1969 Election and Assessing O'Neill

The 1969 General Election

• In the 1969 Northern Ireland general election, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) won three additional seats, increasing their total from 36 to 39. Despite this gain, Terence O'Neill's position as Prime Minister was still precarious.

• The election results showed that while O'Neill had support, many of his opponents within the UUP were re-elected, including those who were critical of his leadership.

  

• Ian Paisley, a fierce critic of O'Neill, ran in the same constituency as O'Neill. Although Paisley failed to win, he came within 1,414 votes of O'Neill, showing significant opposition to O'Neill within the Protestant community.

• Meanwhile, civil rights activists like John Hume won seats for the nationalist side, highlighting the growing influence of the civil rights movement.

• Additionally, Bernadette Devlin secured a seat for the more radical People's Democracy group, reflecting the increasing radicalisation of parts of the nationalist community.

• Following the election, O'Neill introduced a Public Order Bill aimed at banning demonstrations by groups such as NICRA.

• From the government's perspective, this was intended to prevent public disorder, but it had the opposite effect by heightening sectarian tensions. Catholics felt they were being unfairly silenced, leading to increased violence.

• On 19 April 1969, riots erupted in Derry, leading to a three-day conflict between the RUC and Catholics, resulting in numerous injuries and one death.

• The situation deteriorated further when, on 17 April 1969, Bernadette Devlin was elected as a Westminster MP in the Mid-Ulster by-election, a significant victory for the civil rights movement.

• Her election campaign included a scathing attack on O'Neill's handling of the civil rights issues, further eroding his position.
• By late April, O'Neill attempted to introduce the one man, one vote policy in local elections, but this too was met with strong resistance.
• His cousin, James Chichester-Clark, resigned in protest, and the Ulster Unionist Party passed the reform too late to save O'Neill's position.
• The political landscape continued to destabilise as violence escalated. Bombings of water and electricity stations occurred, initially blamed on the IRA but later revealed to be the work of loyalists who opposed O'Neill's reforms.
• This loyalist backlash culminated in O'Neill's resignation on 28 April 1969 after delivering a televised address expressing his regret over the deep-rooted sectarian hatred that had hindered his attempts at reform.

A Quick Assessment of O'Neill as Prime Minister

• Terence O'Neill was a divisive figure within the Ulster Unionist Party during his time as Prime Minister.
• Unlike his predecessors, O'Neill was not as outgoing or charismatic, which made it difficult for him to unite his party or the broader unionist community.
• His decisions often conflicted with the views of his cabinet, leading to internal strife and a growing number of unionist MPs openly opposing him.
• O'Neill's early efforts to engage with the Catholic community were initially welcomed, but his failure to implement significant reforms in a timely manner caused much of the goodwill he had generated to dissipate quickly.
• His continuation of policies like the Bann Policy, which neglected Catholic-majority areas, further alienated nationalists and added fuel to the civil rights movement.
• As the movement gained momentum, loyalist resistance intensified, with many seeing O'Neill's actions as concessions that threatened Protestant dominance.
• As sectarian tensions rose, O'Neill struggled to maintain control. While he did offer some concessions to Catholics, he was careful not to alienate his unionist base.
• However, this balancing act meant that his reforms were often seen as too little, too late. The situation escalated in 1969 with a series of bombings targeting infrastructure, which were falsely blamed on the IRA but were actually carried out by loyalists.
• When O'Neill finally introduced the one man, one vote policy in April 1969, it was met with fierce opposition from within his own party and the broader unionist community.

• This resistance, coupled with increasing violence, ultimately forced him to resign.
• O'Neill's tenure as Prime Minister, while initially marked by attempts to modernise and reconcile Northern Ireland's communities, ended in failure as the region descended into the violence of the Troubles.

5 Bullet Point Guides on Key Questions

1. To what extent did Terence O'Neill differ from Lord Brookeborough as leader of Northern Ireland?

• O'Neill sought to modernise the economy, unlike Brookeborough who focused on maintaining the status quo.
• O'Neill attempted to engage with the Catholic community and improve relations with the Republic of Ireland, a departure from Brookeborough's hardline unionism.
• Brookeborough was more conservative and resistant to change, while O'Neill pursued moderate reforms.
• O'Neill faced stronger opposition from within his own party, whereas Brookeborough enjoyed more consistent unionist support.
• O'Neill's leadership style was less authoritative, leading to internal divisions, whereas Brookeborough maintained stronger party unity.

2. How effective was the contribution of Terence O'Neill to the affairs of Northern Ireland?

• O'Neill's economic policies had some success in attracting new industries, but unemployment remained high.
• His efforts to improve relations with Catholics were initially welcomed but ultimately failed to bring about significant change.
• The Five Point Programme aimed at civil rights reform was too limited and delayed to prevent escalating violence.
• O'Neill's inability to unite the unionist community undermined his efforts and led to growing political instability.
• His resignation in 1969 marked the end of his attempts at reform as Northern Ireland plunged into the Troubles.

3. How did Terence O'Neill attempt to bring about change in Northern Ireland?

• O'Neill introduced the Five Point Programme to address civil rights issues, including housing reforms and disbanding the B-Specials.
• He sought to modernise the economy by attracting foreign investment and developing industrial estates.
• O'Neill engaged in dialogue with the Republic of Ireland, meeting with Seán Lemass to improve cross-border relations.
• He attempted to pass reforms like one man, one vote to make the political system fairer but faced strong resistance.

• O'Neill worked to defuse sectarian tensions, but both loyalist opposition and growing violence undermined his efforts.