Government of
Ireland Act
Introduction from Chronology
Government of Ireland Act receives its first reading in the
Westminster parliament (comes into law on December 23rd 1920).
Provisions Include: (1) Partition
of Ireland with a parliament in Dublin covering the 26 counties and another in
Belfast for the six counties. (2) Westminster to hold responsibility for
revenue, foreign, defence, external trade (+ police for 3 years). (3)
Council of Ireland (to hold responsibility for fisheries, railways and open to
more responsibility being devolved to it depending on North-South agreement)
and (4) Senate to protect minorities.
Comments
Hopkinson says that it was
introduced as otherwise the suspended Third Home Rule Act of 1914 would have
had to be implemented with the conclusion of the last of the Peace Treaties in
the spring of 1920. He describes the Government of Ireland Bill as a
"messy compromise".
(He also says that it introduced
in Westminster on December 22nd 1919 rather than February 25th
1920 as Curran claims. Phoenix would seem to sort out the last point
indicating that it ‘trailed’ by Lloyd George in the House of Commons on the 22nd
December 1919 but formally introduced in February. However, Phoenix does
give the date as the February 26th.)
Phoenix points out that Devlin
was in a quandary on how best to oppose the Bill – he eventually decided to
oppose it in the House of Commons.