The Eire Agreement and Ulster The Agreement between the United
Kingdom and Eire is discussed in a leading article on another page, but a special word is needed regarding the position of Northern Ireland, which profits considerably by the financial concessions which the British Government thought it well to make in order to disarm possible Ulster hostility to the agreement with Eire. Under the new arrangement agricultural subsidies granted to Northern Ireland farmers are to be borne on United Kingdom votes, the standards of the social services in Northern Ireland are guaranteed by Great Britain, more rearmament work is promised, and Great Britain undertakes so long as the agreement with Eire is in force not to reopen the question of the amount contributed to the Unemployment Assistance Fund of Northern Ireland, which amounted last year to L1,600p00, thus waiving the existing right to reopen the question if Great Britain's contribution exceeded r,000,000. Even with these concessions, which seem handsome enough, Northern Ireland does not profess herself satisfied, and Lord Craigavon is accused by some of his domestic critics of having sold the province. The financial relationship between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is highly complicated, but if there is one thing that is obvious about it it is that it does not work to the disadvantage of Northern Ireland. Critics who are dissatisfied with it as the new concessions leave it can never have experienced satisfaction at anything in life.
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