Transfer of Powers to NI Government

Introduction from Chronology

A transfer of executive power to the Northern Ireland government under section 69 of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 takes places by means of two orders in council made by the British king.

Quoting McColgan, Fanning says “ ‘Partition was now legally complete’ and Llyod George’s room for manoeuvre in his dealings with the Northern Ireland government correspondingly diminished”.

Question

A question arises as to why the Irish delegation did not negatively react to this transfer of power especially when, according to Griffith, Llyod George said that “he could carry a six-county Parliament subordinate to a national Parliament.” – see Oct-30-21/3. It would seem very odd for Llyod George’s cabinet to give executive power to a government which he is saying that he wishes to put under another parliament? It would seem even odder that Llyod George was handing over executive power when he was telling Griffith and Collins – through Jones - that he would ‘force’ Craig to accept a Boundary Commission in which Craig stood to lose a large part of the area under his control?

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