NICRA's Aims

NICRA's Aims

1. Achieve "one man one vote" - This would allow all people over 18 to vote & remove the multiple votes from business owners.

   • Achieved as part of O'Neill's Five Point Reform Programme and in the reforms introduced after the Downing Street Declaration.

2. Ensure that local councils allocated their houses fairly - At this time only those who paid rates were allowed to vote in local council elections. If councils did not give Catholics houses, then they could not vote

   • Achieved in O'Neill's Five Point Reform Programme as a point system is introduced

3. Introduce a formal complaints procedure - This would allow people to report local council violations

   • Achieved on 22nd November 1968 as part of O'Neill's Five Point Reform Proramme

4. Stop discrimination in the allocation of government jobs - The Cameron Commission found widespread favouritism towards Protestants in the allocation of jobs. Evidence was also found that Catholics were under-represented in senior Civil Service jobs amongst NI's judges.

   • Achieved in the reforms made after the Downing Street Declaration as they prevented discrimination in public employment.

5. End the use of Special Powers Act - This gave police the power to arrest and detain suspects without trial

   • Partially removed as part of O'Neill's Five Point Reform Programme in 1968.

6. Disband the B Specials - This reserve police force (almost all Protestants and Unionists) was seen by Catholics as a biased an sectarian force.

   • Recommended in the Hunt Committee Report.

7. Stop Gerrymndering - Most famous example of this was in Londonderry in 966 where the Unionist controlled city council ruled over a Catholic population of 20,00 compared to a Protestant Population of 10,000. Gerrymandering id the practice of drawing electoral boundaries in a way that benefits one group at the expense of another.

   • Achieved in the reforms that were made following the Downing Street Declaration in August '69.