UNDERSTANDING 1917 AND BEYOND THE HOME RULE MOVEMENT THE HOME RULE MOVEMENT Prior to the passing of the Act Of Union in1800, Ireland had its own parliament and ruled its own people. When the Act Of Union came into effect in 1801, the Kingdom of Ireland was merged with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom. Members of Parliament (MP) that were elected in Ireland from this point on would sit in Westminster, London and decisions about the running of Ireland would also be made from London. Ireland would remain under British rule until 1922. In this time, there would be several attempts at destabilising and revising the relationship between Ireland and Great Britain, but it wasn’t until 1870 that a political movement would gain any serious support for Home Rule. THE BEGINNING OF THE HOME RULE MOVEMENT On 19th May 1870 Isaac Butt founded the ‘Irish Home Government Association’. The Association was formed ‘for the purpose of obtaining for Ireland the right of self-government by means of a national parliament.’ Present at the first meeting was a cross section of people of varying religious and political persuasions as well as landowners, tenant rights activists and supporters and sympathisers of the failed Fenian rebellion of 1867. Those Isaac Butt present believed that Ireland was suffering as a result of being run from Westminster, as evidenced by outbreaks of rebellion and the on-going dispute between landlords and tenants over land. The Association was formed as a pressure group rather than a political party, but over the next three years, members of the group contested a number of by-elections with mixed success. In November 1873 the Home Government Association held a National Obstructionism conference where they reformed into a new organisation, the ‘ was the practice of Home Rule deliberately preventing League’, with the same goal – self-government for Ireland as a part of the bills from being passed, United Kingdom. The League contested the 1874 general election winning 60 either by mass opposition seats and becoming the third party in Parliament (in each election since 1852 or delivering lengthy only two parties had been elected into government). Isaac Butt’s influence talks in parliament. within the party began to decline as the membership became divided as to what tactics to use in the pursuit of Home Rule. Butt preferred to address parliament and follow procedure, whilst more radical members such as Joseph Gillis Biggar and Charles Stewart Parnell preferred ‘obstructionism’ in order Fenian was to force parliament to pay more attention to issues relating to Ireland. Elected the name given to as a Home Rule League MP in a by-election in 1875, Parnell’s influence within members of the Fenian the party grew rapidly amongst both Fenians and Home Rulers, leading him Brotherhood and Irish to being elected chairman of the party in 1880 after the death of Isaac Butt in Republican Brotherhood, organisations dedicated to 1879 (prior to Parnell’s nomination to leadership in May, the League won 63 the establishment of an seats in the general election earlier in the year under the leadership of William independent Irish Republic Shaw). In 1882 Parnell changed the name of the ‘Home Rule League’ to the by means of armed ‘Irish Parliamentary Party’. revolution. THE HOME RULE MOVEMENT 1 UNDERSTANDING 1917 AND BEYOND THE HOME RULE MOVEMENT Issac Butt and the Home Charles Stewart Parnell and the Government Association/Home Irish Parliamentary Party Rule League Not a political party, but an alliance A political party with all members of people and politicians encouraged to take their seats in dedicated to Home Rule. Westminster. Catholic membership increased, Catholic and Protestant whilst Protestant membership membership. decreased. Much more middle class. Charles A variety of people from the social Protestant landowners and Stewart ladder, including landowners and politicians numbers quickly Parnell tenants. declined. A variety of politicians with differing political allegiances (Whig / Liberal / Tory). This led to All members were IPP politicians. disagreements in policy and split votes. Instead of being an informal allegiance of home rule supporters comprised from varying backgrounds and political parties, the IPP was now a unified and organised political party, with a membership that was more radical, Catholic and middle class. In the years following the formation of the IPP, Home Rule would become a dominant issue in Westminster with multiple attempts to pass legislation that would grant self-rule within the British Empire. THE HOME RULE MOVEMENT 2 UNDERSTANDING 1917 AND BEYOND THE HOME RULE MOVEMENT FIRST HOME RULE BILL In April 1886, British Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone