Page "Partition of Ireland" Paragraph 65

In May 1949 the Taoiseach John A. Costello introduced a motion in the Dáil strongly against the terms of the UK's Ireland Act 1949 that confirmed partition for as long as a majority of the electorate in Northern Ireland wanted it, styled in Dublin as the Unionist Veto.

This was a change from his position supporting the Boundary Commission back in 1925, when he was a legal adviser to the Irish government.

A possible cause was that his coalition government was supported by the strongly republican Clann na Poblachta.

From this point on, all the political parties in the Republic were formally in favour of ending partition, regardless of the opinion of the electorate in Northern Ireland.