This is a summary of the ideals the New Nationalist leadership espoused when it first took offive in 1918

(i)       that the people of Ireland comprised one nation;
(ii)       that Britain had partitioned Ireland solely from self- interest;
(iii)         that an independent, politically 're-united' Ireland was inevitable;
(iv)         that even if Britain had to coerce the Ulster unionists into unity — as she was, in honour, if necessary, bound to do — the resulting united Ireland would be economically prosperous and politically stable;
(v)         that if Britain unilaterally broke the link with Northern Ireland, the Ulster unionists would be obliged to accept an accommodation with the south;

From DeValera and The Ulster Question John Bowman (1989)

Ah the above was what Eamon de Valera thought was it?

To quote Mandy Rice-Davis - Well he would say that wouldn't he.

(i)       that the people of Ireland comprised one nation;

Tell me Jim did Dev ask the Unionists in Ulster about that? Or was he just making a rather rash and ill-informed assumption?

(ii)       that Britain had partitioned Ireland solely from self- interest;

Is this the 1920 Act that created Northern and Southern Ireland? I rather think that that was done to prevent a Civil War so not solely for Great Britain's self interest. Even then the 1920 Act only stated temporary Partition - but Dev realised and knew that. Sinn Fein down in Dublin just ignored the whole thing and in any case they'd started their war of independence by then Dev didn't do any fighting though - having stoked the flames he sat it out and let others do his fighting and dying for him - same as he did in Bolands Mills during Easter Week.

(iii)         that an independent, politically 're-united' Ireland was inevitable;

WELL that one didn't pan out did it? 100 years on it is further away now than it ever was. And the Republic has abandoned Dev's cherished constitutional territorial claims on the North and its population.

In July 1916 Lloyd George gave Carson the assurance that the people of Ulster could not be forced into an independent united Ireland without their consent - Or in other words Jim the Good Friday Agreement 1998.

(iv)         that even if Britain had to coerce the Ulster unionists into unity — as she was, in honour, if necessary, bound to do — the resulting united Ireland would be economically prosperous and politically stable;

Good heavens what a complete and utter gobshite this man was. If he didn't think it right and proper that Britain should coerce Ireland into a union what on earth makes him think that it is right for Britain to coerce anybody else into doing anything against their will? Not a great believer in self-determination was he this de Valera character. The economical stability under Dev's guiding hand was a bit of a disaster (Not to mention £7 Billion bail-outs from Britain) and as for the politically stable bit, that only applied as everybody saw with the civil war thing provided that everything went the way Dev wanted it to - otherwise the "MEN WITH THE GUNS" were sent out to "influence" things.

(v)         that if Britain unilaterally broke the link with Northern Ireland, the Ulster unionists would be obliged to accept an accommodation with the south;

Oh no they wouldn't, why should they be obliged to accept anything. They could have declared themselves a tax haven and had their own Las Vegas in the hills of whatever - very hypocritical of Dev to suggest that - he wouldn't have accepted it so why you should the Unionists in the North.

(vi)         that Britain had the necessary resources — military and/or economic and/or political — to coerce the unionists into accepting a united Ireland.

Why should Britain do that? Why should Britain coerce people who want to be part of the United Kingdom into leaving it? If Britain had done what Dev wanted in (v) above the Unionists might have resisted union with the south by waging a Civil War - A civil war that Dev's Irish Republic could not in a month of Sundays hope to win - A Civil War that would have destroyed Ireland. Mind you true to form Dev always liked others to fight his battles for him.

Not exactly a very deep political thinker was Dev - and besides Jim just because he said it doesn't make what he said fact - they are at best only his opinions and I couldn't care less who wrote them down.