Lecture 18

Northern Ireland 1918-1945: The Establishment and Consolidation

of the State

1. The Creation of Northern Ireland

2. Northern Ireland : Consolidation of the State

3. Security policy

4. Electoral Arrangements

5. Education

6. Economic development 7. Wartime Northern Ireland, 1939-1945

The 6 county state of Northern Ireland came into being as a devolved political entity under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act,

1920

It was later superseded as the basis for relations between Dublin and London with the signing of the Anglo-Irish treaty. Its provisions for Northern Ireland remained.

The Government of Ireland Act (1920)

Offered two Home Rule parliaments: one parliament for the 6 counties and another for the 26 counties

It made provision for ultimate Irish unity

Only local powers were granted

Ultimate power remained in London

Northern Nationalists

Partition left northern nationalists a minority in the six county area

They became a minority subject to their unionist opponents

From the northern nationalist point of view temporary partition with direct rule from London would have been bad

Partition with local institutions dominated by unionists was the worst of all settlements

Lord Craigavon at Stormont with John Andrews

Sir James Craig at the opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament, 1922

The Parliament of Northern Ireland The Northern Parliament: Senate and a House of CommonsA Governor for Northern Ireland appointed in 1922The governor could summon, prorogue and dissolve parliamentGovernor: power to give or withhold the royal assent to billsSenate: modest powers to amend legislationSenate: 2 ex-officio members, mayors of Belfast and Londonderry& 24 elected membersHouse of Commons: 52 members elected for 5 years by PR, including 4 representatives from Queen’s University Belfast

‘It was at least in part because of the Boundary Commission, delayed in its operation by the civil war in the south, by political instability in Britain and by non-cooperation in Belfast that the first four crucial years of NI were so divided, with Protestant determination moulding its every institution and Catholic aloofness refusing every opportunity to contribute.’

Harkness, Northern Ireland Since 1920 p36

Transfer of policing powers

• Met with renewed nationalist activity and unionist militancy

• Resulted in 27 deaths and 92 injuries in Northern Ireland between 19 and 15 November 1921

• Clashes in December brought the death toll to 100 that year

• Surge in recruitment to the UVF

Special Constabulary for Northern

Ireland

• Three categories• ‘A’ – full-time and paid• ‘B’ – part-time with an allowance• ‘C’ – an unpaid reserve

The Civil Authorities (Special

Powers) Act 1922

• Introduced on 15 March 1922• Introduced draconian emergency powers to

search, arrest and detain without warrant, impose stiff penalties and indeed to suspend civil liberties when deemed necessary.

• Initially passed for one year only, it was renewed annually until 1928, was renewed in that year for five years and in 1933 became permanent, until its abolition in 1972.

Local Government (Emergency Powers) Act

• Introduced to the Northern parliament on 2 December 1921

• Enabled the government to dissolve any local council which withheld recognition and co-operation and to replace it with a government appointed commissioner

Electoral Arrangements• Proportional Representation was abolished

by legislation on 11 Sept 1922 • It imposed a declaration of allegiance upon

members and officials of local authorities• Enabled the reversion to old electoral areas

and in some cases the redrawing of new, local electoral areas

• Meant that unionists would be able to dominate local government

• The number of nationalist controlled councils achieved in 1920 were reduced by half

Education Act (Northern Ireland) 1923

1. Wholly maintained schools completely paid for by local education authorities

2. 4 and 2 schools to be managed by 4 representatives of the original owners and two of the new authorities. To receive teacher salaries, half running costs and discretionary capital grants

3. Voluntary schools independent of local education authorities’ control which were to recive teacher salaries sometimes half running costs from the rates but no capital grants

Social Welfare

• National Health Insurance Act (1922)

• Eight Unemployment Insurance Acts (1922-25)

• Trade Boards Act (1923) • Industrial Assurance Act (1924) • Two Old Age Pension Acts (1925)

The aftermath of the Blitz, 15-16 April 1941

The devastated aircraft factory at Harland and Wolff. This area sustained huge damage in the raid of 7-8 April, 1941.