HINDSIGHT CAN be an unreliable guide. In examining the past we see patterns which undoubtedly exist, but then we make the jump to believing that the overall picture was predetermined, when all that happened was that one move on the chessboard led to another. But in life, as in chess, people have choices and behaviour is not preordained.
That said, the dreadful events of 1981, now opened to closer scrutiny with the release of State Papers, do have a direct bearing on this island as it is today. The monumental clash of wills between paramilitary prisoners, principally the IRA, and the British government under Margaret Thatcher, directly led to the deaths of 10 men in prison on hunger strike. For those who remember, it was a bad time. A hunger strike is an exercise in shaming those in authority to bend their wills. The public had to endure widespread intimidation, with IRA supporters with black masks, armbands and batons appearing spontaneously on roads, erecting roadblocks, and behaving in threatening fashion. This became more acute during parliamentary elections when voters were exhorted to “put them in to get them out”. As the men came closer to death, the pressure to do something to save them became almost unbearable.
More than 100 people died during what was one of the worst years of the Troubles. And it is hard to justify this bloody outburst in terms of attempting to bring about greater democracy – 1981 was the year that the IRA murdered unionist member of parliament and Methodist clergyman, Rev Robert Bradford MP. The principal random factor was the byelection caused by the death of independent republican Frank Maguire who held the Westminster parliamentary seat for Fermanagh-South Tyrone. The winner was Bobby Sands, in the sixth week of his hunger strike. By year end, republicans had won seats on both sides of the Border, and the dual strategy of the “ballot box and the Armalite” was seen to yield results. From this we can trace the genesis of what became known as the peace process, with elected Sinn Féin members attending the Oireachtas and Stormont but not Westminster.
It takes great courage to starve oneself to death for a cause. Watching a son or brother or husband die takes a dreadful toll on the family and friends of the hunger striker. We have learned in greater detail about this in the papers released in Belfast this week. Some supported their men in their final struggle, others sought to save their loved ones. But as we acknowledge that bravery and sacrifice, we should not accept its inevitability. There were other ways to achieve the progress of the past 30 years. As we consider again those dreadful events we do well to remember that democratic pursuit of solutions to the problems of two traditions living on one small island was also under way. The 10 who died in prison, and all the other deaths, should not be seen across the gap of 30 years through a heroic green haze, as some kind of essential stepping stone to the more settled Ireland we enjoy today.