Units 4.9 to 4.12 summary

Units 4.9 to 4.12 summary

1. The executive takes power

   • On the first of January the power sharing executive and assembly took power but before long the future of power sharing looked bleak
     • On the fourth of January the ruling committee of the UUP voted to reject the Sunningdale Agreement
       • In response Brian Faulkner resigned as leader and was replaced by Harry West
       • This was because of the so-called 'Irish Dimension'
       • 19 of 21 Ulster Unionist Assembly members still supported Faulkner and so he stayed on as chief executive
         • Although, it was clear he was isolated within unionism
     • At the end of February 1974 a General Election for the Westminster Parliament was held
       • All but one of the seats won in NI were UUUC MPs who opposed power sharing, the Sunningdale Agreement and Faulkner
         • The result showed that most people in NI opposed the agreement
       • The UUC portrayed the General election as a referendum on the Sunningdale Agreement

2. More impacts of the 1974 General Election

   • A new Labour Government in London
     • The election led to a change of government in London with the Conservatives losing to the labour Party
       • Edward heath was replaced as PM by Harold Wilson
         • Merlyn Rees became the new secretary of state
           • He was then forced to spend a lot of his time in London and didn't spend enough time trying to keep power sharing up and running in NI
   • These political developments took place at the same time as the violence continued and the 100th victim of the troubles was killed on April 1974 (James May)
     • As well as this, regular unionist protests continued against the Sunningdale Agreement
       • The British government insisted there was no alternative

3. The Ulster Worker's Strike

   • The Background and Aim
     • On the 14th of may 1974, a debate was held in the NI Assembly on power sharing and the Council of Ireland
       • Defeated by 44 votes to 28
       • Shortly after, Harry Murray who was the Harland and Wolff shop steward and Ulster Workers Council organiser told journalists that a general strike would begin the day after
         • The UWC was a group of Protestant Trade Unionists who had gained a lot of political and paramilitary support
           • Their aim was to show 'grassroots' unionist opposition to the Sunningdale Agreement
   • The Strike
     • At first, support for the strike was limited but intimidation by the UDA and better coordination by the UWC meant that by the end of the first week, NI came to a standstill which lasted 14 days
       • Attempts were made by some trade unionists to organise back-to-work demonstartions but these got little support
       • The country was brought to a standstill for 14 days
   • The British Government's response to the UWC strike
     • The army
       • Although there were 17500 soldiers stationed in NI, they were wary of taking action as they though the strike was a political not terrorist action
     • The British PM
       • Harold Wilson ran out of patience with the situation and went on Tv on the 25th of may to denounce the strike and called the organisers 'spongers'
         • this was interpreted by unionists as an attack on them and galvanised support for the strike and wore a sponge to show their support the following morning
   • Dublin and Monaghan bombings (17th may 1974)
     • car bombs believed to have been planted by loyalists exploded killing 33 and wounding 300 more

4. The Re-introduction of Direct Rule

   • Although the government was not prepared to use the army to break the strike, it did order it to take over twenty petrol stations
     • In response the UWC ordered a total shutdown across NI and that at midnight Ballylumford power station would be closed as the workers joined the strike
   • Faulkner resigned as Chief Executive on the 28th of may as the SDLP were refusing to negotiate and there were no other obvious solutions
     • The other unionist members then resigned thus ending power sharing
   • Having achieved its goal of showing its opposition to power sharing, the UWC called off the strike on the 29th of may 1974
     • The assembly was suspended on the 30th of may and direct rule was re introduced