Similarities and Differences With The Sunningdale Agreement
Some commentators have referred to the Agreement as "Sunningdale for slow learners", which suggests that it was nothing more than what was on offer in the Sunningdale Agreement of 1973. This assertion has been criticised by political scientists one of whom stated that "..there are... significant differences between them, both in terms of content and the circumstances surrounding their negotiation, implementation, and operation". The main issues omitted by Sunningdale and addressed by the Belfast agreement are the principle of self-determination, the recognition of both national identities, the British-Irish intergovernmental cooperation and the legal procedures to make power-sharing mandatory, such as the cross-community vote and the d'Hondt system to appoint ministers to the executive. Former IRA member and journalist Tommy McKearney says that the main difference is the intention of the British government to broker a comprehensive deal by including the IRA and the most uncompromising unionism.
As well as the number of signatories, Stefan Wolff identifies the following similarities and differences between the issues addressed in the two agreements:
| Sunningdale Agreement | Belfast Agreement | |
|---|---|---|
| Consent principle | ||
| Self-determination | ||
| Reform of the policing system | ||
| Prisoners | ||
| Bill of Rights | ||
| Abandonment of violence | ||
| Security co-operation | ||
| Cross-border co-operation | ||
| Recognition of both identities | ||
| Inter-governmental co-operation | ||
| Institutional role for the RoI | ||
| Power-sharing | ||
| Inter-island co-operation | ||
| Devolution of powers |
Wolff identifies this issue as being implicitly addressed in the Sunningdale Agreement
Read more about this topic: Good Friday Agreement
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