Nationalist Catholic politician John Hume and I completed what became known on Saturday 23 years ago on what became known as the Good Friday Agreement. It was designed to end the 35 years of violence that had cost thousands of lives in Northern Ireland and beyond, and to deal with the sectarian divisions that had led to the destruction of terrorism. Tensions are back today as the deal is in jeopardy over a Brexit dispute.
At that time, the unionists of Ulster, the party I led, had to swallow many unpleasant commitments. The terrorists were released from prison. Those who had participated in terrorist activities were encouraged to participate in democracy; some leaders of terrorist groups became members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Fundamental changes were made to the police, who had borne the brunt of the terrorist campaign.
Political structures were created for North-South cooperation, a development that many unionists viewed with suspicion, believing that the point was to move Northern Ireland away from the United Kingdom. Similar structures had led to the collapse of the Agreement. of Sunningdale of 1973 among the British. and Irish governments. But we have managed to find a solution.
Despite these commitments, most people in Northern Ireland supported the Good Friday Agreement. They did so believing that Northern Ireland’s constitutional position in the UK could not be changed without their consent. At great political and personal cost, I got this commitment from the governments of London and Dublin, Mr Hume’s Social Democrat and Labor party and the leadership of Sinn Féin, an organization which, as now, wanted Northern Ireland to join the Republic of Ireland in the south. All parties agreed that any constitutional change to the status of the province would require the consent of the people of Northern Ireland in a referendum. This commitment is clearly indicated in the first statement of the agreement.
Despite strong opposition from members of my own community, who resented the concessions to those who were committed to Republican violence, I campaigned for a “yes” vote in the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement, arguing which protected the union and placed the future of Northern Ireland in the hands of its people. Voters trusted my guarantees and supported the deal.