Government records released under 30 year rule deal predominantly with the turbulent year of 1975.
The National Archives of Ireland releases papers from Departments of State for public consultation which show increasing tension between the Irish and British governments during 1975.
In 1975, the Fine Gael Labour coalition government had to battle surging inflation, fuelled by a national pay agreement that linked pay rises to increases in the cost of living.
Officials warned that inflation could spiral. Tánaiste and Labour Party leader Brendan Corish warned Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave that the crisis could collapse the government. Brendan Corish and other Labour ministers wanted to examine breaking the link between the Irish punt and sterling. Governor of the Irish Central Bank, TK Whitaker, also proposed changing the exchange rate policy. However, in the end, it was agreed that the timing for such a shift was wrong, given the global economic crisis.
In Northern Ireland, the British government decided to nationalise the Harland & Wolff shipyard. The papers also show that Harold Wilson tried to use this to extract political concessions from Unionists. Leading left-winger Tony Benn argued in favour of quick nationalisation as the company was about to run out of funds. Cabinet Secretary John Hunt said that immediate closure was out of the question and would lead to serious disturbances.
The constitutional convention interrupted the usually close relations between the Irish government and the SDLP. Conor Cruise O'Brien of Labour already had a challenging relationship with the SDLP.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 30 December 2005. The reporter is David McCullagh.
