In this chapter you will learn about: • Political and security developments during the period 1974–1984 • The economic consequences of the Troubles • The hunger strikes and developments in Sinn Féin • The New Ireland Forum • Anglo-Irish relations under Margaret Thatcher
By the end of this chapter you will be able to: • Discuss the impact the Troubles had on economic and political life • Chart the IRA campaign of violence and the political development of Sinn Féin
• Understand the development of Anglo-Irish relations and how they became strained because of the hunger strikes
• Appreciate the political efforts made to find a solution to the Troubles, including the New Ireland Forum
Direct Rule Remains
Following the collapse of the power-sharing executive and the Northern Ireland assembly in May 1974, the British Labour government restored direct rule through the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), headed by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Merlyn Rees. Despite the collapse of the assembly and executive, Wilson’s government continued the search for a political solution.
Uniting Northern Ireland’s different political groups behind one political model for the future governance of the State seemed an impossible task. Most unionists and loyalists wanted to see a return to the old Unionist-dominated Stormont parliament, without any power-sharing. The nationalist SDLP wanted power-sharing and an all-Ireland dimension. Republican and loyalist extremists threatened violent action, whichever political solution was proposed.
POLITICS AND SOCIETY IN NORTHERN IRELAND, 1949–1993
