4) Third HR bill's Progress 1912-14 Flashcards
May 1912
Bonar Law tried to persuade King George V to call a general election
Why did conservatives believe that an election should be called ?
Since HR was not a part of the Liberal manifesto 1910, they argued that the HR policy should be voted on by the people
What did the conservatives hope to gain from the general election ?
To win the election and stop HR
June 1912
The Agar-Robartes Amendment
Describe the Amendments solution
The amendment called for north-east Ulster to be excluded from the Home Rule settlement, specifically the 4 ulster counties with Protestant majorities. It was defeated by 69 votes
Why did the liberals oppose the Agar-Robartes Amendment
Asquith maintained that it wouldn’t reduce unionist opposition to the bill. Acceptance of the amendment would have unnecessarily left the Irish Nationalists disaffected
Why division in Irish unionism could it have caused ?
If the ulster unionist MPs supported it they would stand accused of deserting their fellow unionists in the remaining 28 counties when their strategy was to reject HR for any part of Ireland
What was Carson’s January 1913 Proposal?
To exclude the whole province of Ulsrwrnfrom the bills operation (9 counties)
How did the Loreburn letter weaken the Liberals’ position to HR?
Loreburn had been one of the staunchest HR supporters in the cabinet. His letter to the Times urged the party leaders to go the extra mile in search of a settlement and suggested they meet for direct talks. Failure to secure an agreement would result in serious disturbances in Ulster
How did Churchill’s speech in Dundee strengthen the ulster unionists ?
Churchill recognises the shift in unionist strategy and stated that Ulster’s “claim for special consideration, if put forward with sincerity, cannot be ignored”
What was discussed at the meetings between Asquith, Bonar Law and Carson in 1913?
The meetings were asquiths response to pressure from the King and from Churchill and Lloyd George who, among with other members of the cabinets, were beginning to receive alarming reports about UVF activity
What was the significance of all the meetings for Asquith’s determination to introduce Home Rule for all of Ireland ?
Asquith learned of Bonar Law’s’ moderation in private and heard that he would accept home Rule with Ulster’s exclusion, though he didn’t attempt to define ulster.
What was Lloyd George’s plan for the county option
Individual counties could opt out of Home Rule for a period of sex years.
Why did the liberals want to introduce it
This allowed them to secure unionist agreement as knowing the length of Parliament was now 5 years, a six year period meant that a general election would be held in the interim, thus offering unionists the prospect of avoiding automatic inclusion if the conservatives were re-elected
Why did the IPP agree to the county option
Redmond convinced himself that the exclusion of probably four Ulster counties would be a temporary state of affairs and that time would do a great deal to heal the divisions between the two traditions
