Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland Conflict, 1975–1990

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: The first woman elected to lead a major Western power and the longest serving British prime minister for 150 years, Margaret Thatcher is arguably one the most dominant and divisive forces in 20th-century British politics. Yet there has been no overarching exploration of the development of Thatcher’s views towards Northern Ireland from her appointment as Conservative Party leader in 1975 until her forced retirement in 1990. In this original and much-needed study, Stephen Kelly rectifies this. From Thatcher’s ‘no surrender’ attitude to the Republican hunger strikes to her nurturing role in the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process, Kelly traces the evolutionary and sometimes contradictory nature of Thatcher’s approach to Northern Ireland. In doing so, this book reflects afresh on the political relationship between Britain and Ireland in the late-20th century. An engaging and nuanced analysis of previously neglected archival and reported sources, Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland Conflict, 1975-1990 is a vital resource for those interested in Thatcherism, Anglo-Irish relations, and 20th-century British political history more broadly. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Illustrations Acknowledgements Note on Capitals and Formal Titles Note on Sources: Primary and Secondary Abbreviations Introduction Part One Official leader of the opposition, 1975–9 1 Thatcher and the Conservative Party’s Northern Ireland policy, 1975–9 2 Airey Neave and the Conservative Party’s Northern Ireland policy, 1975–9 Part Two First-term in office, 1979–83 3 Thatcher and the evolution of the British government’s Northern Ireland policy, 1979 4 The Atkins’s talks and the Haughey-Thatcher relationship, 1980 5 Thatcher, the second Irish Republican hunger strike and Anglo-Irish relations, 1981 6 The Prior Initiative, the Falklands War and Anglo-Irish relations, 1982 Part Three Second-term in office, 1983–7 7 The FitzGerald-Thatcher relationship and the evolution of Anglo-Irish relations, 1983–4 8 Anglo-American relations and the Anglo-Irish Agreement, 1985–6 Part Four Third-term in office, 1987–90 9 Thatcher, British state collusion and the genesis of the Northern Ireland peace process, 1987–90 Conclusion (including Epilogue, 1990–8) Notes Note on Sources: Primary and Secondary Introduction 1 Thatcher and the Conservative Party’s NorthernIrel and policy, 1975–9 2 Airey Neave and the Conservative Party’s NorthernIrel and policy, 1975–9 3 Thatcher and the evolution of the British government’s Northern Ireland policy, 1979 4 The Atkins’s talks and the Haughey-Thatcher relationship, 1980 5 Thatcher, the second Irish Republican hunger strike and Anglo-Irish relations, 1981 6 The Prior Initiative, the Falklands War and Anglo-Irish relations, 1982 7 The FitzGerald-Thatcher relationship and the evolution of Anglo-Irish relations, 1983–4 8 Anglo-American relations and the Anglo-Irish Agreement, 1985–6 9 Thatcher, British state collusion and the genesis of the Northern Ireland peace process, 1987–90 Conclusion (including Epilogue, 1990–8) Bibliography Index