Sir Edward Carson, who in the light of
past experience was too wary to take all Mr. Lloyd George's declarations
at their face value, said at once that he could give no support to the
policy outlined by the Prime Minister until he was convinced that the
latter intended to go through with it to the end.
The Bill to give effect to these proposals (which became the Government
of Ireland Act, 1920) was formally introduced on the 25th of February,
1920, and Carson then went over to Belfast to consult with the Unionist
Council as to the action to be taken by the Ulster members.
The measure was a long and complicated one of seventy clauses and six
schedules. Its effect, stated briefly, was to set up two Parliaments in
Ireland, one for the six Protestant counties of Ulster and the other for
the rest of Ireland. In principle it was the "clean cut" which had been
several times proposed, except that, instead of retaining Ulster in
legislative union with Great Britain, she was to be endowed with local
institutions of her own in every respect similar to, and commensurate
with, those given to the Parliament in Dublin.
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