1970 AD - 4 / August to December
"Social Democratic Labour Party / S.D.L.P."
1970 AD August 8th - 11th:
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
Stormont
Government,
2 R.U.C. policemen,
Robert
Miller and Samuel Donaldson were "killed" by a bomb, when they went to inspect an abandoned car at
Crossmaglen on the Lisarow Road in
Co. Armagh, near the "artificial border,"
which was a strong Republican area, which had
originally been "recommended to be handed back" to the Irish Republic
by the British
Government Border Commission.
In
these
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
Stormont
Government, although Robert Porter was the Minster
for Home Affairs, in the "Official" Unionist Stormont Government, it was
once again to be
Brian Faulkner, the Ascendancy hard - line anti - Cathiolic Stormont Minister for
Development, who came out once again "blaming" the "Anti - Treaty IRA" for all
of the present "Troubles." He wanted Jack Lynch the Prime Minister
of the
Irish Republic,
to find them for him and "hand them over" to his "Official" Unionist Government
to be dealt with, but the initial deaths of these 2 "Official" Unionist
R.U.C. policemen was
now to increase to 20, while the population in these
6
Counties in Ulster Province, were to go from
1 victim a week, to 10
victims a week, including even the mentally ill and small children who were also
to become fair game while, many genuine attempts were being made to bring about
some "common sense," and remove the "ethnic and
religious bigotry" from the scene altogether, along with the ongoing "repression" in these 6 Counties
in Ulster Province. A
"political" All Ireland
Democratic Party was now to be also "formed" under Major Ronald
Bunting.
Maurice Foley,
a British Labour Party M.P. in the
Westminster Parliament, proposed to
John Hume in Co. Derry that all the "Opposition Parties" in these
6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the
9 Counties in the Ulster Province,
should "unite" and form a real Opposition Party there and
Austin
Currie the Irish Nationalist member was all
for it, while John
Hume was having discussions with all of the
other Stormont
Opposition members to try and bring about some positive results to these never
ending
"Troubles." At this time, the Opposition in these 6
Counties in Ulster Province, were represented by the
Labour Party, the
Republican
Labour Party, the Nationalist Party, and
3 Independents. Due to the complete "dominance"
of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist numbers in the
Stormont Parliament there for nearly
50 years, they were all treated with "contempt" by the
"Official" Unionist Party, who always
had, and still had, "total control "over the Stormont
Government there. Gerry Fitt,
a member in "both"
the Stormont and the
Westminster Parliaments, was also interested if he could be the chosen
"leader," and
together with the 3
Stormont M.P.'s who were connected with N.I.C.R.A / Civil Rights Association, a
"united" "Opposition Party" was begun.
The Labour Party was
then to kick out
Patrick Devlin from their party, for
"associating" with them. while John Hume and
Austin Currie supported Gerry Fitt as
their "leader," and their numbers grew to 7, when they were to form the
Social Democratic Labour Party / S.D.L.P. Patrick Kennedy,
who was a member of the
Republican Labour
Party, also gave it the thumbs down, as he thought it was connected with the British
Labour Party and he was to eventually "get out" of politics altogether, and put his efforts into
just representing the "Provisional I.R.A." in the north. The
S.D.L. Party
although it
was also "non - sectarian," wanted a
re - united Ireland by "peaceful" means,
with
consent of the "majority," and it due to thse policies it was to eventually come to represent the
Irish Catholic working class in these
6 Counties in Ulster
Province.
August 21st: In these 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 Stormont Government, the newly formed S.D.L. Party held a news conference, where they put forward a 9 point plan at the Grand Central Hotel, and stated that they stood for "co - operation and unity" in Ireland, by the "consent of the majority" of the people, while the other newly formed moderate Unionist Alliance Party. which was a middle of the road Party, that was only "small" at this time, believed that the S.D.L Party would only harden the "religious differences." Despite this conclusion at this time, the Irish Catholics were "uniting," while the non - Catholic organizations were either "drifting apart" while trying to gain some "moderate sensibility" in their leadership, or (moving to the "far right" to continue to maintain the hard - line "seige mentality" of the Ascendancy. Many "moderate" Unionists, from now on continued to "come forward," with a more common sense approach to "fairness and reality", except of course the real hard - liners, who were to continue to live in the greater glory of the Ascendancy's past "dominance" no matter what.
