the Anglo-Irish Agreement Flashcards
(52 cards)
The key difference between the Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985) and the Sunningdale Power-Sharing Agreement (1973-74)
- it was purely an agreement between the British and Irish governments
- This meant that there would be no Assembly or Executive to be created
Reasons for Anglo-Irish agreement
- hunger strikes and aftermath 🍲
- continued violence 🥊
- Sinn Féin policy 📝
- British and Irish govs decided to work more closely together 👬
What Sinn Féin policy was a reason for a-i agreement?
“Ballot box and the Armalite”
Why were the hunger strikes and their after math a reason for a-i agreement?
Changed NI political situation
Anglo-Irish agreement
closer co-op between British and Irish govs
Who signed Anglo-Irish agreement
- Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald
- PM Margaret Thatcher
Reasons for closer co-op in the 80s
- fear of Sinn Féin
- to undermine PIRA
- security reasons
Why was fear of Sinn Féin a reason for closer co-op in the 80s?
- British gov and SDLP afraid that Sinn Fein might overtake SDLP
- become main nationalist party in NI
- could make political agreements in NI more difficult
- worsen security situation and stability within Ireland
Why was security a reason for closer co-op in the 80s?
Thatcher realised that unless she dealt with nationalist hostility, then she would be unable to improve security
Why was undermine the PIRA a reason for closer co-op in the 80s?
Taoiseach GF hoped agreement would
- reduce nationalist hostility and would reform security forces in NI
- This would undermine the tolerance of PIRA in NI
Irish government terms of agreement – A – I agreement
- The RoI hoped agreement with persuade nationalists to accept the NI state
- If this happened support for Sinn Fein would collapse.
what did the RoI think would happen if they were able to persuade nationalists to accept the NI state?
support for Sinn Fein would collapse
British GOV terms of agreement – AI agreement
Hoped agreement would lead to better security and co-op between Britain and Ireland
Permanent secretariat terms of agreement, AI agreement
A permanent secretariat made up of civil servants from NI and RoI would provide administrative support to the intergovernmental conference
Secretariat
A group of civil servants
RoI role in NI. Terms of agreement, AI agreements
- Agreement recognised RoI had a role in NI
- however, republic accepted that a united Ireland was a long-term goal, could only happen with support of majority of NI population 🥅 ⭕️
What did the RoI accept? AI agreement
- a united Ireland was a long-term goal 🥅
- could only happen with support of majority of NI population
Intergovernmental conference, terms of agreement, AI agreement
would deal with issues such as security, legal matters, political questions, and improving cross-border cooperation
Devolution, terms of agreement, AI agreement
- NI assembly given power by Westminster
- would only happen if there was an agreement on the sharing of power between unionists and nationalists
Devolution
Local parliaments are given some powers by the central parliament
What would happen that would cause devolution?
would only happen if there was an agreement on the sharing of power between unionists and nationalists
What did the British government and SDLP believe would happen if Sinn Fein became the main nationalist party in NI?
- could make political agreements in NI more difficult
- worsen security situation and stability within Ireland
What was Thatcher’s main reason for signing A-I agreement?
Security as
- PIRA had attempted to kill her at 1984, Conservative party conference, Brighton
- unless she dealt with nationalist hostility, she would be unable to improve security
Reactions to the Anglo-Irish Agreement: Unionist
- Unionists appalled
- felt abandoned 🏃♀️🇬🇧 by the British gov
- believed they were now in a process that led to a United Ireland 🇮🇪
- What annoyed Unionists most was that they had been kept in the dark ⚫️ during the negotiations and SDLP had been consulted 👩⚕️ in the process
