11 OCTOBER 1924, Page 3

Lord Grey then went on to develop the idea of

an Irish Republic, and in our opinion he spoke with real insight. He thought that, if the necessity arose, this country would lose nothing by letting the Free State call itself a Republic provided that we reserved freedom of movement for the British Fleet. He warned the Government that if there was really a strong Republican movement in the South, as there was said to be, an avoidance of the issue could not be purchased by any possible arrangement with regard to the Northern Boundary. "If a Republic were established we should not be any more powerless than we are at present." He recognized that to carry any amendment to the Boundary Bill as passed in the House of Commons would be to raise the 'whole question of the position of the House of Lords. The House of Lords would be wrong to surrender such powers as were left to it under the Parliament Act, but on the whole he had come to the conclusion that it would be best to accept the Bill and allow the Boundary Commission to be set up. That would be done, however, on the clear understanding that " we know what we are doing."

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