Lord MacDonnell in the course of a speech at Dublin
on Wednesday explained what he understood by Devolution, and stated that be had the concurrence of Lord Dunraven in this explanation. He postulated, first, the maintenance of a central Parliament with plenary control over all Legislative Assemblies; secondly, that this Parliament should have undivided control over foreign affairs, defence, "and all that business and those services which apply to the United Kingdom as a whole " ; thirdly, the creation of a Legislative Assembly in Ireland to deal with Irish questions specified in the statute creating it; and fourthly,
"the establishment of an Irish Treasury, subject to the Irish Assembly's control, provided with funds to be provided in the manner indicated in the Irish Councils Bill or by the assignment of Irish revenues, if this latter plan be found practicable, provided that, whatever arrangement is adopted, it shall proceed on the basis of the existing expenditure in Ireland as a minimum and the continuance of the British Treasury responsibility for financing land purchase, and on reasonable financial recognition of the con- clusions of the Royal Commission on Financial Relations."
In a word, England is to pay the piper and Ireland is to call the tune.
Previous page
