Disturbances in Northern Ireland — an International Problem and an International Solution
| Author | John F. O'Connor |
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787100301202 |
| Published date | 01 December 1971 |
| Date | 01 December 1971 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
966
DISTURBANCES
IN
NORTHERN
IRELAND
—
AN
INTERNATIONAL
PROBLEM
AND
AN
INTERNATIONAL
SOLUTION
JOHN
F.
O’CONNOR
In
normal
circumstances
the
50th
Anniversary
of
the
founding
of
Northern
Ireland
might
evoke
a
ritual
commemorative
piece
on
the
events
which
gave
it
birth
and
the
evolution
of
the
province.
Circumstances
are
not
normal,
unless
one
accepts
that
the
violence
and
disruption
which
has
marked
the
50
years
of
Northern
Ireland’s
existence
is
the
norm
for
that
part
of
the
United
Kingdom.
Nor
is
it
possible
to
speak
of
’evolution’.
The
political
and
social
alignments
of
1921
remain
essentially
unchanged
there
today.
The
violence
and
disruption
reached
new
heights
in
recent
years.
Since
October
1968
civil
unrest
has
increased
gradually
but
relentlessly
to
a
stage
where
today
thousands
of
British
Troops
are
needed
to
assist
the
police
in
maintaining
an
uneasy
peace
on
the
streets
of
Belfast
and
other
large
towns.
The
events
of
the
last
three
years
must
await
detached
analysis
and
explanation
by
historians’.
Meanwhile
the
authorities
in
Belfast
and
London
(and,
more
obliquely,
in
Dublin)
react
to
the
unending
series
of
shootings,
explosions
and
rioting
which
have
become
so
familiar.
Much
thought
and
effort
has
been
devoted
to
the
’problem’
of
Northern
Ireland.
The
demands
of
the
Civil
Rights
Association
which
organised
the
fateful
march
in
Derry
on
5th
October
19681
have
been
largely
met.
Reforms
in
police
organisation
and
local
government
have
been
implemented
or
promised.
Programmes
designed
to
eliminate
discrimination
and
to
promote
community
harmony
have
been
instituted’.
Whatever
doubts
may
exist
about
the
ability
or
willingness
of the
Unionist
Government
to
implement
reforms
to
the
extent
of
alienating
the
1
Disturbances
in
Northern
Ireland,
Cmd.
532
(Belfast)
—
The
Report
of
the
Cameron
Commission
—
deals
with
the
events
from
19th
June,
1968
to
6th
May,
1969
(see
Chronology,
Appendix
VII).
The
events
produced
a
number
of
’instant’
historical
works
of
varying
quality
and
objectivity,
including
"Ulster
1969—The
fight
for
civil
rights
in
Northern
Ireland"
by
Max
Hastings;
"Fire
over
Ulster"
by
Patrick
Riddell;
"Divided
Ulster"
by
Liam
de
Paor.
2
Report
of
the
Cameron
Commission,
pp.
24-31.
The
march
led
to
the
widely
publicised
"Siege
of
the
Bogside"
and
the
formation
of
the
more
militant
People’s
Democracy
Group.
3
The
main
recommendations
of
the
Advisory
Committee
on
Police
in
Northern
Ireland
(The
Hunt
Report,
Cmd.
535
— Belfast),
pp.
44-46,
including
the
disarming
of
the
R.U.C.
and
the
replacement
of
the Ulster
Special
Constabulary
—
The
B.
Specials
—
by
a
new
Volunteer
Reserve
Force under
the
command
of
the
G.O.C.,
Northern
Ireland
have
been
adopted.
The
Northern
Ireland
Community
Relations
Commission,
First
Annual
Report
1st
March,
1971
outlines
the
reforms
in
local
government
which
are
required
and
the
steps
which
have
already
been
taken
or
which
require
to
be
taken
to
eliminate
discrimination
in
housing
allocation,
employment,
and
law
enforcement.
967
support
of
its
grass
roots,
there
is
no
doubt
about
the
determination
of
the
Westminster
Government.
The
Downing
Street
Declaration
of
August
1969
commits
the
British
Government
to
the
reform
programme.
Nevertheless,
there
is
an
underlying
fear
that
massive
security
measures,
social
reforms
and
earnest
pleas
for
community
harmony
are
not
going
to
succeed
in
the
end
in
converting
Northern
Ireland
into
a
normal
and
peaceful
unit
in
the
United
Kingdom.
The
reason
for
this
fear
is
well
grounded
if
not
always
fully
understood
or
articulated.
It
is
essential
that
it
should
be
understood,
on
both
sides
of
the
Irish
Border
and
in
London.
The
so-called
solutions
to
the
problem,
however
well
meant
or
tempor-
arily
effective,
cannot
possibly
succeed
unless
the
fundamental
issues
are
confronted
and
resolved.
It
is
suggested
that
these
are
international
in
their
nature.
Attempts
to
solve
problems
which
arise
from
international
issues
solely
by
internal
measures
are
misconceived
and
doomed
to
failure.
What
is
required
is
an
approach
based
on
principles
and
techniques
of
international
conflict
resolution.
It
is
therefore
pro-
posed
to
examine
the
position
of
Northern
Ireland
from
the
view-
point
of
international
law
and
relations;
to
show
that
its
existence
depends,
juridically,
on
an
international
Treaty-the
&dquo;Articles
of
Agreement
for
a
Treaty
between
Great
Britain
and
Ireland,
6th
December
1921 &dquo;~
and
to
suggest
that the
solution
to
its
problems,
internally
and
externally,
lies
in
a
new
Anglo-Irish
Treaty.
The
1921
Treaty
Regime
Northern
Ireland
was
established
as
a
subordinate
self-
governing
province
of
the
United
Kingdom
of
Great
Britain
and
Ireland
by
the
Government
of
Ireland
Act
1920.
The
purpose
of
the
Act
was
to
establish
two
subordinate
Parliaments
in
Ireland,
one
for
Northern
Ireland
and
the
other
for
Southern
Ireland.
Both
units
were
to
function
within
the
framework
of
the
United
Kingdom
of
Great
Britain
and
Ireland
as
established
by
the
Union
with
Ireland
Act
1800’.
Although
Northern
Ireland
was
established
by
the
Act
of
1920,
its
existence
after
1921
and
its
territorial
integrity
depends
on
the
wider
settlement
made
between
Ireland
and
Britain
in
December
1921,
confirmed
and
supplemented
by
later
Agreements
and
by
subsequent
British
and
Irish
legislation’.
It
is
necessary
to
emphasise
this
in
view
of the
inadvertence
4
For
convenient
texts
see:
Irish
Free
State
(Agreement)
Act,
1922,
Schedule
(U.K.).
The
Constitution
of
the
Irish
Free
State
(Saorstát
Eireann)
Act,
1922,
Second
Schedule
(I.F.S.
Acts
of
the
Oireachtas).
5
A
useful
short
note
on
the
Act
and
the
constitutional
position
of
Northern
Ireland
is
given
in
Appendix
III
of
the
Cameron
Report.
6
The
Boundary
Agreement
of
1925
confirmed
the
extent
of
Northern
Ire-
land
and
was
ratified
by
appropriate
legislation
in
Westminster
and
Dail
Eireann.
Ireland
(Confirmation
of
Agreement)
Act,
1925
(U.K.);
Treaty
(Confirmation
of
Amending
Agreement)
Act,
1925
(I.F.S.).
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