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Northern Ireland

Image:Ni outline in blue.gif This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Assembly Members Northern Ireland Executive Government Departments United Kingdom Parliament Affairs Committee Grand Committee Northern Irish Members Northern Ireland Office Secretary of State Electoral Commission Organisations British-Irish Council North/South Ministerial Council Local government Districts of Northern Ireland See also Belfast Agreement (1998) St Andrews Agreement (2006) Direct Rule Elections: 2003 - 2007 Political parties Politics of Northern Ireland

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Direct Rule is the term given to the running of the day-to-day administration of Northern Ireland directly from Westminster. It was in place from the suspension of Stormont in March 1972. The British Government sought to establish a Northern Ireland Assembly in 1973 (the Sunningdale Agreement, brought down by Unionists), 1982 (boycotted by Nationalists), and under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Since the Belfast Agreement, the Assembly has been suspended (and thus Direct Rule re-imposed) on four occasions, twice in 1999, 2001 and at the time of writing (2005), the Assembly remains suspended for the indefinite future.

Direct Rule ministers in the Northern Ireland Office, like other British ministers, are members of the majority party at Westminster and so none represent Northern Ireland constituencies.

Direct rule is objected to by many in Northern Ireland. This includes Unionist politicians who regard it as undemocratic. Nationalists and Republicans disagree in basic principle with Northern Ireland's inclusion in the United Kingdom and also regard it as undemocratic and creating a democratic deficit in Northern Ireland.

The implementation of Direct Rule is the prerogative of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who decides if and when to do so.