The Sunningdale Agreement & Key Events Surrounding it

Sunningdale is a very popular essay topic, and as such, you will see great benefit in taking time to study it and familiarise yourself with causes, context and consequences. Below is a series of notes on the agreement itself as well as a number of other events that either spawned from it or occurred alongside it, namely the resignation of Faulkner, the General election of 1974, and the Ulster Workers' Council Strike.

---

• The Sunningdale Agreement was signed in December 1973. The agreement was the result of intense negotiations that began on 6 December and lasted for four days.
• These talks were part of the British government's broader efforts to find a political solution to the ongoing violence and unrest in Northern Ireland, which had escalated dramatically during the Troubles.

• The British Prime Minister, Edward Heath, was supportive of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)'s demands for the establishment of a Council of Ireland, which would include representatives from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
• This Council was seen by nationalists as a step towards closer cooperation between the North and South, potentially paving the way for Irish unity in the future.
• However, Heath's support for the SDLP's demands made it more challenging for Brian Faulkner, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the head of the Northern Ireland Executive, to secure broader unionist support for the agreement.
• During the negotiations, Faulkner requested that the Irish government amend Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution, which laid claim to Northern Ireland as part of the Irish nation.
• He believed that removing these articles would ease unionist fears about the Irish government's involvement in the Council of Ireland and make the agreement more palatable to unionists.
• However, the Irish government, represented by Conor Cruise O'Brien and others, rejected Faulkner's request, arguing that any changes to the constitution would require a referendum in the Republic of Ireland, which was unlikely to succeed.
• This refusal was a significant setback for Faulkner, as it deprived him of a key concession that could have helped secure unionist support.
• Despite these challenges, the parties involved eventually reached an agreement, known as the Sunningdale Agreement, on 9 December 1973. The agreement included several key provisions:
  • It affirmed that any change in Northern Ireland's status could only occur with the consent of the majority of its people.
  • The Irish government committed to respecting the status of Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom until a majority of its people chose otherwise.
  • The agreement established a Council of Ireland, which would consist of a Council of Ministers and a Consultative Assembly. The Council of Ministers would include seven members from the Northern Ireland Executive and seven members from the Irish government. It would have a consultative role on various issues, including agriculture, industry, tourism, and transport. The Consultative Assembly, made up of members of the Dáil and the Northern Ireland Assembly, would review and advise on issues but would not have legislative power.
• The SDLP and Southern Irish politicians viewed the Council of Ireland as a mechanism to achieve Irish unity through peaceful, democratic means. However, the Council faced significant opposition from unionists, who saw it as a threat to Northern Ireland's status within the United Kingdom.

Opposition to Sunningdale

• Just one day after the Sunningdale Agreement was signed, loyalists began organising against it. The Ulster Army Council was formed to coordinate opposition to the agreement, bringing together various loyalist paramilitary groups who saw the Council of Ireland as a step towards a united Ireland, something they were determined to resist at all costs.
• The Provisional IRA also opposed the agreement, viewing it as a compromise that fell short of their goal of ending British rule in Northern Ireland.
• In the days and months following the agreement, the IRA carried out a series of bombings in London and Northern Ireland to demonstrate their continued opposition.
• For many unionists, the ongoing violence reinforced their belief that power-sharing and cooperation with nationalists were untenable as long as the IRA remained active.

Faulkner Resigns as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party

• The political fallout from the Sunningdale Agreement was immediate and severe. On 1 January 1974, just weeks after the agreement was signed, Brian Faulkner faced a vote of no confidence within the Ulster Unionist Party.
• The vote took place during a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council, the party's ruling body, which was deeply divided over the agreement.
• Despite Faulkner's efforts to defend the deal, he lost the vote by 427 to 374, forcing him to resign as leader of the UUP.
• However, Faulkner continued to serve as the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Executive, trying to keep the power-sharing government functioning despite the growing opposition.
• The first meeting of the new Northern Ireland Assembly took place on 22 January 1974. The session was marked by chaos, as members of Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) disrupted proceedings by occupying seats designated for members of the Executive.
• The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) had to physically remove the DUP members from the chamber.
• This incident highlighted the deep divisions and hostility that plagued the new government from the outset.

