In the House of Lords on Tuesday Lord Grey of
Fallodon made a characteristically courageous speech on the Irish Boundary Bill. He said plainly that previous Governments had unfortunately entered into two-contra- dictory engagements. The 1920 Bill was undoubtedly accepted by Ulster on the definite understanding that it was a final settlement of the Northern area. . The arrangement could not be changed without Ulster's consent. When the Free State Treaty was negotiated, however, the Southern Nationalists believed that they were enabled by it to reopen the Boundary question. They understood that a "definite engagement" to that effect had been entered into with them. But if we carried out that definite engagement we should break the honourable engagement with Ulster. The Government ought therefore to tell the Free State that there was an understanding with Northern Ireland .which took precedence over the understanding with the South. "I would rather," he said, "face the demands of the Free State to be made a Republic than see the understanding with Ulster broken."
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