric in their manifestos Not necessarily opposed to power share but opposed the council of Ireland Intimiatuion used to make people strike? Loyalists were employed in the majority of work like water and electricity = brings NI to a standstill By the end of the month, sunnydale idea rejected/failed

Britans first attempt to solve NI problem

1974 = labour government in uk  Hard for labour to oppose a workers strike

After failure of sunningdale: Doomsday scenario – that britain would withdraw from Ireland = ireland as independent or united / divided Thoughts of making an independent ulster form Britain – would have to redraw boundaries though Thoughts of intergrading NI into UK [but they had more powers than Scotland and wales] ^^^^^ these first three would lead to a civil war, particularly the first one. ^^^^^The conflict of Ireland was a civil war in some rights but this would have been a lot more bloodshed = irresponsible for UK to move forward with it Or continue with direct rule until a solution shows itself

IRA 1974 – bombed in Guilford and Birmingham = 10 people arrested but none of them were in the IRA they were innocent, forced confessions to try them, in jail for 15 years, miscarriage of justice. Another nail in the coffin for the anglo-irish relations – britain unlawfully trying to make Ireland look bad/dampen spirits

They decide to continue with status quo / direct rule : Must normalise a region = make it more like britian, removing elements of conflict: ULSTERISATION: more power in the NI for law and order, power back to OCU[?] But this had to be paired with CRIMINALISATION

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Any member of a paramilitary group who was arrested should be seen as a politic prisoner so should expect different rights in prision [better rights?] in 1972 this was agreed But by 1976 they decided to criminalise the paramilitary groups (which have been massively romanticised) = they would be treated like any other criminal .. Kieran Nugent was the first political prisoner – wore a blanket but not the uniform

= THE PRISON CRISIS 1976-81 Those ‘went on the blanket’ Blankets became problematic in winter – in 1978 heightened – the dirty protest  Protest within prison  Refused to comply with prison regime = very strong beliefs to do and maintain this campaign  Also happening in the women’s prison

5 DEMANDS: Right to own clothes Refrain prison work To associate with each other freely Organise recreation and have one letter/visit a week Have remission (time off?) that had been lost BRITIAN REJECTED. Started under labour government, 1979 another UK general election = thatcher as PM.

Thatcher = devastating for Ireland Her friend killed in car bombing by IRA. Would have been irish sec of state. In 1979 there is also killing of lord mike Backem (august 1979) and 18 British soldiers ambushed killed in Ireland = sad day for British in Ireland.  Thatcher feels that IRA needs to be removed.  “don’t expect anything decent to come from an irish man”  “there will be no political status” Privately , after 4 men died in hunger strike, she initiated deals with IRA – deal is ultimately rejected but there are negations despite her public claims there would be no discussions

10 men died in 1981 from hunger strike: CONSEQUENCES: Sinn fien use this in their history – turning point:

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Bobby sands, first hunger striker, hes made a canidate for sinn fein in a west minister election. The only nationalist canidate in the area – he wins by a land slide = sinn fein can use this to their advantage = more directly involved in politics Ballard box and armalite strategy – political and military campaign Gerry adams SDLP look seat for west Belfast Sinn fein still maintain this seat They become the biggest politic party in NI

Human cost 10 Deaths Hunger strikes on the street Conservative parliament targeted = ira Brighton bomb in 16th October 1984 = 5 died

Anglo irish relations Concerns about sinn fein as it was an all Ireland party Boosting republicanism in NI Closer connections to London wanted to curb sinn fien Wanted to strengthen constitutional nationalism

16 days after last hunger striker dies = the 5 demands are accepted Needless deaths? Sense of panic

1983-5 = solution between irish and British government 1985 = anglo irish agreements = on the face there is no major political changes but ts very important as a starting point -

For unionists, could see britain would act over their heads. Hatred of thatcher, feel of betrayal with anglo-irish agreement. Irish government to have an equal say on NI Thatcher united Ireland but it was because of a mutual hate

Similar to betrayal of 1912 betrayal – lot of comparisons made Strikes called.. unionist parties unite but britain doesn’t respond. They don’t care about local party wants as the agreement is already in place. the protests weren’t as actually big as 1974 = no difference seemed to be made – try and come to terms with new reality?? Complete reappraisal of whats happening in the unionist – cant just say no they have to create a different response.

SLDP in support of anglo irish government as they had the biggest role in the irish council/government – they had a backdoor into negotiations that other parties didn’t have SLDP had to have a reappraisal of the long war strategy

1987 = Enniskillen IRA planted bomb, goes off too early and kills families. Beyond content for everyone in northern Ireland, it was on remembrance Sunday . it was not legitimate. Claimed to target military despite it being a family event.

1987 – attack OCU barricks in Lockall[?] but British government infiltrated IRA and have this info = British put SSA = kill 9 IRA members? ?? not sure if this is right

They were getting weapons from Lybia and their weapons were seized in 1989.

What is the new strategy after this ^? Word gets back to British government of this change Gerry adams Britian open backchannel talks with sinn fein and ira in early 1990s = comes to public light much quicker Unionists find this problematic that they spoke to these

Sinn fien ad SDLP plans to get together. Discussions on future of nationalism in NI . how can they both find a solution? Including rather than marginalising sinn fein – if they’re apart of it they cant attack it

International dimension: Role of US: Clinton – allows Gerry adams a visa to US when he was previously not allowed = allowed him to fundraise for sinn fein and ira from America. Through an organisation called nord [...