The O'Neill Years

• O'Neill's position was considered weak as most of his party's MP's wanted Brian Faulkner as PM
• Torrence O'Niell became PM of N.I in March 1963
• O'Neill's Economic Policies

  1. Ministry of Development
  2. Economic Council
  3. £900 million investment
  4. Transport investment
  5. International investment
  6. Trade Union deal
  7. Craigavon
  8. Ulster University campus
  9. Health care investment
  10. Haarland and Wolff subsidised
  11. Oil refinery
• unemployment west of the Bann was at 12.5%
• unemployment east of the Bann was 7%
• O'Neill promised 12,000 houses and 65,000 jobs
• Craigavon was built 30 miles outside Belfast rather than in the economically depressed west.
• Ulster University was set up in Coleraine, not Derry the second largest city
• O'Neill's political policies

  1. Hand of Friendship to Dublin
  2. Improving relations with the Catholic community
• Catholics were happy with the hand of friendship
• Article II and III of the Irish Constitution laid claim to the island of Ireland
• Ian Paisley threw snowballs at Sean Lemass
• Ian Paisley called O'Neill a lundy (traitor)
• Protestant working class also wanted to see improvements as they had similar grievances to catholics
• O'Neill faced opposition from OUP backbenchers
• O'Neill used the special powers act to ban the UVF