Labour and the Northern Ireland Problem 1945-51: The Missed Opportunity

This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the impact made by Clement Attlee’s post-war Labour government on the triangular relationship between Belfast, London and Dublin. The Stormont government had finished the war on a high note, but Labour’s shock general election victory in July 1945 shook the confidence of Unionist party leaders who were unsure of the new Labour administration’s intentions towards Ireland. The prospect of closer scrutiny by Westminster, particularly in relation to Stormont’s treatment of the Catholic minority, troubled the Unionist government. At the same time, the anticipation of radical socialist legislation, some of which was likely to override Stormont’s powers, was an additional source of concern.