According to state papers released by the British Government the Easter Rising of 1916 and the War of Independence were planned by senior figures in the British government.
The radical initiatives were apparently aimed at getting rid of a bloated, unproductive and ridiculously expensive Irish public service. “They simply couldn’t afford to wage war in Europe and fork out for these public servants to either do nothing or do something badly,” a historian said.
“Easter 1916 didn’t work out too well but British Prime Ministers Asquith and Lloyd George stuck to their guns and were successful with the war of independence,” he added.
“Where are they now when we need them?” a source in Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s Cabinet asked.
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