As part of the agreement, it was proposed to build on the existing Inter-Parliamentary Commission in English-Irish. Prior to the agreement, the body was composed only of parliamentarians from the British and Irish assemblies. In 2001, as proposed by the agreement, it was extended to include parliamentarians of all members of the Anglo-Irish Council. Distrust between political groups lasted years after the agreement. The political line on decentralisation – the transfer of police, justice and other powers from London to Belfast – and the downgrading of the arms of paramilitary groups have hampered the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. While London was delegating local authorities at the end of 1999, political unrest in Northern Ireland led the country to re-establish direct domination in 2000 and 2002. London did not re-establish de-majority government until 2007 with the revolutionary St Andrews Agreement, signed by the British and Irish governments and the main parties in Northern Ireland. At that time, the DUP was the largest Unionist party and Sinn Fein the largest among nationalists and republicans. The relationship between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, First Minister and Deputy First Minister, was a sign that Northern Ireland had really changed. The Presbyterian preacher and former IRA commander were once sworn enemies, but they suddenly worked together in the same office and were nicknamed “The Chuckle Brothers” because of their good relationship. After years of deadlock, the UK government has pledged to implement the legacy-related institutions outlined in the 2014 agreement as part of the January 2020 Stormont Recovery Agreement. However, uncertainty remains, particularly over how Johnson`s government will handle investigations into former members of the British security services for their actions in the northern Ireland conflict.
The peace process has successfully achieved the violence of unrest over the past two decades. Since the conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, it has been necessary to pursue a number of other political and legal agreements aimed at consolidating the peace settlement provided for by the VPA. The result of these referendums was a large majority in both parts of Ireland in favour of the agreement. In the Republic, 56% of the electorate voted, 94% of the vote voted in favour of the revision of the Constitution. The turnout was 81% in Northern Ireland, with 71% of the vote for the agreement. These themes – parades, flags and heritage of the past – were negotiated in 2013 under the chairmanship of Richard N. Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Meghan L.