On This Day / November 9, 1920
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19201109
Reference Date
19201109
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 9th November 1920, Bonar Law and Edward Carson debated minority rights as partition loomed. Carson urged safeguards for Southern Protestants, while the government refused protection for Northern Catholics. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Minorities and Partition | On This Day – 9th November 1920
IN the House of Commons yesterday, during the Committee stage of the Government of Ireland Act, Mr Bonar Law [Conservative leader] said the Government had earnestly endeavoured to produce a scheme for the setting up of second chambers [in each Irish Parliament] but had been unable to hit on any scheme they could defend.
The Government could not take responsibility of saying they would give protection to the minority in the South when they could find no method giving the same protection to the minority in the North.
He thought, however, that the Government proposal was not as bad as was suggested. There was an inducement to both Parliaments to try to give protection to their minorities.
Sir Edward Carson [Unionist] said, personally, he was very sorry the Government had been unable to frame a scheme for a second chamber. So far as Ulster was concerned, he thought the democracy there would prefer to have no second chamber but the South had demanded a second chamber.
He understood they were willing to have a partly-nominated Second Chamber. The circumstances were completely different between North and South. In the South, the Protestant minority would have no representation whatever. That was not [the case] in the North.
Sir Edward regretted that the Government had not been able to find any scheme to satisfy the minority in the South… He expressed the hope that the Council [of Ireland] – that liaison between North and South – was not going to be the impotent body some people thought it would be. (Cheers.)
He joined with the right hon. gentleman in the most earnest hope that that Council, when it met, might show an example of the willingness of the majority in the North to help to protect the minority in the South and the majority in the South to protect the minority in the North. He was optimistic enough to hope that in that Council there was a germ of a united Ireland in the future.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: Despite Joe Devlin’s pleas for legislative protection for the Northern nationalist minority under Unionist rule, the British government failed to act.
Alone among Ulster Unionists, Carson pressed for a safeguarding Senate for ‘his own people’ in the South (12 per cent of the population), even seeing a role for the Council of Ireland in allaying minority fears.
Craig – now effective Unionist leader – was determined to secure his ‘Protestant Parliament and Protestant state’ and sought – successfully – to remove both ‘last bridge to Irish unity’ and the retention of PR for Stormont elections.
By 1925 both had disappeared whereas the Protestant minority held sway in the Free State Senate.)
On This Day – 9th November 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201109
Reference Date
19201109
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 9th November 1920, Bonar Law and Edward Carson debated minority rights as partition loomed. Carson urged safeguards for Southern Protestants, while the government refused protection for Northern Catholics. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Minorities and Partition | On This Day – 9th November 1920
IN the House of Commons yesterday, during the Committee stage of the Government of Ireland Act, Mr Bonar Law [Conservative leader] said the Government had earnestly endeavoured to produce a scheme for the setting up of second chambers [in each Irish Parliament] but had been unable to hit on any scheme they could defend.
The Government could not take responsibility of saying they would give protection to the minority in the South when they could find no method giving the same protection to the minority in the North.
He thought, however, that the Government proposal was not as bad as was suggested. There was an inducement to both Parliaments to try to give protection to their minorities.
Sir Edward Carson [Unionist] said, personally, he was very sorry the Government had been unable to frame a scheme for a second chamber. So far as Ulster was concerned, he thought the democracy there would prefer to have no second chamber but the South had demanded a second chamber.
He understood they were willing to have a partly-nominated Second Chamber. The circumstances were completely different between North and South. In the South, the Protestant minority would have no representation whatever. That was not [the case] in the North.
Sir Edward regretted that the Government had not been able to find any scheme to satisfy the minority in the South… He expressed the hope that the Council [of Ireland] – that liaison between North and South – was not going to be the impotent body some people thought it would be. (Cheers.)
He joined with the right hon. gentleman in the most earnest hope that that Council, when it met, might show an example of the willingness of the majority in the North to help to protect the minority in the South and the majority in the South to protect the minority in the North. He was optimistic enough to hope that in that Council there was a germ of a united Ireland in the future.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: Despite Joe Devlin’s pleas for legislative protection for the Northern nationalist minority under Unionist rule, the British government failed to act.
Alone among Ulster Unionists, Carson pressed for a safeguarding Senate for ‘his own people’ in the South (12 per cent of the population), even seeing a role for the Council of Ireland in allaying minority fears.
Craig – now effective Unionist leader – was determined to secure his ‘Protestant Parliament and Protestant state’ and sought – successfully – to remove both ‘last bridge to Irish unity’ and the retention of PR for Stormont elections.
By 1925 both had disappeared whereas the Protestant minority held sway in the Free State Senate.)
On This Day – 9th November 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201109
Reference Date
November 9, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 9th November 1920, Bonar Law and Edward Carson debated minority rights as partition loomed. Carson urged safeguards for Southern Protestants, while the government refused protection for Northern Catholics. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Minorities and Partition | On This Day – 9th November 1920
IN the House of Commons yesterday, during the Committee stage of the Government of Ireland Act, Mr Bonar Law [Conservative leader] said the Government had earnestly endeavoured to produce a scheme for the setting up of second chambers [in each Irish Parliament] but had been unable to hit on any scheme they could defend.
The Government could not take responsibility of saying they would give protection to the minority in the South when they could find no method giving the same protection to the minority in the North.
He thought, however, that the Government proposal was not as bad as was suggested. There was an inducement to both Parliaments to try to give protection to their minorities.
Sir Edward Carson [Unionist] said, personally, he was very sorry the Government had been unable to frame a scheme for a second chamber. So far as Ulster was concerned, he thought the democracy there would prefer to have no second chamber but the South had demanded a second chamber.
He understood they were willing to have a partly-nominated Second Chamber. The circumstances were completely different between North and South. In the South, the Protestant minority would have no representation whatever. That was not [the case] in the North.
Sir Edward regretted that the Government had not been able to find any scheme to satisfy the minority in the South… He expressed the hope that the Council [of Ireland] – that liaison between North and South – was not going to be the impotent body some people thought it would be. (Cheers.)
He joined with the right hon. gentleman in the most earnest hope that that Council, when it met, might show an example of the willingness of the majority in the North to help to protect the minority in the South and the majority in the South to protect the minority in the North. He was optimistic enough to hope that in that Council there was a germ of a united Ireland in the future.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: Despite Joe Devlin’s pleas for legislative protection for the Northern nationalist minority under Unionist rule, the British government failed to act.
Alone among Ulster Unionists, Carson pressed for a safeguarding Senate for ‘his own people’ in the South (12 per cent of the population), even seeing a role for the Council of Ireland in allaying minority fears.
Craig – now effective Unionist leader – was determined to secure his ‘Protestant Parliament and Protestant state’ and sought – successfully – to remove both ‘last bridge to Irish unity’ and the retention of PR for Stormont elections.
By 1925 both had disappeared whereas the Protestant minority held sway in the Free State Senate.)
On This Day – 9th November 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.