Why didn't Britain offer dominion status earlier?
Australia became independent of Britain in 1901, Canada in 1867 and New Zealand in 1907.
If Britain had made Ireland a dominion around the turn century would a lot of the conflict have been avoided?
[deleted]
Home Rule wasn't Dominion status. It was a local parliament with strict restrictions on what they could do, kind of like a giant Local council. but the Northern Unionists did not want it, because they beleived (accurately) that it woudl lead to more demands and that eventually it would mean the end of the Union. (as fo course it would). And they beleived, also that "home rule would be Rome Rule" ie that the Roman Catholic majority in Ireland would make laws that would make life difficult for the Protestants. Again to an extent, that happened...the Free State and later the Republic of Ireland was heavily influenced by Catholicism. The other places which had Dominion status ealrier were not so close to England (fear of back door invasion of Britain by ohter countries using Ireland as a "back way in") anad were populated largely by English emigrants..
shareAlso, the Loyalists were openly forming paramilitary units, boasting that Home Rule would be prevented from happening. And the British did nothing to stop them. That's when the republican paramilitaries started gaining members.
shareNo, the IRB was always there and would always have staged some form of rebellion, if Ireland got peaceful independence it would have proven everything they ever believed was untrue. The Loyalists started to arm as they predicted they would be persecuted and oppressed by a Nationalist dominated Ireland that was inherently anti-British. And how right they were!
share[deleted]
joyfarrah
Home Rule wasn't Dominion status. It was a local parliament with strict restrictions on what they could do, kind of like a giant Local council. but the Northern Unionists did not want it, because they beleived (accurately) that it woudl lead to more demands and that eventually it would mean the end of the Union. (as fo course it would). And they beleived, also that "home rule would be Rome Rule" ie that the Roman Catholic majority in Ireland would make laws that would make life difficult for the Protestants. Again to an extent, that happened...the Free State and later the Republic of Ireland was heavily influenced by Catholicism. The other places which had Dominion status ealrier were not so close to England (fear of back door invasion of Britain by ohter countries using Ireland as a "back way in") anad were populated largely by English emigrants..
What about all the rules in Northern Ireland that made life very difficult if not impossible for Nationalists/Catholics?
Protestants in the Republic had it far easier that Catholics up the North in any decade of the 20th century.
The discrimination that existed in the north towards nationalists was never carried out towards Protestants in the 26 county Republic.
Joxerlives
No, the IRB was always there and would always have staged some form of rebellion, if Ireland got peaceful independence it would have proven everything they ever believed was untrue. The Loyalists started to arm as they predicted they would be persecuted and oppressed by a Nationalist dominated Ireland that was inherently anti-British. And how right they were!
You mean the way Nationalists were discriminated up the North?
- Protestants could vote more than once nationalists could not,
- preferential treatment was given to protestants for jobs and social housing,
- Intimidation and attacks were frequently carried out by protestants in the north against catholics long before there was any paramilitary activity.
- Internment.
I can never understand why people think it was ok to plant thousands of British citizens in the North and let them steal land and then constantly attack and discriminate against the Irish who were already there and legally entitled to it.
The attitude "Oh, you can't force the protestants to live under Irish rule but it's ok to force the Catholics to live under British rule".
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is protestant yet even he said that the system in N.I. was like apartheid! share