The British General Election, February 1974

• The general election in February 1974 further complicated the political landscape. A coalition of unionist and loyalist groups, known as the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC), campaigned under the slogan "Dublin is just a Sunningdale away."
• Their message was clear: the Sunningdale Agreement was a betrayal of unionist interests and a step towards a united Ireland.
• The UUUC's campaign was highly effective, winning 11 of the 12 Westminster seats in Northern Ireland. The SDLP's Gerry Fitt was the only pro-Sunningdale candidate to retain his seat.
• The election result demonstrated that a majority of unionist voters had rejected the Sunningdale Agreement.
• It also marked a significant shift in power away from moderate unionists like Faulkner, who supported the agreement, to more hardline figures who were determined to resist any form of power-sharing or cooperation with nationalists.
• Following the election, the British Labour Party, led by Harold Wilson, returned to power. Wilson appointed Merlyn Rees as the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Rees was ill-prepared for the complex and volatile situation he inherited.
• One of his first actions was to lift the ban on the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group, in an attempt to encourage its members to participate in peaceful, democratic politics.
• However, this decision backfired when UVF members were implicated in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings on 17 May 1974, which killed 33 civilians.
• The election result severely undermined Faulkner's leadership and the stability of the Northern Ireland Executive. Despite his efforts to keep the government functioning, including attempts to delay the implementation of the Council of Ireland, Faulkner's position became increasingly untenable.
• The final blow came in May 1974, when the Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) Strike effectively brought Northern Ireland to a standstill, leading to the collapse of the Sunningdale Agreement and the power-sharing executive.

The Ulster Workers' Council Strike

• The Ulster Workers' Council (UWC), established in 1973, was a coalition of loyalist workers who opposed the Sunningdale Agreement and the power-sharing executive.
• The UWC's leaders, including Hugh Petrie and Andy Tyrie of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), were determined to force the collapse of the new government by any means necessary.
• The UWC announced that if the Northern Ireland Assembly voted against a motion of no confidence on 14 May 1974, they would call an immediate strike to shut down Northern Ireland's economy.
• When the Assembly narrowly voted in favour of continuing the power-sharing government, the UWC followed through on their threat.
• The strike began on 15 May 1974 and quickly gained momentum. Loyalist workers set up roadblocks, preventing supplies from reaching businesses and power stations.
• As the strike continued, the UDA and other loyalist paramilitary groups became increasingly involved, using intimidation and violence to enforce the strike.
• Workers were forced out of factories and offices, and essential services like electricity and water were severely disrupted, with electricity supply being reduced by as much as 60% during the strike.
• The strike reached its peak on 17 May 1974, when the UVF detonated bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, killing 33 civilians.
• This was the deadliest single day of the Troubles, and it sent shockwaves across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
• In the wake of the bombings, Sammy Smyth, a prominent UDA member and one of the UWC's leaders, chillingly remarked, "I am very happy about the bombings in Dublin. There is a war with the Free State and now we are laughing at them."
• As the strike wore on, the British government, led by Harold Wilson, found itself increasingly unable to maintain control.
• The strike had effectively crippled Northern Ireland, and with the power-sharing executive unable to function, Faulkner was forced to resign as Chief Executive.
• The Sunningdale Agreement collapsed, marking the end of the first serious attempt at power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
• The UWC Strike demonstrated the power of loyalist paramilitary groups and their ability to disrupt political processes in Northern Ireland.
• It also highlighted the deep-seated opposition within the unionist community to any form of compromise with nationalists. This opposition would continue to shape Northern Ireland's troubled history for years to come.