Significance of Sunningdale plan

 

What was the significance of the Sunningdale Agreement 1973

Intro: After fall of Stormont and direct Rule British government faced 2 challenges, end violence and restore Stormont government. SUNNINGDALE AGREEMENT was key to this and although it failed its elements of powersharing, irish dimension and consent were central to all future efforts to restore the NI assembly.

P1. Whitelaw, restore law and order. IRA bloody Friday. Operation Motorman end no go areas of nationalists and loyalists. Irish and British govs onboard.

P2. Round table talks. SDLP separate talks with UK and Irish govs, irish dimension recognized. Border poll to reassure unionists.

P3. Whitelaws proposals. Details. PR, assembly, power sharing. Council of Ireland.

P4. Reactions to proposals and election results June 1973, unionist divisions.

P5. significant agreement was to be made in November 1973 when details:  Faulkner Unionists, the Alliance party and the SDLP agreed to form a power -sharing executive. 6 unionists, 4 SDLP and 1 alliance member made up the new executive with Brian Faulkner as the leader and Gerry Fitt as his deputy. Talks began at Sunningdale in England with the British PM Edward Heath and Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave in attendence, an historic first. On 9th December the Sunningdale Agreement was signed. Its significance now unity could now only be achieved by consent. The Irish Government fully accepted that there could be no change in the status of NI until a majority of people of NI desired a change

P6 Council of Ireland, contributed to failure, significant, could learn from this. Conor cruise o’Brien. Faulkner Necessary nonsense.

P7 1^st January 1974 the new power-sharing gov began to function. UUC vote against it by 80 votes, Faulkner resigns from party but remains on as head of assembly. general election on 28 February 1974 UUUC win 11 of 12 westminister seats, “Dublin just a Sunningdale away” mistake to go ahead without majority of unionists.

P8: 1974 election Heath’s Conservative Gov lost power and was replaced by the Labour party with Merlyn Rees as Secretary of State. This led to instability at a very delicate time in proceedings. Unionist leaders did not believe this and so entered talks with the UVF and UDA. Rees failed to foresee this and address paramilitary involvement.

P9 Strike, Ulster Workers Council was formed. Strike began on the 14thMay 1974 when loyalist workers took control of electricity and oil supplies. Intimidation used, roadblocks used. Paramilitaries. Members of the executive and many nationalists Quote one, blamed Rees and the British authorities for failing to use the army/police to take action against the strikers before it was too late. Dublin Monaghan bombings, explain significance. Violence in the south due to Irish gov involvement.

P10 Harold Wilson’s Gov failed to take decisive action. Wilson’s ‘spongers’ speech. Brian Faulkner and his ministers resigned. This ended the power-sharing agreement and was replaced by Direct rule from London. Nationalists were outraged at the decision while Loyalists rejoiced. Nationalists were shocked at the failure of the British Gov to confront the strikers and looked on with disbelief at the weak response of Merlyn Rees.

Conclusion: Although the Sunningdale Agreement ultimately ended in failure it was a significant event to bring both communities of NI together. For the first time power-sharing was to be used and it was to be central component to future efforts at a peaceful resolution to the troubles. The ‘irish dimension’ was recognised by the British gov, with the agreement being signed by both the British and Irish govs. Despite its failure significant aspects of the agreement such as consent and power-sharing remained central to the quest for peace in NI. So much so that the eventual peaceful resolution to the troubles, the Good Fridayagreement, encapsulated both of these ideas and was referred to by nationalist SeamusMallon as “Sunningdale for slow learners”