The Rt Hon Lord Faulkner Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland Image File history File links Brian Faulkner, Northern Ireland Prime Minister This image is protected by British Crown copyright. ... The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland, appointed by the Governor of Northern Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. ...
Rank	6th Prime Minister
Term of Office	March 23, 1971 - March 30, 1972
Predecessor	James Chichester-Clark
Successor	Office Abolished
Date of Birth	February 18, 1921
Date of Death	March 3, 1977
Political Party	Ulster Unionist Party
Profession	Businessman

Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick (February 18, 1921 - March 3, 1977) was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1971 until 1972. Following the abolition of the office the Parliament of Northern Ireland was prorogued by the British government in March 1972. March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (83rd in leap years). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (90th in leap years). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Right Honourable James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, PC, DL (February 12, 1923–May 17, 2002) was the fifth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party ) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland, which formed its government between 1921 and 1972 and was supported by most unionists throughout the Troubles. ... A businessman (sometimes businesswoman, female; or businessperson, gender neutral) is a generic term for a wide range of people engaged in profit-oriented enterprises, generally the management of a company. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland, appointed by the Governor of Northern Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. ... The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which existed from June 7, 1921 to March 30, 1972, when it was suspended. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Early life

Lord Faulkner was born in Helen's Bay, County Down, the elder of two sons (his brother being Sir Dennis Faulkner) of James and Lilian Faulkner. Educated initially in Northern Ireland, he was sent to the Anglican St Columba's College at Rathfarnham in Dublin (in the Irish Free State) at the age of fourteen, where his best friend was Michael Yeats, son of W.B. Yeats. Helens Bay is a village on the North Down coastline at Grey Point between Crawfordsburn and Seahill, four miles west of Bangor. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Downpatrick Area: 2,448 km² Population (est. ... Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... St. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Territory of the Irish Free State Capital Dublin Language(s) Irish, English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1922–1936 George V  - 1936–1936 George VI President of the Executive Council  - 1922–1932 W.T. Cosgrave  - 1932–1937 Eamon de Valera Legislature Oireachtas  - Upper house Seanad Éireann  - Lower house Dáil Éireann... Michael Yeats (22 August 1921) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... A 1907 engraving of Yeats. ...

Faulkner entered the Queen's University of Belfast in 1939 to study law, but, with the advent of war, he quit his studies to work full time in the family shirt-making business. The Queens University of Belfast (QUB) is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland; the university is often called Queens University Belfast. ...

Early political career

Lord Faulkner became involved in Unionist politics, the first of his family to do so, and was elected to Stormont as Ulster Unionist Party MP for the constituency of East Down in 1949. His vociferous traditional Unionist approach to politics ensured him a prominent backbench position. He was, at the time, the youngest ever MP in the Northern Irish Parliament.[1] In the context of Irish politics, Unionists are people in Northern Ireland, who wish to see the continuation of the Act of Union 1800, as amended by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, under which Northern Ireland, created in that latter Act, remains part of the United Kingdom of Great... The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which existed from June 7, 1921 to March 30, 1972, when it was suspended. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party ) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland, which formed its government between 1921 and 1972 and was supported by most unionists throughout the Troubles. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...

In 1956 Lord Faulkner was offered and accepted the job of Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, or Government Chief Whip.

Heading various Ministries

In 1959 he became Minister of Home Affairs and his safe handling of security for most of the IRA campaign of 1956-62 bolstered his reputation in the eyes of the right wing of Ulster Unionism. This article is about the historical army of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic (1919–1922) which fought in the Irish War of Independence 1919-21, and the Irish Civil War 1922-23. ... Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister...

When Terence O'Neill became Prime Minister in 1963 he offered Faulkner, his chief rival for the job, the post of Minister of Commerce. Faulkner accepted and, until his acrimonious resignation in 1969, revelled and was extremely successful (from his point of view, but was congratulated by others, including the Nationalist opposition for his energetic and sustained approach) in this high profile role. Terence Marne ONeill, Baron ONeill of the Maine, PC (10 September 1914–12 June 1990) was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ...

