1969 AD - 3 (April - May)

                                                                                                                                                "Bernadette Devlin M.P."                 

 1969 AD April 2nd: Realising now of the need to "combine" their efforts in the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province by the British Imperial Coalition Government and still under the control of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Government, a "selection" meeting was held for the coming bye - election for the the seat in Mid - Ulster that was previously held by the "Official" Unionist Party under the late George Forrest and Kevin Agnew and Austin Currie "withdrew" their nomination in preference to Bernadette Devlin from Cookestown in Co. Tyrone in Central Ulster, and Loudon Seth acted as her "agent" and Eamonn Mac Cann acted as her "press agent," and she was then "inundated" by the Press and T.V. for "interviews."

April 4th: The "People's Democracy Association" carried out a "Civil Rights" march for further "reform" in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province, from out of Belfast in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province, down to Dublin in the Irish Republic, and further "Anti - Civil Rights" violence was to also occur along the way this time at Lurgan in the south in Co. Armagh, another of the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, when the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police there and the Paisleyites were involved in "sit downs," and disobedience "broke out."

April 17th: The tide was now finally "turning" for "Civil Rights" and "Democracy" in the 6 Counties in the Ulster Province still under the control of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government, as Bernadette Devlin at 21 years of age from the "People's Democracy Association" won the bye - election for the seat of Mid - Ulster with 4,211 votes for the British House of Commons in the Westminster Parliament, previously held by George Forrest the "Official" Unionist M.P. where 91.5% of the population there actually came out and "voted" if they could. Bernadette Devlin defeated his wife, Anna Forrest, who was supported by the "Official" Unionist Party, while Bernadette Devlin had also been "supported" by the "political" Sinn Fein Party, the Irish Nationalists, the Irish Republicans and the "People's Democracy Party," who had all "united" in a common cause for her to represent them and the Liberals in the 6 Counties who also wanted "change," defeating the "Official Unionist" candidate by 4,000 votes, and she then became the "youngest" MP. ever elected to the Westminster Parliament. She was to use her newly won position to get the "Civil Rights" message across in the Westminster Parliament in England and would hold that position until 1974, during which time she was also to be "imprisoned" by the British Imperial Government for 6 months.

April 18th: Due to the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government failing to actually "charge" any of those who were the instigators involved in the "Anti - Civil Rights" attacks previously at the Burntollet Bridge, feelings were now running high amongst the Irish Catholic  population, and the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province, moved in on the Irish Catholic Bogside area in Derry and the Irish Republicans in Belfast in Co. Antrim then created "disturbances" there, endeavouring to take the "pressure off" of the Irish Catholic Derry Bogside area, by letting off incendiary devices at the post offices. Later on it was acknowledged by the British Imperial Government's own report into the tragedy, who also found that the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police were once again "guilty of misconduct," "assault and battery,"" malicious damage" to property and the use of provocative and sectarian slogans, where over 2 nights 6 people were "killed" and 300 homes were "burnt."

April 19th: More "Civil Rights" demonstrations were now held to try and bring on "reform" in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province still under the control of the Ascendancy Stormont Government, including one in Derry in Co. Derry, were the moderate John Hume tried to disperse the crowd there,  but once again there were Paisleyites among the "Anti - Civil Rights" groups there also, and fighting broke out, and the "Official"" Unionist R.U.C. police drove those supporting "Civil Rights" back into the Irish Catholic Bogside area, where further rioting broke out and further major confrontations occurred, with the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police this time using "live ammunition" on the population there, with the violence continuing on through the night with "heavy casualties" on the Irish Catholic side.         

April 20th: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, "explosions" occurred to the water supplies, and the British Imperial Military Forces were ordered to guard the key installations there, and this included the "Official" Unionst "B" Special Reserve police, which was "not" a good sign for the overall control of the "Official" Unionist Stormont Government, as in reality they were now under British Imperial Government orders so the "Civil Rights" leaders and the "clergy" now convinced everyone to "tone down" their demonstrations, and Robert Porter the new "Official" Unionist Home Affairs Minister in the Stormont Government there ordered the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police "out" of the Irish Catholic Bogside, which allowed the moderaste leader John Hume and the other "Civil Rights" leaders to restore "peace" there.

     The Rev. Ian Paisley, the ethnic religious fanatic and his cohort, Major Ronald Bunting, who were at this time in "prison," were allowed out on bail during the "elections," and "attacks" now occurred on the "electricity pylons" and also the "reservoirs" in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, for which the defunct "Anti - Treaty IRA" were "blamed," but it was to be eventually proven months later that the Rev. Ian Paisley's U.V.F / Volunteer Force had actually carried them out as they were still trying to "get rid" of Terence O Neill the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Prime Minister of the Stormont Government. Terence O Neill now took an even more firmer line against any chance of "reform" for the Catholic Irish because of what "he perceived" at this time was in reality "Anti - Treaty IRA" actions, while the Paisleyites once again had won the day, and "fooled" him into beleiving it was so while carrying out their own "agendas."

