Theme: Government & Parliament | Content Type: Journal article

Shrinking the United Kingdom: Rebranding the Realm after the Secession of the Irish Free State

David Torrance

Jan Gemerle ireland

Jan Gemerle

| 1 min read

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a century old, but while the secession of (much of) Ireland in the early 1920s has received substantial historical attention, its impact on the UK has been largely ignored. This article considers how the ‘official mind’ approached the issue of nomenclature before and after 6 December 1922, the point at which the Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland) came into existence. Through analysis of archival documents and public discourse, it is shown that discussion initially focussed on the King's style and titles before being extended to how the UK Parliament at Westminster was described. The influence of the Free State in these discussions is considered, as is the primary legislation which finally altered the royal and parliamentary titles in 1927.

Read the full article on Wiley

Need help using Wiley? Click here for help using Wiley

  • David-Torrance_avatar.jpg

    David Torrance

    David Torrance is a constitutional specialist at the House of Commons Library. Before that, he was a freelance journalist and broadcaster. He is the author of more than a dozen books on Scottish and UK political history.

    Articles by David Torrance
Volume 97, Issue 3

Latest journal

Volume 97, Issue 3

Includes a collection on 'The Political Economy of Tourism', edited by Kira Gartzou-Katsouyanni. Contributions include a piece on climate change in tourism-intensive Alpine regions by Valentina Ausserladscheider; Fathimath Musthaq's comparison between restrictions on tourism in the Seychelles and the Maldives; and Lorenzo Mascioli's investigation into how public policy can be used to make local tourism more sustainable. In our opening commentary, Deborah Mabbett reflects that good policy making is often a tedious process. Other articles include Thomas Quinn, Nicholas Allen and John Bartle on Labour's "Red–Green electoral threat"; Eda Bektas, Korhan Mühürcüoğlu on the paradox of power in Turkey; and Nikhil Datta and Amrita Kulka on Labour's home-building plans. Book reviews include Stephen Coleman's assessment of Matthew Goodwin's latest book, 'Suicide of a Nation'.

Find out more about the latest issue of the journal