intro- duced the Government of Ireland Bill (or First Home Rule Bill). Gladstone wrote the Bill himself, without the input of Irish MPs or his own ministers. The Bill was debated for two months and on the 7th June - the day before the vote for the Bill was due to take place – Gladstone made a three hour speech to the House of Commons in an attempt to increase support for the Bill. On the 8th June, the Bill was defeated by 343 votes to 413. Despite Par- nell’s reservations about some aspects of the Bill, it had the support of the IPP, but the issue of Home Rule caused a split in the Liberal Party, leading to 93 Liberals voting against the Bill. Liberals such as Joseph Chamberlain felt that giving Ireland its own parliament would cause Britain and Ireland to John drift apart." As a result of the Bill being defeated and the Liberal Party being Redmond split, Gladstone resigned and another election was called for July. The 1886 general election proved to be a reversal of fortunes for the Liberals, as the Conservatives won the most seats with the Liberal Unionists - formed by those who split from the Liberals - winning 77 and helping the Conserva- tives to form a government. The Liberals took power back again in the general election of 1892, but again did not have enough seats to form a government Are we, then, going to reduce and again relied on the support of the IPP to form a government (now under Ireland to the position of a the leadership of and John Dillon). self-governing colony? We John Redmond know that, if we did so, that colony would at once throw off its allegiance. Are we, SECOND HOME RULE BILL then, going to reduce Ireland Returning as Prime Minister after the 1892 general election, Gladstone to the position of a self- attempted for a second time to enact a Government of Ireland Bill. The Bill governing colony, subject to was introduced in February 1893. After much debate, the Bill was passed a constitutional supremacy in the House of Commons by 43 votes (347 to 304). Despite going one step which becomes a sham, and further than the previous Bill by making it to a vote in the House of Lords, which we dare not exercise? it was rejected after four days of debate by a vote of 419 to 41 (Bills had to That is the question which lies be passed in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords before at the root of our desire that becoming legislation). Gladstone decided against resigning and calling Irish members be retained at another election, as he believed that Irish Home Rule could not be passed Westminster... in the House of Lords. Joseph Chamberlain 1st June 1886. The Conservatives" and Liberal Unionists came back into power after the 1895 general election and remained there until 1906, when the Liberals won the general election in a famous landslide victory. Two further general elections were held in 1910 - the first (January) as a result of the rejection of a 'People's Budget' by the House of Lords and the second (December) because no party won a clear majority. The December election resulted in a win for the Liberal Party, who formed a government with the IPP - under the leadership of John Redmond - who had demanded before the election took place that Home Rule be included in the Liberal election programme. THE HOME RULE MOVEMENT 3 UNDERSTANDING 1917 AND BEYOND THE HOME RULE MOVEMENT THIRD HOME RULE BILL After winning the December 1910 general election, Liberal Prime Min- ister Herbert Asquith was determined to reform the House of Lords, the upper house of the British parliament which had the power to block pro- spective bills from becoming law. This resulted in the passing of the Parlia- ment Act 1911 which reduced the power of the House of Lords to block bills, reduced their ability to delay bills and reduced the maximum term of a parliament from seven to five. Although not completely supportive of Home Rule, Asquith recognised the role Redmond and the IPP played in helping the Liberals form a government. A new Government of Ireland Act was introduced in April 1912, which allowed Ireland more indepen- dence than the previous two Bills. The Bill was passed three times by the House of Commons and each time rejected by the House of Lords. After the third defeat, Asquith used the provisions of the Parliament Act to over- rule the House of Lords and push the Bill through. Tensions between anti Home Rule unionists in Ulster and pro Home Rule nationalists in the south had Ireland on the brink of civil war. In an attempt to appease both sides, Edward Carson proposals were put forward that would temporarily exclude Ulster from the Home Rule Bill, but discussions over how many counties would be included and the duration of the exclusion, overlapped with the outbreak of the First World War.