January 20 1974
Former Unionist MP for Shankill Mr Desmond Boal has lambasted Lord Brookeborough after his criticism of his “Federated Ireland” plan and his meeting with Unity MP Mr Frank McManus for discussions on its proposals.
Mr Boal referred to his contempt for a “political nitwit like John Brooke” and said he would be prepared to talk to any man if such a conversation would conceivably save a life or lead to a cessation of violence and restoration of peace.
He pointed out that the meeting took place at the request of Mr McManus, and said the fact that Lord Brookeborough found it “amazing” that he should take part in talks with the elected representative “of thousands of my countrymen” spoke eloquently of Lord Brookeborough’s “simplistic philosophy and his quaint understanding of representative democracy”.
Mr Boal emphasised that Lord Brookeborough was irresponsibly wrong to suggest that his meeting was to discuss the breaking of the link with Britain.
And he added: “This, in fact, is effectively taking place under the auspices of his own party and incidentally has been contributed to more by the stupidities of the Brookes than by the machinations of the McManuses.”
Former DUP president Desmond Boal criticises Lord Brookeborough, son of former Northern Ireland prime minister Basil Brooke, and people like him, for narrow-mindedness in providing no answers and criticising anyone genuinely trying to reach out to find long-term solutions.
Faulkner Issues Challenge to Sunningdale Critics
Mr Brian Faulkner, the Chief Executive, has challenged his opponents to prove that the Sunningdale agreement was the beginning of the end for Northern Ireland.
Examining the “real significance” of Sunningdale, Mr Faulkner said: “Is it, as some suggest, the beginning of the end for Northern Ireland as we have known it – the start of a process leading inevitably to the conclusion of a united Ireland?
“If I believed that for one moment, I would never have signed the Sunningdale agreement. And if anyone could really demonstrate to me, even at this stage, that such dangers truly exist, I would not be a party to the agreement at the formal stage.”
Mr Faulkner, who was addressing the annual meeting of East Down Unionists Association, went on: “The real significance of Sunningdale is being deliberately blurred by those who do not want it to succeed, and by those who seek to protect Unionist interests by such weird devices as the “Amalgamated Ireland” plan moved, as it were, by Mr Desmond Boal, and seconded by the IRA.”
The Chief Executive said he agreed when it was said that the declaration by the Irish Government that there could be no change in Northern Ireland’s status until the people desired such a change was not a matter of law but of government policy.
“But because it is a declaration which will be formally registered at the United Nations, it is obvious that any successor government in the Irish Republic seeking to adopt a different policy would be obliged to denounce that declaration in a formal way,” he said.