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In
Northern Irish politics, direct rule () is the administration of
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
directly by the
Government of the United Kingdom
His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. . It was practised for 26 consecutive years between 1972 and 1998 during
the Troubles
The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...
, and has since then been temporarily applied during suspensions. The most recent period of direct rule came to an end on 8 May 2007 when power was restored to the
Northern Ireland Assembly following elections in April and a power-sharing agreement among major parties.
Although everyday matters under direct rule were handled by government departments within Northern Ireland itself, major policy was determined by the
British Government's
Northern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO; , Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlann Oaffis'') is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for handling Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of S ...
, under the direction of the
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; and legislation was introduced, amended, or repealed by means of
Order in Council
An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...
. Direct rule did not mean that the people of Northern Ireland had no democratic say in how they were governed; like other parts of the United Kingdom, they elected (and still elect)
members of parliament to the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...
, to which the Northern Ireland Office is responsible. But it did result in the existence of an administration specific to Northern Ireland which did not have a specifically Northern Irish mandate.
History
The system of direct rule was originally introduced on 28 March 1972 under the terms of the UK's
Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972, which also suspended the
Parliament of Northern Ireland ("Stormont").
The Northern Irish administration under
Brian Faulkner
Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, (18 February 1921 – 3 March 1977), was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972. He was also the Chief Executive ...
had refused to allow control of security in the province to be transferred to London.
As a consequence, the British government under
Edward Heath announced on 24 March 1972 that devolved government in Northern Ireland would be suspended.
Responsibility for Northern Ireland within the Cabinet had until then rested with the
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...
, but was now transferred to the new post of
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, heading the
Northern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO; , Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlann Oaffis'') is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for handling Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of S ...
.
Several new junior government ministers were created to politically head the NI government departments.
The British Government sought to establish a
Northern Ireland Assembly in 1973 (under the
Sunningdale Agreement; this was brought down by
Unionist action), in 1982 (this time boycotted by
Nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
s), and more recently under the terms of the
Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Each time, the intention in principle was that the Assembly would take over the political governance of Northern Ireland, and that direct rule would thus come to an end. The results of the Good Friday Agreement were the most successful at achieving this; however, the Assembly was nevertheless suspended (and direct rule re-imposed) for over three months starting in February 2000,
twice briefly in August
and September
of 2001, and again from October 2002
until the spring of 2007.
Since the
St Andrews Agreement in 2006, Westminster no longer has the power to suspend the Assembly without the enactment of further primary legislation.
Instances of direct rule following the Good Friday Agreement
The assembly has been suspended five times since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in accordance with the .
The periods of suspension were:
*11 February – 30 May 2000
*10 August 2001 (24-hour suspension)
*22 September 2001 (24-hour suspension)
*14 October 2002 – 7 May 2007
References
External links
CAIN Archive - Direct RuleBBC News - Direct Rule
{{DEFAULTSORT:Direct Rule
Government of Northern Ireland
Political history of Northern Ireland
Orders in Council