Majority The views of the Irish people themselves were then recorded. The mawOll the Fein in the 1918 election Republican Sinn was referred to and the commission concluded 'The country is overwhelmingly opposed the present political and the maiori. ty of Irish people are not happy rule.
The 'principle of selfdetermination', said the Loe event the Labour Party of 1920 permanent right to veto the ending of partition.
At the time this met with some opposition in the Labour Cabinet. Lord Longford then Lord Pakenham and tion, wrote to Prime Minister Attlee to object:
The record of the Northern Irish ments since 1920 has revealed an attitude to freedom of speech, (to) a fair delineation of consti tuency boundaries. and democracy generally which quite OUI of keeping with our Labour Longford concluded saying the solution of the 'Anglo-Irish blem' was 'the political unity of Ireland..the end of partition' This trice deal Longford Attlee not the political principles Longford's objections but rather how partitior was in the interests of Britain.
War necessity Northern Ireland's continued adhesion to the WHELCO Kingdom for defence purposes' The ditching sereprinciple determination has informed Labour governments' attitudes to Nor. thern Ireland since Attlee's fateful moves.
As partition designed to ensure a majority inside an artificially created state, it is obvious the voting inside the North of would reflect that ma. joTthenever the Unionists have felt that the views of their majoriwere being adhered to strongly enough they have reactec violently. The 1974 Loyalist strike which brought down the power-sharing Sunningdale settlement was one such occasion.
companied by a Loyalist campaign violence which left 43 dead. The government's reaction to this strike was timid In his book The Point of No Return Robert Fisk of The Times has shown how the Labour government take the necessary steps to break this strike At no time since 1949 has any Labour government challenged 'right' of the Loyalists to malala user slatc dill the partition of Ireland. Socialist Chällenge 22 January 1981 Page 11