Comment on New Castle Administration
Quoting Wylie, Duggan and Sturgis, Hopkinson says that Anderson
was extremely competent - cool, logical and master of his brief but without the
common touch. However, Hopkinson's overall appraisal is that, while they
improved administration, their policy advice was not followed (pg 63).
On the morning of his arrival, Anderson has a meeting with the Inspector
General of the RIC, T J Smith, who told him that he was in daily fear either of
wholesale resignations or his men running amok (Townshend (2014), pgs 154-155).
MacMahon (like Joseph Byrne, former Inspector General RIC who had
been placed on ‘health leave’– See November 11th)
was a Catholic and French had “effectively cut MacMahon out of the Castle
decision-making process in 1919” owing to his “violently Catholic
leanings” (Townshend (2014), pg
138). After Anderson was appointed, there was technically two joint-Under Secretaries
but, according to Townshend “MacMahon – already sidelined
– evidently accepted his ornamental role” (Townshend (2014), pg
138).