Blair instructed Trimble to ‘get misplaced’ on border ballot timetable, data present

Former UUP chief David Trimble was successfully instructed by Tony Blair to “get misplaced” on the timetable for a border ballot, in keeping with beforehand confidential studies.

Beneath the phrases of the 1998 Good Friday Settlement, the British authorities is obliged to carry a referendum in Northern Eire if there’s proof of a change in public opinion in favor of Irish unity.

Data launched by the Irish authorities as a part of the annual launch of state archives present that Mr Trimble was repeatedly engaged in a marketing campaign in 2002 to carry such a vote on the identical day as the subsequent election. Northern Eire Meeting – that’s, at the moment. appears prepared for Might subsequent yr.

Paperwork from the Nationwide Archives in Dublin present that the SDLP and the Irish authorities have been strongly against the concept.

In March 2002, the UUP chief publicly supported the concept of ​​holding a border ballot, including that it could quantity to “a republican bluff”.

The transfer was seen partially as an try to extend turnout in parliamentary elections, though questions have been raised over whether or not this might profit the DUP over the UUP.

Mr Trimble mentioned this might put the difficulty apart for “one other technology” – when the vote was anticipated, primarily based on demographics, to favor unionists.

The decision comes as he describes the Republic of Eire as a “pathetic, sectarian, mono-ethnic and mono-cultural state”.

His election marketing campaign continued publicly and privately for months.

Within the information, Irish officers be aware that the SDLP believed that holding such a vote on the identical day because the parliamentary election could be a “sectarian massacre” – and that the celebration would categorical its full opposition to the proposal.

The recordings, taken from a name between an Irish diplomat and SDLP chief Mark Durkan’s high adviser Damien McAteer, present the celebration wished to carry a border ballot halfway by the subsequent Meeting.

Whereas separate paperwork present Irish officers believed the British authorities was “equivocal” on the difficulty, Dublin mentioned the ballot’s coincidence with Meeting elections could be “deeply polarizing and destabilizing”.

Considerations have been raised that the transfer might improve votes for the DUP and Sinn Fein, whereas Mr Durkan reportedly mentioned the proposal would create a “theme park for flags”.

Mr Blair’s chief of workers, Jonathan Powell, spoke on September 13 with a senior Irish official within the division accountable for the peace course of.

Michael Collins, the official who later grew to become Eire’s ambassador to the US, wrote in a confidential memo: “Relating to the border ballot thought, Powell mentioned Blair instructed Trimble to ‘get misplaced.’

“Powell mentioned they have been nonetheless involved that Trimble was sleepwalking right into a disaster together with his celebration.

“They weren’t satisfied he would escape and he might nonetheless be hit by the grey fits as early as tomorrow at his celebration govt assembly.”

Regardless, Mr. Trimble’s plan to carry a border ballot on the identical day because the election by no means got here to fruition.

This was partly as a result of he and different unionists introduced down the power-sharing establishments a month later, following controversy arising from the PSNI assault on the places of work of the Sinn Fein at Stormont looking for information.

The establishments wouldn’t be restored till 2007, when Mr Trimble resigned as chief of the UUP after dropping his Westminster seat within the 2005 normal election.

No such vote has taken place because the signing of the Good Friday Settlement.

All through Eire’s 2024 normal election marketing campaign, Sinn Féin chief Mary Lou McDonald has referred to as on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to stipulate the “pivotal” circumstances wanted for his authorities to name a referendum on unification Irish.

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Earlier this yr, Sir Keir mentioned he was dedicated to the ideas of the Good Friday Settlement.

Nonetheless, whereas in opposition he mentioned a referendum on Irish unification was “not even on the horizon”.

– This text relies on paperwork from 2024/130/15