Mr. de Valera's Next Move The plain statement on the
Irish negotiations made by Mr. J. H. Thomas in the House of Commons on Tuesday dispels any illusions as to the possibility of negotiating seriously with Mr. de Valera. So long as what was at issue was merely the oath and the annuities the case for getting the thing settled by any competent tribunal, whether all its members belonged to the Commonwealth or not, was, in our view, decisive. But the introduction of claims going back generations before the Treaty, and running up to a total of some 1400 millions, makes the continuation of serious discussions futile. There is nothing for it now but to await developments in Ireland. Mr. de Valera's position in the Dail rests on the seven precarious votes of the Labour members, and the economic results of his present policy are going to hit Labour, urban and rural, more than any other class in the community. If driven to a general election, either by a Parliamentary defeat or by his own sense of strategy, the President could, no doubt, make the declaration of a republic a vital issue. If Southern Ireland really wants to become a republic, which we do not believe, it must become one. The one way to make that development certain is for this country to manifest either anger or alarm at the prospect.
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