Northern Ireland Executive (1974) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Northern Ireland Assembly (1973)

The Northern Ireland Assembly was a legislative assembly set up by the Government of the United Kingdom on 3 May 1973 to restore devolved government to Northern Ireland with the power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive made up of unionists and nationalists....

elections of 1973, negotiations between the pro-agreement parties on the formation of a "power-sharing Executive" began. The most contentious issues were internment

Internment

Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...

, policing and the question of a Council of Ireland.

On 21 November, agreement was reached on a voluntary coalition of pro-agreement parties, and the Executive took office on 1 January 1974. Prominent members of the executive included former Unionist Prime Minister Brian Faulkner

Brian Faulkner

Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972...

as Chief Executive, then SDLP leader Gerry Fitt

Gerry Fitt

Gerard Fitt, Baron Fitt was a politician in Northern Ireland. He was a founder and the first leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party , a social democratic and Irish nationalist party.-Early years:...

as Deputy Chief Executive, future Nobel Laureate and SDLP leader John Hume

John Hume

John Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....

as Minister for Commerce and then leader of the Alliance Party Oliver Napier

Oliver Napier

Sir Oliver Napier was the first leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. In 1974 he served as the first and only Legal Minister and head of the Office of Legal Reform in the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive set up by the Sunningdale Agreement.-Early life:Napier was educated at St...

as Legal Minister and head of the Office of Law Reform. Again, the UUP was deeply divided; its Standing Committee voted to participate in the executive by a margin of only 132 to 105. Since the partition of Ireland

Partition of Ireland

The partition of Ireland was the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories, now Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Partition occurred when the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act 1920...

, unionists had been opposed to sharing power with the nationalist minority, and the end of majoritarianism

Majoritarianism

Majoritarianism is a traditional political philosophy or agenda which asserts that a majority of the population is entitled to a certain degree of primacy in society, and has the right to make decisions that affect the society...

caused great strife in the UUP. After opposition from within the UUP and the Ulster Workers' Council strike

Ulster Workers' Council Strike

The Ulster Workers' Council strike was a general strike that took place in Northern Ireland between 15 May and 28 May 1974, during "The Troubles". The strike was called by loyalists and unionists who were against the Sunningdale Agreement, which had been signed in December 1973...

, the executive and Assembly collapsed on 28 May 1974 when Brian Faulkner

Brian Faulkner

Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972...

resigned as Chief Executive.

Chief Executive

In January 1974 Brian Faulkner

Brian Faulkner

Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972...

became Chief Executive in the power-sharing executive with the SDLP and the middle-of-the-road Alliance Party

Alliance Party of Northern Ireland

The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....

, a political alliance cemented at the Sunningdale Conference

Sunningdale Agreement

The Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland. The Agreement was signed at the Civil Service College in Sunningdale Park located in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on 9 December 1973.Unionist opposition, violence and...

that year. After opposition from within the UUP and the Ulster Workers Council Strike, the executive and assembly collapsed on 28 May 1974 when Faulkner resigned as Chief Executive.

Members of the Northern Ireland Executive

Department	Minister	Party
Chief Executive	Brian Faulkner Brian Faulkner Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972...
Deputy Chief Executive	Gerry Fitt Gerry Fitt Gerard Fitt, Baron Fitt was a politician in Northern Ireland. He was a founder and the first leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party , a social democratic and Irish nationalist party.-Early years:...
Minister of Finance	Herbert Kirk Herbert Kirk Herbert Kirk was an Ulster Unionist cabinet minister in Parliament of Northern Ireland.Born in Belfast, Kirk studied at Queen's University, Belfast before becoming an accountant....
Minister of Commerce	John Hume John Hume John Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
Minister of Environment	Roy Bradford Roy Bradford Roy Hamilton Bradford was a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland and a government minister in both the Parliament of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973....
Minister of Health and Social Services	Paddy Devlin Paddy Devlin Paddy Devlin was a Northern Irish social democrat and Labour activist, a former Stormont MP, a founder of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and a member of the 1974 Power Sharing Executive.-Early life:...
Minister of Education	Basil McIvor Basil McIvor William Basil McIvor OBE PC was an Ulster Unionist politician, barrister and pioneer of integrated education.-Early life and education:...
Minister of Agriculture	Leslie Morrell Leslie Morrell Leslie Morrell is a former unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Morrell was a farmer from near Coleraine, and was active in the Ulster Unionist Party . He was elected to Coleraine Rural District Council in 1962, then Londonderry County Council in 1969...
Minister of Housing, Local Government and Planning	Austin Currie Austin Currie Austin Currie is a former politician who was elected to the parliaments of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland....
Legal Minister and head of the Office of Law Reform	Oliver Napier Oliver Napier Sir Oliver Napier was the first leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. In 1974 he served as the first and only Legal Minister and head of the Office of Legal Reform in the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive set up by the Sunningdale Agreement.-Early life:Napier was educated at St...	Alliance Party
Minister of Information	John L. Baxter

Chief Executive

Members of the Northern Ireland Executive

See also