Clause 1. — (Constitutional Provisions.)

Part of Ireland Bill – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 16 May 1949.

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Photo of Mr Frank Fairhurst Mr Frank Fairhurst , Oldham 12:00, 16 May 1949

I support the Amendment and I do not want to take up the time of the Committee by repeating what has been said. The wording of the paragraph suggests to me that the Government have made up their minds in this matter, although the House may think otherwise. I must say here and now that I shall follow my colleague into the Division Lobby against the Government in this matter. I wish for the kind of Ireland that we knew 25 or 30 years ago, whose people everyone could love and respect. I want an Ireland that can determine its future destiny as one homogeneous whole. The future, and not the distant future, will prove that this House is now being asked to take a step and to give a concession that it will never regret.

My hon. Friend the Member for Rochdale (Dr. Morgan) made one or two observations which I thought apt and significant. He made comparisons involving what could happen in this country if Northern Ireland decided that they did not want to collaborate with this House in the future. It appeared fantastic to some hon. Members but is it so fantastic? Hundreds of years ago, when we were fighting to bring this country into one common union, we had the Wars of the Roses and other conflicts taking place year after year——