- Event type: CREATE
Northern Ireland Brooke/Mayhew Talks 1991-1992
WORK IN PROGRESS - IN THE FINAL STAGES OF EDITING A series of talks launched by Peter Brooke, Secretary of State for Northern in Ireland, which began in April 1991, and were carried on intermittently by Brooke and his successor, Patrick Mayhew, until November 1992.
Office of the Strand 1 Chairman (British Government Delegation)
In order to adequately reflect the role of the Chairman and his staff in re-drafting documents and controlling the flow of information during bilateral negotiations, we are representing them as a separate committee. In contrast to other Quill negotiations, in these Talks much of the actual work of negotiation and making proposals took place in bilateral meetings between the Chairman and the party delegations. The minutes of these sessions have been preserved in the same format as the minutes of the plenary sessions, and the sessions are modelled from the minutes as separate Committees (British Government/Alliance Bilaterals, etc.). The Chairman would move between these meetings, reporting on the positions of the other delegations and trying to reach accommodation. It is beyond the scope of the current project to model all the internal government meetings which took place during the Talks (although documentation for at least some of them exists in the National Archives), but we can draw on evidence within the sources we are using to show that proposals and agendas for the bilaterals were agreed within the Government team. For example, in a particular round of meetings, the Chairman will open the meeting with a near-identical agenda and summary of the current position of the other parties. To adequately model the fact that the flow of ideas between the delegations was filtered by the Chairman in this way, we have set up a committee called the 'Office of the Chairman' to show the conclusions of each bilateral discussion passing through the Chairman's Office and being redrafted before being passed on to the next delegation.
To see the full record of a committee, click on the corresponding committee on the map below.
Session 13150: 1992-05-01 07:00:00
The paper Political Talks: Realities and Common Themes is redrafted and circulated.
Document View:
Political Talks: Common Themes (1 May 1992)
(Showing state at moment e842865)POLITICAL TALKS: COMMON THEMES (1 May 1992)
Introduction
1. This paper seeks to identify the common themes which emerged from the previous talks.
Constitutional Status and Guarantee
2. It is accepted by all the talks participants that Northern Ireland is [underlined] de facto a part of the United Kingdom; that there should be no change in that position without the consent of a majority of the people who live here; and that at present a majority of the people who live here do not wish for any change. More discussion may be needed on the way in which the 'constitutional guarantee' is worded.
Nature of the Northern Ireland Community
3. There are [at least] two distinct communal identities in Northern Ireland, both of which need to be given full recognition by the other so that they can be appropriately accommodated in the political system, taking account of the wider framework of relationships within these islands.
Local Institutions
4. There is a need for greater direct local political involvement in the business of governing Northern Ireland. This is a large and complex subject which will need to be addressed on several levels and in considerable detail, including in respect of both legislative and executive responsibilities.
5. Simple unfettered majority rule would not be a sufficient basis for any new local institutions. Any new local political institutions should be workable and likely to prove stable and durable; they should command widespread support and provide an appropriate and fair role for representatives of both sides of the community.
Wider Relationships
6. Northern Ireland's relationships with the EC, with the rest of the United Kingdom and with the rest of the island of Ireland, have an important bearing on Northern Ireland and its people. Real progress will only be possible through finding ways of giving adequate expression to the totality of the three main relationships mentioned in the statement of 26 March 1991.
7. For so long as Northern Ireland remains a part of the UK, the relationship between Northern Ireland and the UK Government and Parliament will continue to be of central importance. The relationship between the UK Government and Parliament and any new institutions will need to be carefully delineated to ensure that the proper interests of the UK Government, in relation, for example, to financial matters, and its obligations under various international instruments are taken fully into account.
8. Ideally, there should be good and harmonious relations within the island of Ireland and practical co-operation between the respective authorities should be developed in their mutual interest. The extent to which new relationships (the parameters of which will be discussed in Strand 2) might help to resolve political tensions and difficulties within the Northern Ireland community needs further consideration.
Constitutional Politics/Defeating Terrorism
9. All the participants in the Talks are united in their opposition to terrorism and in their determination to resolve problems through constitutional means.
10. Law and order could more effectively be maintained in Northern Ireland if there were a greater basic political consensus leading to wider public support for, and confidence in, the security forces.
11. [There is general agreement on the desirability of] [or: [underlined] It would be desirable to secure] local political input into security policy.
Individual Rights
12. The establishment of machinery to deal with and correct grievances and to entrench individual and community rights, including the possibility of a Bill of Rights, requires further detailed consideration.
Endorsement
13. Any political accommodation affecting Northern Ireland should be subject to endorsement by the people of Northern Ireland.
14. The SDLP have expressed a firm belief in the requirement for a broader endorsement of any political accommodation affecting Northern Ireland. The Unionist parties recognise the strength of this view but have some concerns on the matter. They have, however, undertaken to consider and draft further proposals in an attempt to establish other ways in which it might be possible to address this issue.
Commitment
15. All involved acknowledge the need for realism, commitment, hard work and compromise if suitable institutions, within a wider framework of stable relationships, are to be established.
Decisions yet to be taken
Document Timeline
- Political Talks: Common Themes (1 May 1992) (introduced on 1992-05-01 07:00:00 - CREATE - e842863) [This document]
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- None (introduced on 1992-05-01 07:00:00 - REPORT_PROPOSAL - e842865) [This moment shown] [view current proposal at this moment]