Numerous academics, politicians and diplomats are gathering this week to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, one of the most significant constitutional and diplomatic developments in Anglo-Irish relations since the establishment of partition. In 1985, the agreement was seen by many as a key attempt to undermine the IRA’s campaign of violence.
In presenting the agreement, the British and Irish governments averred that any change in the status of Northern Ireland “would only come about with the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland.” But it was also asserted that the UK government “accept that the Irish government will put forward views and proposals on matters relating to Northern Ireland,” through the mechanism of an inter-governmental conference.
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