THE GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN IRELAND
CURRENT LITERATURE
By Nicholas Mansergh
The purpose of Dr. Mansergh's book (Allen and Unwin, I2S. 6d.) is to examine the method of government established in Northern Ireland in 1922, and on the conclusions which he reaches to put in a plea for " devolution " as a system of government in other areas. His book is an admirable one, scholarly, acute and well-balanced. He discusses the various proposals and counter- proposals which were made during the development of the Irish question, analyses the events which preceded the setting up of the Belfast Parliament, and describes how it has worked during a period of fifteen years. On the experi- ence of " devolution " in Northern Ireland he bases his concluding chapters, which consist of a general discussion of its merits and defects. He recognises the dangers of generalising from " a highly particularised experiment," but on the whole concludes that " federal devolution would be effective in dimin- ishing the work of the Central Govern- ment," in allowing more account to be taken of local conditions when applying a general scheme, and in improving and accelerating local administration.
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