REPUBLIC OF EIRE

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1945, Page 5

REPUBLIC OF EIRE

FURTHER EXPLANATION ATTITUDE TO BRITAIN (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent) (Rec. -10.5 a.m.) LONDON, July 19. Mr de Valera was in one of liis most angry moods when the debate on his statement that Eire is an independent republic was resumed in the Dail. Declaring that Eire was not invited to the recent Commonwealth Conference, he stated that Eire was not going to seek invitations. “So long as I occupy the position I do,” he said. “I am not going to humiliate this nation by going hat in hand to anyone.” He said his declaration about Eire as a republic was a declaration of tact—“a fact which had obtained since 1937.” He denied there was any concealment about it, or that he tried to hoodwink the people. Asked why he had not put the word “Republic’ ’ in his Constitution, he said, angrily, “because I did not want the people saying ‘you are pretending to have an independent State for the whole of Ireland when you have hot.’ But we are an independent republic, functioning effectively in this part of Ireland, and this is the whole truth as far as lam concerned. It has not two heads. There is one elected head and no other. We use the signature of the head of the -group of States with whom we are associated for certain restricted purposes as and when the Government advises and at no other time.” Mr de Valera admitted this led to an element of confusion in the interpretation of Eire’s constitutional position, but anyone who attempted to remove it would achieve nothing so far as freedom and the liberty of the twenty-six counties were concerned. He also made it clear that so long as he was its leader, Eire will make no sacrifices to meet the sentiments of Ulster to get a united Ireland. Eire’s neutrality, he said, was the inevitable consequence of partition. “We want the world to know that no matter what crusade may be started for the freedom of small nations, or for democratic principles, our people will not be asked to enter it so long as the curse of partition continues.” Referring to the Commonwealth, Mr de Valera said: “We want to be friends with Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, but it should be remembered that Eire is not a Dominion, and the other Dominions developed from colonies, with their constitutions expressing their loyalties. We have not these loyalties. We are not a grown-up colony; we are a mother country and will accept no less status than that. It will be said that I am animated by hatred of Britain. It is not true. I have often realised that if some other country had been our neighbour our history would have been the same or worse.” For 30 years his hope and aim was to see the people of Ireland and Britain living side by side as good neighbours, each respecting the other’s rights and co-operating . m matters affecting their mutual interests. ROYALTIES IN ULSTER. ~RUGBY, July 19. Three hundred guests including •Lady Montgomery mother of the Field Marshal, were present at the luncheon to the King, Queery and Princess Elizabeth at Londonderry Guildhall. There were cheers for the King and Queen and a special one for .the Princess who is on her first visit to Londonderry. . After lunch, the King, the Queen, and Princess were taken round the ancient Cathedral by the Dean a , Bishop of Londonderry. The Royal party spent an hour and a half at a garden party at Brooke Park where they mst representative men and and women of the country, before leaving for Eglington air station, where they boarded the Dakota to return to England where they arrived saiely and returned to Buckingham - alace. The Royal Family s journey fiorn Ulster to London occupied slightly under three hours. They were met at Hendon by Air Marchal A. R. Cochrane, Air Officer Commanding R.A.F. Transport Command. The weathei during the flight was not ideal, th>Royal” plane for part of the journey was flying through thick cloud.