ABSTRACT
F o l l o w i n g the in t roduc t ion o f direct rule i n 1972, the search began for a pol i t ica l solut ion to the prob lem o f N o r t h e r n Ireland. Initiatives were n o w the prerogative o f the Secretary o f State for N o r t h e r n Ireland. A n y remedies had to be acceptable to the majority U n i o n i s t c o m m u n i t y and the Nat ional i s t minor i ty . Proposals, therefore, had to fuse reassurance for Union is t s w i t h some acknowledgement o f the ambit ions o f National is ts , scarcely an easy task.
