Merlyn Rees
Merlyn Rees, Lord Merlyn Rees (1920-2006) was a Labour politician.[1]
Rees served in the 1974-79 Labour Government as Northern Ireland Secretary (5 Mar 74 - 10 Sep 76) and Home Secretary (10 Sep 76 - 4 May 79).[2]
Northern Ireland Secretary
As Northern Ireland Secretary, Rees was immediately faced with powerful opposition to the Sunningdale power-sharing arrangements, anti-Sunningdale unionists have won 11 out of 12 Northern Ireland seats at the February 1974 general election. During the Ulster Workers' Council strike of May 1974, Rees was unwilling to use the army to break the strike, a position which probably relected the Army's own inclinations, and eventually decided to resume direct rule.[3]
In July 1974, he announced a Constitutional Convention which was elected the following year, but which collapsed in 1976.[4]
During a Provisional IRA ceasefire in early 1975, Rees authorised contacts with British officials, but the ceasefire petered out later that year.[5]
Affiliations
Conferences
Notes
- ↑ Tam Dalyell, Lord Merlyn-Rees, Independent, 6 January 2006.
- ↑ David Butler and Gareth Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900-2000, Macmillan, 2000, pp.35-36.
- ↑ W.D Flackes, & Sydney Elliott, Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968-88, Blackstaff Press, 1989, pp.242-243.
- ↑ W.D Flackes, & Sydney Elliott, Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968-88, Blackstaff Press, 1989, pp.243-244.
- ↑ W.D Flackes, & Sydney Elliott, Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968-88, Blackstaff Press, 1989, pp.243-244.
