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Published on: 8/25/2001
Last Visited: 8/25/2001
JOHN HUMEHis role in the Northern Ireland political settlement , is assessed by Denis Coghlan , chief political correspondent.
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John Hume has been the most creative and persistent architect behind the Northern Ireland political settlement , writes DENIS COGHLAN , chief political correspondent.For the past thirty years , John Hume has been the chief conceptualiser and steely presence behind nationalist demands for equality of treatment and a recognition of their political aspirations in Northern Ireland.
John HumeDuring that time , he has annoyed a succession of governments in this State by his demands and initiatives.He has appeared to unionists as their most dangerous enemy.And he has infuriated British governments by enlisting opinion in the United States and in Europe in favour of comprehensive change.
John Hume does not operate happily within systems.He is not a committee man..But his vision , determination and effectiveness in lobbying the main centres of power has been nothing short of spectacular.
As the leader of the second largest political party in Northern Ireland , he has effectively managed to dictate the thrust of Irish and British government policy for the best part of twenty years.For , while unionist parties resisted change by relying on their traditional response of saying no , John Hume was at the centre of a series of political initiatives.And , in a climate of reform , he wasn't adverse to using a nationalist veto to prevent the reemergence of old-style unionist control.
In the Republic , his status as leader of nationalist opinion in the North made him politically untouchable.His unequivocal stand against violence and in favour of an accomodation with unionists bestowed on him a form of political saintliness.He now enjoys near-open access to the White House in Washington.And his influence in the European Parliament is considerable.
You don't dominate the political horizon in that fashion without making enemies and attracting criticism.And the leader of the SD LP is no exception.Even within his own party , Mr Hume has been increasingly faulted for a lack of consultation on policy initiatives and directions , particularly where Sinn Fein is concerned.Unionists describe him as arrogant , self-centred and rude.An d government ministers , used to controlling and dictating events , find his independence a trial.
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But if courageous leadership and results are the measure of a politican , John Hume has nothing to apologise for.The new , inclusive political settlement is largely his creation.And aborted and failed attempts merely led up to this point.
It has been a long road since the Foyle politician was first elected to Stormont in 1969 , having risen to prominence through the Civil Rights campaign.The old , abstentionist , Nationalist Party was dying.And Mr Hume joined with Gerry Fitt , Austin Currie the late Paddy Devlin , in 1970 , in forming the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
Four years later , following the fall of Stormont and the imposition of Direct Rule from Westminster , he and his colleagues lobbied the British and Irish governments for a new departure.When it happened at Sunningdale , Mr Hume became a minister within the first Northern Ireland power-sharing executive , headed by the late Brian Faulkner.
In return for agreement on an embroyonic Council of Ireland , in 1973 , the Irish government provided an assurance that the status o f Northern Ireland would only change with the consent of a majority of the people there.
A split in the unionist party , followed by a civil disobedience campaign , the Loyalist Workers' strike and continuing Provisional IRA violence brought about the collapse of the executive in 1974.Harold Wilson and the British Labour government had failed to mobilise the Northern Ireland security forces in defence of the executive.Direct Rule was reimposed from London and British ministers went back to the drawing board.
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As stalemate continued between the two communities in Northern Ireland , John Hume sought , and secured , election to the European Parliament in 1979.In the same year , he succeed Gerry Fitt at leader of the SDLP.It was to mark the beginning of a number of key initiatives.
The brief thaw in Anglo/Irish relations , leading up to a Dublin Castle summit between Charlie Haughey and Margaret Thatcher in 1980 , didn't last.Talk of developing the totality of relations between these islands evaporated as unionists rejected the notion of power-sharing ; the H-Block hunger strikes convulsed Irish politics and Mr Haughey criticised Britain's involvement in the Falklands war.
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Meanwhile , Mr Hume was canvassing support for nationalists within Europe.But the main focus of his attention was the United States , where the Provisional IRA and Sinn Fein had enjoyed unquestioning , traditional support amongst Irish/Americans for their physical force methods.
Cutting the supply of money and arms became a priority.Supplementing the Irish government's diplomatic offensive , Mr Hume began lobbying at the top.Soon , powerful Irish friends emerged on Capitol Hill.And the four horsemen , Ted Kennedy , `Tip' O'Neill , Daniel Moynihan and Hugh Carey , were not adverse to advising the Irish government on diplomatic representation and policy direction when Mr Hume spoke.
Within a few years , the power and influence of Noraid and the Provisionals was broken as the US courts sought disclosure of their records.Democratic methods were in the ascendant.Mr Hume's American connections , particularly with the powerful Kennedy clann , became the source of his greatest influence.
In the South , pressure from Mr Hume led to the Fine Gael/Labour Party coalition government setting up the New Ireland Forum in 198 3. Nationalist parties considered the situation and provided a report on the available political options , including the traditional , distant aspiration to Irish unity.But all were rejected by Mrs Thatcher in her notorious response : Out...Out..Out. ' ' Subsequently , the withdrawal of the SDLP led to the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembley.And , by 1985 , Mrs Thatcher had been encouraged by Garret FitzGerald - with John Hume and powerful US opinion in the wings - to sign up for the Anglo/Irish Agreement at Hillsborough.
It was a form of Sunningdale , Mark 11.For the first time , an Irish Government was to be granted formal consultative rights in relation to Northern Ireland through a jointly-chaired Intergovernmental Conference.Pending the devolution of powers to a local parliament or convention , Dublin could make proposals on the administration of justice , on cross-border cooperation and on security and related matters.
It was a classic carrot-and-stick approach.Dublin's influence would diminish if unionists and nationalists operated the political structures.
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Using United States' influence , Mr Hume brought pressure to bear on both the British Government and the Provisionals.The Hume/Adams dialogue took on real political significance as the IRA grudgingly acknowledged it could not win a war against the British Army in Northern Ireland.
Progress was painfully slow.But when Mr Hume convinced Albert Reynolds and Dick Spring that there was a real chance of securing a n IRA ceasefire , in 1992 , it opened the way for the Downing Street Declaration of 1993.And it provided a framework - embracing parity of esteem - within which Northern society could grow towards compromise and the development of a middle ground.In it , John Major spoke of encouraging and facilitating an agreement , based on the rights and identities of both traditions...which may take the form of agreed structures for the island as a whole , including a united Ireland achieved by peaceful means..
Albert Reynolds embraced the concept of consent on behalf of Fianna Fail and the Government and offered to express the claims o f Articles 2 & 3 in a more balanced way.
Ian Paisley and the DUP condemned the document , but the Ulster Unionists remained neutral.
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But , as the IRA campaign continued , Mr Hume was heavily criticised for putting his party at risk and for flirting with terrorism.
Within a year , however , the IRA and loyalist paramilitaries had declared ceasefires and their political representatives were knocking at the door to negotiations.
Unionist demands for arms decommission and Mr Major's dependence on their voting support at Westminster , kept that door closed until United States pressure and the involvement of Senator George Mitchell provided the mechanisms to surmount the roadblock.
There were to be further difficulties and delays as the unionists sought and secured an electoral process ; the IRA ceasefire broke down and the two governments disagreed on procedures and objectives.John Bruton and Dick Spring finally agreed a Joint Framework Document with a fatally weakened British government in February of 1995.
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In that regard , John Hume is a towering example for nationalists of the committed democrat who has taken risks for peace.He has used the political system - and placed his own party at risk to Sinn Fein - as an alternative to sterile , destructive violence.More than any single party leade
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