Sunday, October 30, 2005
Herbert Asquith understood
Here is an interesting and important quote from Herbert H. Asquith, made on a visit to Ireland when he was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland:
‘You can no more split Ireland into two parts than you can split England or Scotland into parts. Ireland is a nation; not two nations, but one nation. There are few cases in history, and, as a student of history in a humble way, I myself know of none, of a nationality at once so distinct, so persistent, and so assimilative as the Irish.’
It's reassuring to know that at least some British Prime Ministers had a good grasp of the Irish situation...
‘You can no more split Ireland into two parts than you can split England or Scotland into parts. Ireland is a nation; not two nations, but one nation. There are few cases in history, and, as a student of history in a humble way, I myself know of none, of a nationality at once so distinct, so persistent, and so assimilative as the Irish.’
It's reassuring to know that at least some British Prime Ministers had a good grasp of the Irish situation...
© 2008 United Irelander.