How different from the General Election of 1918 when Irish Republicans, in a contest
“regarded on all sides as a plebiscite” according to THE TIMES, took 73 of the  Ireland’s
 105 Parliamentary seats, and when those of their successful candidates not in British
 prisons used their mandate to establish a democratic Republic.
 
The Irish Republic was the only state founded on a democratic mandate following
the Great War waged by Britain and her Imperial co-conspirators avowedly to defend
small nations and the principle of national  self-determination.
 
(Incidentally, there were no plebiscites in Palestine, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Lebanon, Syria,Iraq, or other territories seized by Britain and France, all of which have been cockpits for wars for the last 105 years. Most of Ireland which escaped the Imperialist embrace) has enjoyed peace for 101 years)
 
Political and academic charlatans have sought, for the past 105 years to invalidate
the Republican mandate of 1918 on the grounds that Sinn Fein won only 47% of
the VOTES CAST , ignoring the fact that 25 of their candidates were unopposed.
at the election.The phenomenon of uncontested constituencies in both Britain and
Ireland was not unknown then. Nationalists commonly won most Irish seats although
anti-nationalists got the majority of votes cast. That happened in the first decade of
the 20th Century and the ninth decade of 19th century.
 
Before the dissolution of Parliament in 1918 the Unionists held 26 Irish Seats the
Nationalists 73 and the abstentionist Sinn Fein had acquired 6,
 
Following the election the Unionists retained 26 seats, the Nationalists 6 and Sinn
Fein had 73 seats. The contest was fought between  Nationalists and Sinn Fein and there was no room for doubt about the relative popularity of the parties.
 
Yours faihfully
Donal Kennedy
LONDON