Redmond declines position in new British cabinet
Westminster, 25 May 1915 - The leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, John Redmond, has declined to accept a role in the new coalition government formed in London.
Mr. Redmond was rumoured to have been offered the position of Postmaster-General.
Confidential letter from Herbert Asquith to John Redmond sent after Redmond's decision not to take part in the coalition government: 'I hope you do not need to be assured how highly I treasure the memory of the work which we have done together in the past, and how unshaken & unshakeable is my confidence, not only in the justice, but in the certain success of our common cause.' Click to enlarge. (Image: National Library of Ireland, MS 47719)
His decision to refuse a cabinet position was announced at a meeting of the Irish Parliamentary Party in the Mansion House in Dublin. A resolution approving of his action was unanimously passed. Mr. Redmond’s position is considered to be in strict adherence with Irish nationalist tradition and policy.
The Irish Parliamentary Party agreed that it will support the new government, just as it had the old, albeit on the understanding that it is in place only for the duration of the war and that it does not deviate from the existing policy on Ireland.
Fears were expressed in certain Irish quarters, however, that the presence of Sir Edward Carson, the leader of Ulster Unionists, at the heart of government might spell doom for Irish nationalists.
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