His resignation over the technicalities of how and when to bring in the local government reforms which the British Labour Government was pushing for was probably the final nail in the political coffin of Terence O'Neill, who resigned in the aftermath of his failure to achieve a good enough result in the Northern Ireland general election, 1969. The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... Terence Marne ONeill, Baron ONeill of the Maine, PC (10 September 1914–12 June 1990) was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Results References Election Demon: Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results Categories: | ...

In the ensuing leadership contest, Faulkner was again denied the prize when O'Neill gave his casting vote to his cousin, James Chichester-Clark. In 1970, Faulkner became the Father of the House. The Right Honourable James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, PC, DL (February 12, 1923–May 17, 2002) was the fifth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. ...

Faulkner came back into government as Minister of Development under Chichester-Clark and in a sharp turn-around, began the implementation of the political reforms that were the main cause of his resignation from O'Neill's Cabinet.

Chichester-Clark himself resigned in 1971; the political and security situation and the more intensive British interest proved too much for this mild-mannered man.

Prime Minister

Promising beginnings

Faulkner finally achieved what history has deemed was his political goal in March 1971 when he was elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and Prime Minister. His year in this office was a disaster both for himself and for the UUP's 50-year hold on power in the region.

In his initial innovative approach to government, he gave a non-unionist, David Bleakley, a former Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP) MP, a position in his Cabinet as Minister of Community Relations. In June of 1971, he proposed three new powerful committees at Stormont which would give the Opposition salaried chairmanships of two of them. David Bleakley, OBE, PC (NI) (born 11 January 1925) is a politician in Northern Ireland. ... The Northern Ireland Labour Party was a political party which operated from 1924 until the 1980s. ...

Initial troubles

However, this initiative (radical at the time) was overtaken by events. A shooting by British soldiers of two Nationalist youths in Derry caused the Social Democratic and Labour Party, the main Opposition, to boycott the Stormont Parliament. The political climate deteriorated further when in answer to a worsening security situation Faulkner introduced internment on 9 August 1971. This alone was a disaster; instead of lessening the violence, it caused the situation to worsen. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... For other uses, see Internment (disambiguation). ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ...

Despite this, Faulkner continued his radical (for the time) approach to Northern Ireland politics and, following Bleakley's resignation in September 1971 over the internment issue, appointed Dr. G.B. Newe, a prominent lay Catholic as Minister of State in the Cabinet Office. Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister...

However, Faulkner staggered on through the rest of 1971, insisting that security was the paramount issue. In January 1972, an incident occurred during an anti-internment march in Derry, during which British paratroopers shot and killed thirteen allegedly unarmed civilians. What history has come to know as Bloody Sunday was, in essence, the finish of Faulkner's government. In March 1972, Faulkner refused to maintain a government without security powers which the British decided to take back. So the British Government dissolved the Stormont parliament and imposed direct rule. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... The Parachute Regiment is the Airborne Infantry element of the British Army. ... For other incidents referred to by this name, see Bloody Sunday. ... Direct Rule is the term given to the running of the day-to-day administration of Northern Ireland directly from Westminster. ...

In the immediate aftermath of the dissolution of the Northern Ireland parliament, he initially joined with the militant Vanguard movement to organise against the action of the British government. The Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party, also known as the Vanguard Ulster Progressive Party (and several variations of word order), was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978. ...

As Chief Minister

In June 1973, elections were held to a new devolved parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly. The elections split the Ulster Unionist Party. Faulkner became Chief Minister in a powersharing executive with the SDLP and the middle-of-the-road Alliance Party, a political alliance cemented at the Sunningdale Conference that year. However the prominence in the Sunningdale Agreement of the cross-border Council of Ireland suggested that Faulkner had strayed just too far ahead of his party. A section of the party left to form the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party which contested the elections in opposition to the UUP. June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with a length of 30 days. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Northern Ireland Assembly was a legislative assembly set up by the Government of the United Kingdom on 3 May 1973 to restore devolved government to Northern Ireland with a power-sharing executive made up of unionists and nationalists. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party ) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland, which formed its government between 1921 and 1972 and was supported by most unionists throughout the Troubles. ... The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), is a political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... The Sunningdale Agreement on December 9, 1973, was an attempt to end the Northern Ireland troubles by forcing unionists to share power with nationalists. ... The Council of Ireland may refer to one of two councils, one proposed and one implemented for a brief period. ... The Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party, also known as the Vanguard Ulster Progressive Party (and several variations of word order), was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978. ...

