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.

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    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 2

Latest journal

Volume 97, Issue 2

Includes a Collection titled 'Inequality and the Future of London', edited by Graeme Atherton and Rupa Huq MP, which brings together contributions from politicians, academics and think tanks to explore how inequality manifests itself in London. In the opening commentary, Ben Jackson asks 'What is the Point of the Labour Party?' while John Street, Michael Harker and Samuel Cross explore public inquiries and UK press regulation; Paul Thomas assesses the Prevent counter-terrorism strategy after Southport; and Ben Worthy, Mark Bennister, and Arianna Giovannini take a closer look at the Mayor of London at 25. Book reviews include Mary Dejevsky's review of 'The Russia-Ukraine War and its Origins: From the Maidan to the Ukraine War', by Ivan Katchanovski.

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