Power-sharing
Eamon Phoenix
The refusal of Ulster Unionist leader, Mr Brian Faulkner, to accept executive power-sharing with nationalists in talks with the British government is revealed in Stormont papers released in Belfast.
The future head of the 1974 power-sharing executive was, however, open to the idea of a Council of Ireland.
On December 12th, 1972, the Secretary of State, Mr William Whitelaw, met a deputation from the UUP led by Mr Faulkner and including the Orange Grand Master, Sir George Clark at Stormont Castle. Regarding the proposed "Irish dimension", Mr Faulkner said the formation of a Council of Ireland would depend basically on possible changes by the Irish Government.
If it recognised Northern Ireland's right to run its own affairs, he would have no objection to the formation of a council consisting of representatives of the two governments.
Sir George Clark asked the Secretary of State what responsibilities the council would have. Mr Whitelaw envisaged economic co- operation initially while, at a later stage, there could be joint action against terrorists in Border areas.
On the question of new constitutional arrangements for the North, Mr Faulkner stressed there were certain fundamentals which must be agreed. These concerned control of security and the form of any executive.
Mr Faulkner believed "a two-tier government was necessary without general power-sharing". He felt it was not possible to share power between a majority party in favour of a continuance of Northern Ireland and parties who would want to destroy that state.
Mr Whitelaw noted the committee system outlined in the Ulster Unionist policy document was "a radical advance on anything they had previously proposed" but warned if under this system, the executive consisted solely of one party, it was unlikely that the arrangement would be acceptable to major opposition groups in Northern Ireland.
However Mr Faulkner was firm on the point and he and his colleagues emphasised that, "when reporting Unionist attitudes to his Cabinet colleagues, the Secretary of State should make clear that the grassroots of the party would not accept anything more radical than what had already been proposed".
If, Mr Faulkner added, the Unionists' proposed constitutional settlement was not used as a basis by the government, "it was most unlikely that the present leadership of the party could hold its position". The Secretary of State would, in the event of Mr Faulkner being ousted, be faced by a more extreme leadership.
On law and order, Mr Faulkner believed, while Westminster was entitled to control the security situation at the moment, when things returned to normal control must devolve to Northern Ireland.
The former Unionist Prime Minister emphasised the proposed Border poll should be held before the White Paper was published. His party colleague, Senator J.L.O. Andrews said the White Paper should outline a plan for the economic reconstruction of Northern Ireland.