In 1974 Faulkner lost the leadership of the Ulster Unionists to anti-Sunningdale elements led by Harry West. He subsequently resigned from the Ulster Unionist Party and formed his own Unionist Party of Northern Ireland (UPNI). Harry West Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1974 to 1979. ... The Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was a political party founded by Brian Faulkner in September 1974. ... The Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was a political party founded by Brian Faulkner in September 1974. ...

The power-sharing Executive which he led lasted only six months and was brought down by a loyalist Ulster Workers Council Strike in May 1974. Loyalist paramilitary organisations were prominent in intimidating utility workers and blockading roads (the strike would not have succeeded otherwise). The strike had the tacit support of many Unionists. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Fifteen unprecedented, historic days in 1974 when a million British citizens, the Protestants of Northern Ireland, staged what amounted to a rebellion against the Crown and won. ...

Faulkner's party fared badly in the Convention elections of 1975 winning only five out of the 78 seats contested. In 1976 Faulkner announced that he was quitting active politics and, on 7 February 1977, he became a life peer, taking the title Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, of Downpatrick in County Down. February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Look up Down in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Personal life

He married Lucy Forsythe in 1951. They met through their common interest in hunting. She was equally at home in a political partnership having had a career in journalism and was secretary to the Northern Ireland Prime Minister, Sir Basil Brooke (later Viscount Brookeborough) when they met. Together they had three children - a daughter and two sons, they took up residence in Highlands Estate, not far from the village of Seaforde, he surrounded the children with heavy secturity presence (including Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers) and took no risks with his own life, the house being designed that every room lead to another, and panic buttons layed throughout. One of his sons, Michael, has published a biographical book, "The Blue Cabin" (2006) about his move to the family's former holiday house on the island of Islandmore. Sir Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, Bt, KG, CBE, MC, PC (June 9, 1888-August 18, 1973) was an Irish Unionist politician. ... Viscount Brookeborough, of Colebrooke in the County of Fermanagh, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ... Seaforde is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland, one mile north of Clough on the main Ballynahinch to Newcastle road. ... UDR Badge The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. ...

Lord Faulkner's brother is Sir James Dennis Compton Faulkner, known as Sir Dennis Faulkner.

Death

Lord Faulkner, a keen huntsman, died on 3 March 1977 at the age of 56 following a riding accident whilst fox hunting near Saintfield, County Down. His 24-day life peerage is thus believed to have been the shortest-lived.^[1] March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... horse, see Horse (disambiguation). ... A fox hunt Fox hunting is a form of hunting for foxes using a pack of scent hounds. ... Saintfield (in Irish: Tamhnach Naomh, ie Field of Saints) is a large village located in mid-County Down, Northern Ireland, situated roughly halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Downpatrick Area: 2,448 km² Population (est. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.angeltowns.com/town/peerage/02peerage-records.htm

Readings

• Brian Faulkner, Memoirs of a Statesman, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1978 (An autobiography published posthumously)
• David Bleakley, Faulkner, Mowbrays, London, 1974
• Andrew Boyd, Brian Faulkner and the Crisis of Ulster Unionism, Anvil Books, Tralee, Ireland, 1972.
• The Hon. Michael Faulkner, The Blue Cabin, Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 2006.
• Mark Carruthers, Brian Faulkner 'Soft Hardliner': an assessment of political leadership in a divided society, unpublished MSc thesis Queen's University Belfast (QUB), 1989.
• James P. Condren, Brian Faulkner - Ulster Unionist: The long road to the premiership, PhD thesis, University of Ulster, 2005.

See also

• List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords