Northern politicians voice anger and disappointment at Merlyn Rees statement

September 6 1975

Reaction among Northern politicians to the statement by Mr Merlyn Rees could be described, up to the time of going to Press, as mixed but with the prevailing feeling being one of disappointment.

Mr Rees’ speech was merely a reiteration of what had been going on, said Mr Paddy Devlin, SDLP.

“All he has ever done is to make noises. If you examine the steps he has taken to deal with assassinations you will find that they are merely repeating action taken in the past. The ‘A’ patrol was already operating. He’s going to bring troops in from one area to another. To do what? It’s all nothing but a rehash. All we have been given is a cosmetic exercise to try to keep the pressure coming from the Convention members and the decent people in the community to stop the assassins.

He is using this as a way to fob people off. But results cannot come because the man is committed in principle not to have results against the paramilitaries”, said Mr Devlin.

Mr Devlin said he would make two charges against Mr Rees: That he was not sincere in his efforts to end assassinations; and that by meeting the paramilitaries he was encouraging violence to bring the Convention down.

Mr Oliver Napier, Leader of the Alliance Party, said he felt that the reaction to Mr Rees’ statement was “pretty unanimous”, at least for once in Northern Ireland’s lifetime.

“He said nothing”, said Mr Napier. “The whole thing was boosted as some kind of dramatic statement and then he said absolutely nothing”.

Mr Napier said, “The one thing that the people of Northern Ireland – Catholic and Protestant and in every area – are concerned about, is whether they are going to be the victims of sectarian assassins.

As far as I am concerned, Mr Rees didn’t say anything about that. Neither did he say anything about the fundamental question of policy – whether to continue talking to paramilitaries. All I can say is that I am very disappointed”.

Mr Brian Faulkner, Leader of the Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, said: “I think Mr Rees’ statement didn’t at all sense the mood either of the politicians of Northern Ireland or of the people of Northern Ireland. He completely failed to give the people any reassurance on the current shocking security situation”.

With fears mounting over increased indiscriminate sectarian killings, the Secretary of State, Merlyn Rees’s speech did nothing to assuage those fears, seen by most as vacuous.