1971 – 1985 The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland was born in the midst of the Troubles, in April 1970. Denis Loretto looks back at the party’s history and its relationships with the Liberal Party and the SDP. Alliance,Alliance, LiberalsLiberals andand thethe SDPSDP A Personal Memoir n the th of October I was drawn to was there at the first meeting on th February my office window in Belfast by a com and was attracted to the agenda put forward – chaos O motion outside – hundreds of boisterous was at hand and it was up to the Northern Irish peo- young people were heading down Linenhall Street. ple themselves to put aside their sterile divisions and As I went to the door and looked out they re- build the solution. The root problem was sectarian- sponded to shouts from the front and all sat down in ism. A combination of absolute equality and involve- the street. They had been barred from access to the ment for Protestants and Catholics and respect for City Hall. The autumn sun beamed down on the the rule of law was paramount. Attacks on the ma- peaceful but determined scene. At that moment I re- jority view on the link with Great Britain were part alised that the bitter realities of my native province of the problem and not the solution. The immediate had invaded my cosy world. At some point I would objective was to support the reform programme and have to become involved. to recruit across the province members of all politi- What I had witnessed was the protest of Queens cal parties and none. Adding spice to the meeting University students against the brutal sweeping from was the announcement the same day that Terence the Derry streets of a civil rights march four days O’Neill had called a general election for the earlier – the one that sent the first appalling TV im- Stormont parliament. ages around the world. On that afternoon the Peo- I knew no-one on the platform but soon realised ple’s Democracy was formed by those students. On that some Liberal Party members – notably Oliver the same day the Derry Citizens Action Committee Napier – were the driving force. Their reward was was founded with John Hume as its Vice-Chairman. expulsion from the Ulster Liberal Party who evi- My own political experience was limited to a dently regarded this as heresy of some sort. couple of years in the Liberal Party in / It is often forgotten that O’Neill actually won the when I had gone to work in London. As it hap- ‘Crossroads’ election on th February in that pened I lived in Orpington, Kent, and worked in twenty-seven out of the thirty-nine Unionists the famous by-election campaign – heady days! elected supported his reform programme. However Upon return to Northern Ireland I avoided politics they were a mixture of Official and Unofficial Un- like so many business and professional people of ionists and the divisions at the grass roots were seri- non-partisan view. There was a weak Ulster Liberal ous. Three Nationalists were dislodged by Independ- Party but it seemed to have no relevance in the lo- ents identified with the civil rights movement in- cal sectarian scene. I had sympathy with the civil cluding Hume. Sheelagh Murnaghan who had held rights movement but saw how easily it could be a seat for the Liberals since under the anachro- subverted by forces more concerned with ‘Brits nistic University franchise was only able to muster Out’ than human rights. % of the vote in North Down. It was the formation of the New Ulster Move- During NUM built an active organisation ment (NUM) which provided the vehicle for me. I with thousands of members drawn from all sections Journal of Liberal Democrat History 33 Winter 2001–02 33 of the community. It issued many influ- Liberal parties had made some attempt (c) The elimination of prejudice by ential papers. It was the first to call for a to cut across sectarian divisions ‘but a just and liberal appreciation of Community Relations Commission with doctrinaire policies geared to the the beliefs and fears of different and a Central Housing Executive. But general British political scene they have members of the community; its more radical members were becom- failed to solve the fundamental prob- (d) Equality of social, economic and ing dissatisfied with a Movement. They lems on their own doorstep. They have educational opportunities; wanted a new political party. O’Neill tended to divide moderate and liberal (e) Highest standards of democracy had resigned in April and was replaced people on economic issues rather than at both parliamentary and local by the ineffectual Chichester-Clark. uniting them to fight against sectarian- government level; The reform programme was continu- ism and the past.’ (f) Complete and effective partici- ally overtaken by events including the In drafting the founding principles pation in our political, govern- major unrest in Derry’s Bogside that we majored on healing community di- mental and public life at all levels brought the British Army on to the visions but knew we must also be un- by people drawn from both sides streets and led to the formation of the equivocal on the British link. Vacillation of our present religious divide. Provisional IRA. Loyalist attacks on on this issue was one of the defects of . Our economic policies will not Catholic homes proliferated. the Ulster Liberal Party. We knew that be shackled by any economic dogma, The current political structure was the majority of Catholics were pre- whether socialist or conservative. The not going to work. Without any public- pared to settle for true equality and cul- Alliance Party will never accept any ity a sixteen-strong group was formed tural freedom within a province largely such socio-economic allegiance. Nor late in consisting of NUM mem- running its own affairs within the is there any intention or desire what- bers plus representatives of the ‘Parlia- United Kingdom. All that has hap- ever to affiliate with any other party. mentary Associations’ which had pened since - up to and including the formed around unofficial pro-O’Neill Good Friday agreement - has borne .We firmly believe that without candidates in the February elec- this out. For many years, both North universal respect for the law of the tion. Behind the scenes it worked on and South of the border, clamour for land and the authorities appointed to the logistics of forming a political party breaking the British link has always enforce it there can be no measurable from the ground up. I was proud to be a peaked at times when there seemed to progress. We therefore intend to se- member of ‘The Group’ and had no be no hope of a place in the sun for cure the rapid achievement of such doubt that launch was now only a mat- Northern Catholics. respect and the absolutely equal en- ter of timing. It was the two by-elec- It is worth quoting the founding forcement of the law without fear or tions on th April that gave us principles of the Alliance Party in full: favour in every part of the state. Equal the signal. Paisley took O’Neill’s former justice will be guaranteed to all citi- .We support the constitutional seat Bannside. In South Antrim Paisley’s zens regardless of their political or re- position of Northern Ireland as an deputy Beattie won but an unknown ligious persuasion. integral part of the United King- candidate David Corkey standing as an dom. We know that this belief is The party launch brought a positive Independent backed by NUM activists shared by the overwhelming major- response from NUM members and gained over % of the vote and was ity of our people and that provoca- others of like mind. The leadership just behind the Official Unionist candi- tive debate about it has been a pri- rapidly got on with building a prov- date. Paisley had made his entrance into mary cause of our most fundamental ince-wide organisation with over elective politics and moderate union- troubles. The Union is in the best , card-carrying members. Some ism had no answer. economic and social interests of all feelers had been put out to civil rights In a hectic weekend we wrote a dec- citizens of the state. It also implies activists – John Hume received a tu- laration of intent containing the found- British standards of democracy and multuous reception when he ad- ing principles of the party plus all the social justice which will be energeti- dressed a NUM meeting in East Bel- supporting documentation for a press cally secured and steadfastly upheld. fast in – but they kept their dis- launch on Tuesday st April. The name We are firmly committed to the tance. It was a great disappointment to of the party was one of the more con- principle of devolved government us that they got together with Nation- tentious issues. In the end ‘Alliance’ was and would not support any attempt alist members later the same year – on chosen because it was new, avoided to suspend or dissolve the Northern st August - to form the Social any partisan flavour and would fit into Ireland Parliament. Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). a newspaper headline unabridged! In It had constructive intent and its advo- the declaration of intent we repudi- . Our primary objective is to heal cacy of a United Ireland was only by ated not only the Unionist and Na- the bitter divisions in our community consent.