Prelude
Part 1
It was in the context of this descent into daily sectarian violence, that efforts were being made to find some sort of solution. This eventually lead to the emergence of the Sunningdale Agreement.
However, as our testimonies show, from the first hints of what the agreement could potentially entail to the twin proposals of Power-sharing and the inclusion of the Council of Ireland, it was clear that there would be much opposition to accompany those who saw Sunningdale as a step forward. Opposition was particularly pronounced within large swathes of Unionism that perceived this a yet another concession to Nationalism, and a step too for.
I remember one of the fellows that I went to school with, he said...it wasn't that much that we were getting power, it's that we're getting respect. We're going to be treated like human beings. We're going to be treated the same as anybody else. And that always stuck in my mind...
Tony McMullan
1974: 16-year-old civil servant, trade unionist
Part 2
Despite widespread Unionist opposition and voices of discontent within sections of the Nationalist community, authorities pushed ahead with the Sunningdale experiment, and the executive took its place in January 1974. However, despite any optimism around these attempts, tensions had been building and Unionism was fragmenting, leading to the decisive elections of February 1974 which became a virtual referendum on Sunningdale.