GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 589, 3 December 1920, Page 2

GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND.

VISCOUNT GREY'S PLAN

Viscount Grey's suggestions fH uie future government of Ireland, ■ the Westminster Gazette, will creaß widespread interest. At the outsH his lordship points out that "the peH manent underlying cause of a failuH so prolonged and persistent as thH in Ireland is not to be found in tfl shortcomings of individual GoverH ments, not even in those of the prH sent Government. Faulty as all GoH crnments may be, and as many BriH j ish Governments in Ireland certain! have been, the Irish question wouH have been solved before now but fH Ime thing—the difference betweH Irishmen themselves, that is, betweH Ulster or part of UlsterWmd the reH of Ireland. And the of paH years is that this difference is iH flamed and not composed by BritiH proposals for the government of lifl h.nd. We must therefore (he <H clares) look to some other policy fH relief. Nothing that is in the natuH of a bargain between the British GoH eminent and one part of Ireland hH any chance of success; if Sinn FeH accepts it, Ulster will denounce it; U Ulster accepts it, Sinn Fein will rH Lord Grey proceeds to point oH that the only practicable policy thH offers any prospect of success seeiH to have three cardinal points:— ,H (1) A definite announcement thH for these two islands of Great BrH ain and Ireland there can J>e only oH j foreign policy, one Army, and o^M : Navy, and that we cannot stand seH I aration in these matters any moH than the North could stand"*the seH j aration of the South in the Unit^B ! States. With this exception (2) IrisH | iv. n must be as free as the peoplH ■ of the great self-governing DominioH I to settle for themselves how th(H country is to be governed. To give time for them to come H an agreement with each other aiH draw up their own scheme (3) t^M British Government will continue H perform as best it can the functi^H of government in Ireland for a peri^H rot to exceed two years, but at t^M end x>f that period, or sooner if IrH lrnd is ready, it will withdraw, aH urging itself, if need be, fair terrH j for the retiring constabulary aiH I others who have served it; and t^J lesponsibility for Irish governmei^H will be on Irishmen themselves. "In no other way can we briiH h«on" to Irishmen that sense of rH sponsihility of which we have f^H ccntnrics deprived or relieved theiH and. the lack of which is, I believH the deepest underlying cause of IriH troubles, of Irish disunion, JMBtf tIH failure of every attempt nJtner^H made to find a solution of the IrisH problem." .