The Parliament Act 1911 The Third Home Rule Bill 1912 Unionist opposition Nationalist reaction
The Parliament Act of 1911
The Conservative Party had been in government from 1895 to 1906. It and the Unionists had always supported each other to ensure a majority. While the Conservatives were in power, Home Rule would not be passed. In 1906 the Liberal Party was voted into government and had enough votes that it did not need outside support.
However, in 1910 the Liberals again needed the help of the Irish Parliamentary Party to stay in government. Until this point, the House of Lords could block (veto) any laws or bills passed by the House of Commons. In 1911, the Liberals passed a law that changed this: the Parliament Act. It stated that the House of Lords could not fully veto any bill and could only delay laws from passing for two years. This meant that Home Rule was a possibility in the near future.
The Third Home Rule Bill of 1912
The Liberals had tried to pass a Home Rule Bill twice before, in 1886 and 1893. Both times it had been vetoed by the House of Lords. In 1912 the leader of the Liberals was Herbert Asquith. He put forward the Third Home Rule Bill to the House of Commons and House of Lords. It was similar to the other Home Rule Bills:
• Ireland would have its own parliament in Dublin to deal with internal affairs.
• The parliament in Westminster would deal with external affairs such as foreign policy and taxation.
Due to the Parliament Act, the House of Lords could not veto the Home Rule Bill even though the Conservatives and the Unionist Party both opposed it – so Home Rule would become law in 1914.
