Last Sunday, 10th November my BLOG was headed BOUNDERS AND BOUNDARY
COMMISSIONS.
COMMISSIONS.
“WHY THEY HOLD THE SIX COUNTIES” was the Headline of an IRISH DEMOCRAT
article in early 1980 when a British Cabinet Memo of 1949 was revealed on the expiration of the 30 year rule.
The following is the text of the Irish Democrat report.
“Top level British Cabinet sources have confirmed beyond doubt that military and strategic considerations are behind Britain’s policy of maintaining Partition.
The evidence is contained in a memorandum to Prime Minister Clement Attlee
written in 1949 by the secretary to the Cabinet, Sir Norman Brook – later Lord
Normanbrook. The memorandum, marked “Noted” by Attlee, is in the recently
released Cabinet papers of the time which are now available for inspection by
the public under the 30-year rule.
The memorandum considers the implications of the Republic’s decision to leave
the Commonwealth and goes on as follows:-
‘For many years past, members of all political parties have been able to take the
line over partition that there is nothing they would like better than to see a united
Ireland, but this is a problem which Irishmen must settle among themselves.
It has been very convenient for the political parties to be able to avoid the responsibility
of favouring one side or the other in this controversy.
It seems to me that Eire’s new status will make it impossible for any political party in this
country to preserve this detached attitude any longer. So long as Eire owes no allegiance to the Crown and is not a member of the Commonwealth, it seems to me that
any United Kingdom government will be compelled to take a positive line in supporting
the continuation of partition – partly because they must support the Loyalists in the North,
BUT MAINLY BECAUSE IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR STRATEGIC REASONS THAT SOME PART OF IRELAND SHOULD REMAIN WITHIN HIS MAJESTY’S DOMINIONS.’
The Cabinet Secretary went on to say that the strategic issue seemed ‘self-evident and
fresh in everybody’s mind as a result of experience in the last war.’ And he also advised
that in approaching particular proposals put forward by the Northern Ireland Government at the time, there were ‘overriding political and strategic reasons for giving these proposals a rather more sympathetic hearing than they might be thought to deserve on their merits.’
So there it is, from an impeccably authoritative source, writing in the age of nuclear
bombs, which so many silly people claim have made Ireland strategically unimportant.
Nothing has happened since to alter this view of Britain’s strategic interests. Partition
must remain because of preparations for war.”
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