Unionist
Politics by Feargal Cochrane
Cork University Press 2001
While the UUP 'reserved their position', anti-agreement unionists were far
from reserved, believing this (correctly) to be proof that decommissioning
would not be required to take place before the Executive was established,
and that (in unionist parlance) 'unreconstructed terrorists' would be allowed
into government. Under pressure from his party, UUP leader David Trimble
declined to ask his Assembly colleagues to endorse it until clearer guarantees
were given in the case of the IRA defaulting on decommissioning. For the
next several weeks leading up to the 30 June deadline, political discussions
between the governments and the pro-Agreement parties took place to find
a form of words that would satisfy all concerned. However, despite a concerted
effort, the deadline set by the British government came and went without
agreement. While Prime Minister Blair tried to talk up the situation, declaring
that 'what we have witnessed over the past few days are historic seismic
shifts in the political landscape in Northern Ireland 34 , unionists were
not convinced. David Trimble illustrated the unionist unease over the requirements
placed on Sinn Féin over IRA decommissioning: 'Despite the spin, despite
the smoke and mirrors, there has been no commitment made by the republican
movement to decommission in terms that would be recognised by the unionist
community.' 35 |
