The Long Negotiation

This chapter explains how both the IRA and the DUP were fully incorporated into the 1998 Agreement, even if the former saw it as transitional, whereas the latter pretended it was not working within its provisions. The striking success of simply having a sustained period of cooperative power-sharing is celebrated, and a full comparison is made with the Sunningdale Agreement of 1973–4. The Rise and Fall of the House of Paisley is considered. Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness’s interactions with his DUP opposite numbers Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster are assessed. The turbulent implementation of the agreement between 2003 and 2015 is considered. Unresolved controversies over languages and flags and over assessing the conflict are evaluated.