In these 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 Stormont Government, Sir William Craig, who was one of the Unionist anti - Catholic hard - liners, had previously been "ousted" from the position of "Official" Unionist Minister for Home Affairs in the Stormont Government, by Major James Chichester - Clark their Prijme Minister, because of his "totally intractable" approach. They had then put in a Yorkshire man to replace him, who had also not lived up to expectations, and Robert Porter had then held the position ever since, but he too now found it necessary to "resign," and 2 years later on was "to leave" the "Official" Unionist Party altogether when Major James Dawson Chichester - Clark was to take over the position himself, while delegating the mundane parts of the portfolio to John Taylor the "Official" Unionist anti - Catholic hard - liner, while giving him a seat in the Stormont Cabinet, where in this position he was able to "prevent" a march by the Blackmen of Belfast in Co. Antrim, who were even more "frightening" then the Orangemen.
September:
In
these
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
Stormont
Government, the
West
Unionist Council
under
Harry West
who was previously the Agricultural Minister
in the
"Official" Unionist Stormont Government,
"split" off as they were all "intractable hard - liners,"
who came out and publicly "condemned" Major James
Chichester - Clark their Prime
Minister, giving their support instead to
Sir
William Craig the Unionist anti - Catholic hard - liner,
who was now sitting on the "backbench" since his previous dismissal in
1968,
for his "extreme hard - line views."
September:
October:
In
these
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
Stormont
Government,
the
British
Conservative Government's Military Forces, who
were based
in the
Shankhill area were getting a
"hard time" from the
youths among the non - Catholic youths there also as the youths there were carrying out
"attacks" on a small block of
Unity Flats, in which there were
Irish Catholics
still living, and non -
Catholic "riots"
October 23rd:
All those "charged" in the previous "Arms Crisis," in the Irish Republic
were
"acquitted," and one of these,
Charles Haughey,
then
challenged
Jack Lynch
for the
leadership of the
Fianna Fail Party
there, but was "unsuccessful.
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
Stormont
Government,
Bernadette Devlin
was "released" from prison after receiving
2
months off for "good
behaviour" and there was to be confrontation at
Enniskillen
in
Co. Fermanagh,
another of these 6 Counties in
Ulster Province,
between the
"Civil
Rights" marchers and the Ascendancy "Official"
Unionist Stormont Government's
R.U.C.
police there, which thankfully this time ended "peacefully."
Trouble
also broke out in the Irish
Catholic Ardoyne area again, when the
British Conservative
Government's Military Forces commander there advanced
into the area and came up against the "Anti - Treaty
IRA" under the leadership of
Martin Meehan, and
5
nail bombs were
thrown and 6
of the British Imperial Government
Forces
were "wounded. "
Cathal Goulding the previous "Socialist" leader of the "Official Anti - Treaty IRA" in Dublin, in the Irish Republic stated that they too, were now going on the "offensive" against the British Imperial Government Military Forces in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, still under the British Conservative Government and Ascendancy "Official" Unionist control, but they were against any type of "attack" on any commercial targets, as these would deprive the workers there, of their jobs. Despite this pronouncement, it was to really be the "Provisional Anti - Treaty IRA / Provos" there, that Major General Anthony Farrar - Hockley the British Imperial Military Forces commander there was really worried about although the number of British Imperial Government Military Forces now in these 6 Counties in Ulster Province, was taken up to 7,000 in strength.
November:
In England, Edward Heath the
British
Conservative Prime Minister, believing things had "settled
down" removed
2
of their British Military Battalions from the
6
Counties "artificially partitioned" from the
9 Counties in the
Ulster Province,
still under their control, and things were to be relatively
calm into the new year, except for a
few disturbances in
Ballymurphy,
where the
"Anti - Treaty IRA Provos" there
were still
trying not to directly confront the
British Imperial Military Forces, but despite this year, 25
civilians, were to meet with "violent deaths" so far in these 6 Counties in Ulster
Province, with no
"Official" Unionist R.U.C. police and no
British Government Military Forces, but things were to get even
"worse" in the future,
in these 6 Counties in Ulster
Province,
still under
the control of the British Conservative Government and
the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont
Government.