BPG- Ireland before 1922

Simple Structure-Did the opponents of Home Rule have a good case?

^{describe Home Rule, who are the opponents, economic case, catholic ascendancy, British politicians perspective}

first aspect of economic case against home rule

prosperity of Belfast would be damaged, as relies on intergration to uk and imperial markets

What did Thomas Sinclair argue

the instability of Irish Home Rule would damage the economic prosperity in the north, arguing the Public Exchequer would lack the confidence necessary for commercial and industrial prosperity

opponents argued nationalists would harm Belfast economically as opposed to industry while nationalists argued…

an Irish Government could encourage industrial development in the rest of the country through a policy of Irish protection, meaning it would no longer be exclusive to Belfast and economic prosperity could be spread to the rest of Ireland too

Home rule would benefit which cleavage?

non-industrial areas-periphery

combined with the worry that Home Rule would damage the economy due to instability, there is an added fear that…

the Ulster region would be targeted through economic policy

Alvin Jackson argues that opposition to Home Rule was largely not a rejection of the principle of legislative independence…

but instead opposition to the prospect of Catholics legislating for Ireland.

case that contrbuted to Protestant fear of Catholic ascendancy

Ne Temere decree 1908

What was the Ne Temere decree 1908?

The ruling by the Catholic Church stated that all marriages involving a Catholic were invalid unless they were performed according to the rites of the Roman Church. The McCann case that followed gained wide publicity and involved a Protestant wife who was left by her Catholic Husband, who took their children with him.

Protestant Ascendancy with what Act

marginalisation of Catholics, with the abolition of the Dublin Parliament due to the Act of Union in 1800, reducing them to a minority voice in Westminster

In 1913, MP Patrick White stated that

‘the Irish Unionists in the North of Ireland have had an ascendancy in Ireland since the Act of Union’

The case against Home Rule was tailored towards British politicians when presented in the Houses of Parliament by…

attempting to align the unionist cause with Britain’s colonial interests.

argument concerning challenge to colonial rule undermined by…

a minority within Unionism that favoured Irish Independence over the proposed Home Rule.

Bonar Law left the prime minister with the choice of…

imposing Home Rule on Ulster or holding a general election

Lipset and Rokkan

healthy to have cross-cutting cleavages in a country, Irish cleavages reinforce each other