＂대처리즘＂의 헌정적 양상 - 대처 집권 시기 북아일랜드 문제에 대한 하원 심의 -

Abstract

This paper aims to delineate and assess the constitutional dimensions of Thatcherism which have been largely neglected compared to its socio-economic aspects. Major Commons debates on Northern Ireland, mainly annual debates on Northern Ireland Act 1974 (Interim Period Extension) Order which took place 12 times during the 11years of the Thatcher era are examined. This approach is taken because they fairly clearly indicate both the scopes and the vicissitudes of the government as well as the Commons opinions on Northern Ireland. What this paper finds is firstly that in the Commons the Northern Ireland issues were barely considered major questions, which is demonstrated by the considerable lack (1/3 of annual debates) of divisions and the relatively few MPs (mostly fewer than 200) to vote. This low interests and a kind of consensus in the Commons provided additional rooms for Thatcher’s policy initiative. In regard to the Anglo-Irish Agreement which is a major breakthrough in Thatcherian Northern Ireland policy, the dominant views put forth in the Commons were that it was a Thatcher's remarkable policy reorientation and that the driving force behind it was the US, specifically Reagan’s, pressure. It is concluded then the Agreement represents a notable abrasion of British sovereignty both in its contents and process of settlement, notwithstanding Thatcher’s persistent emphasis on iew It is further arguable that the discrepancy between Thatcher’s manifestations and her actual policy implements revealed in her Northern Ireland policies adds an example of paradox which Vw Bogdanor identifies in Thatcher’s constitutional legacy, considering the widespread constitutional controversies she entailed in spite of her strong commitment to the protection of the British constitution.