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This book has attempted to critique a number of flawed perceptions of British policy during the Northern Ireland conflict. The Labour government’s handling of the UWC strike was not as disastrous as has been portrayed. From an analysis of the context of the strike and the challenges it proffered it becomes clear that the government was limited in what it could achieve. The strike did not merely succeed because of indecisiveness or a lack of commitment to Sunningdale. This is reinforced by the experience of the UUAC strike three years later. The depiction of the two stoppages as symbolic of Rees and Mason’s tenures as Secretary of State is inaccurate. In spite of a vastly different political context the UUAC strike was a close-run affair; after three years of planning difficulties remained.
It has also been shown that Labour did not seriously consider withdrawal from Northern Ireland, in spite of fears at the time. Wilson was preoccupied with the possibility of a complete breakdown and prepared plans to grant Dominion status, but the significance of these has been misunderstood. In the NIO and cabinet committees consideration was given to all possible options, including not just withdrawal but integration and many others. Rees viewed this process as serving to rule out everything except direct rule. While some Labour ministers favoured other options, the basic logic of his arguments and the political context meant that he won the argument. Rees was correct to conclude that no radical solution would work and to attempt to break the ‘English’ habit of trying to answer the ‘Irish question’.
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