     In these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province, under the control of the Ascendancy Stormont Government, 10 post offices were "blown up" since the previous weekend, and the non - Catholic "Civil Rights" advocate there, Ivar Cooper who was now an M.P. came out "publicly" stating that the "Official" Unionist Stormont Government was standing idly "by, " just allowing it all to happen.

April 21st: James Callaghan, the British Labour Government's Home Secretary, announced in the British House of Commons that he was now going to send in a British Imperial Military Force to do guard duty in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, which in reality were under their "overall control" anyway, but now more so then ever, since the Ascendancy "Official" Unionists had originally gained control there.

April 22nd: Bernadette Devlin who was now an M.P. made her "maiden speech" in the Westminster Parliament in England, and during the debate on these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province that were still under their overall control, she was able to get the "message" of allowing "Civil Rights" for all of the subjects under the British Government rule.

     "Sectarian riots" were still occurring in Belfast in Co. Antrim, one of the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, and the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. riot police were out and about, and the Irish Catholics had to "get out" of their homes if they lived any where near the non - Catholic areas or be "burnt out."

    Terence  O Neill's "Official" Unionist Party discussed the normal "democratic right " of the proposition of one man - one vote, but they made "no decision" on the matter, as they thought the time was not yet right for it, but he told them, if they did not make a decision soon and allow this normal right he would have to "resign."

April 23rd: The "Official" Unionist Party members in the Ascendancy Stormont Government in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province, re - assembled and finally "agreed" to the "democratic" proposition of one man - one vote, by 28 votes to 22 who were still "against" any chance of "reform" and Major James Chichester - Clark the "Official" Unionist Minister for Agriculture "resigned" from the Stormont Cabinet in protest of allowing this basic "civil right" and joined in with the forces of the 2 hardline Ascendancy Unionists, Sir William Craig and Brian Faulkner and Sir William Craig then "verbally" attacked Terence O Neill their ""Official" Unionist Prime Minister, and the "division" meant that it now had to first go to the "Official" Unionist Standing Committee, and then to a full "Official" Unionist Party meeting before it could be "allowed."

     During the night the water pipe at Claudy in Co. Derry, another of these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the Ulster Province, situated 12 miles out of Belfast in Co. Antrim, was "blown up," and then one at Annalong in Co. Down, also another of these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from Ulster Province, creating a vast water shortage in the City of Belfast itself and as the saboteurs were still unknown, but once again the "Anti - Treaty IRA" was naturally blamed, and once again, later on it was to be discovered that it was the Paisleyites doing their utmost still to try and "bring down" their "Official" Unionist Prime Minister Terence O Neill.

      The Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police were out in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the Ulster Province, with their "sub - machine guns," carrying out road blocks and were especially active in the Irish Catholic areas, while Mrs. Paisley was out with 6,000 Paisleyites demanding his permanent "release" from prison and more British Imperial Military Forces were now also being sent over from England to these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in Ulster to "guard" these installations.The English Times newspaper in England, now stated the fact that the British Westminster Government in England should consider "direct" intervention in the running of the Ascendancy Stormont Government in these 6 Counties in Ulster Province. Meanwhile, the previous Local authority's numbers in these 6 Counties in Ulster Province were being "reduced," along with their "previous powers," and "housing" was to be now based on a much "fairer" points system, with an Ombudsman to also be appointed, but the Special Powers Act and the "Official" Unionist "B" Special Reserves were still allowed to operate.

      The Race Relations Act that had existed in the British Westminster Parliament in England. that "outlawed" discrimination of any kind, for all to see was certainly "not operating" in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" by the British Imperial Coalition Government from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province that were nevertheless, in reality, still under the British Government's control, and any previous "reforms" were always given "grudgingly," and there was just "no goodwill" there at all and the British Labour Westminster Government had been "opposed" to the previous ethnic and sectarian actions of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government before, and Direct Rule was now becoming a greater possibility under the new British Labour Government. Everyone was finally coming to realise it was the Rev. Ian Paisley's U.V.F / Volunteer Force, not the defunct "Anti - Treaty IRA," carrying out the "explosions," and a month later this would all be confirmed, but in the meantime the Irish Republican Government had "stayed out of it" all and let the events in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" in Ulster  Province that were still under British Imperial Government control, run their course.

April 27th; The Irish Catholic area in Armagh in Co. Armagh, one of these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" in the Ulster Province, was "attacked" during the early morning, while in Belfast in Co. Antrim, another of these 6 Counties, a "time bomb" was found outside of a Catholic Church.