October 3 1924
Mr Cahir Healy said the irreconcilable faction in Ulster took the same attitude in 1914. It was asked why should Ulster make all the sacrifices. He did not at all agree that Ulster had made all the sacrifices. With regard to the position of Nationalists in the Ulster counties, in Tyrone they had a majority, but the object of the Northern Government seemed to be to put the majority in a minority at the elections.
It might seem inconceivable to the House that the Northern Government should so ingeniously manage to produce that result. Ireland was at present a fairly contented member of the British Commonwealth, but if they considered the past and present history of the country, the wonder was that she was so loyal as she was. The Nationalists had always been ready for closer co-operation between the Parliaments of the North and the South, provided they were treated justly in the matter of representation, but the Northern Government would not give way. In the face of recent speeches by Ministers and members of the Northern Parliament, how could the Nationalist minority in Ulster be drawn more closely to the Unionists there? That was the kind of thing that made any agreement impossible.
If the Northern province were to indicate goodwill towards Ireland he would become one of its most loyal subjects. He proceeded to give instances of injustice by the Northern Government to Nationalists, and said hundreds were interned, and could get neither release from prison nor trial.
He did not know what the Northern Government hoped to achieve by its policy of endeavouring to humiliate the Nationalists. He had heard a great deal about the loyalty of Northern Ireland, but it was a loyalty to itself. It would be loyal only so long as it suited it. He was reminded of the nursery rhyme, “Love Mammy, love Daddy, but love myself best of any”. Throughout the whole area of the Six Counties they could not find one ounce of practical loyalty, though it was true they would find plenty of Union Jacks flying – because it pleased the English, they said.
When it no longer suited her Northern Ireland would adopt the attitude she exhibited in 1914, when a cargo of arms was imported from Germany, defying all the King’s horses and all the King’s men.
