Yet, after much hard hitting in speech, he once more led the way in retreat from the Government's position.

Sir Edward Grey had declared, speaking for the Government, that beyond the six years' limit they could not go.

Mr.Churchill himself had declared the Government's offer would be and should be their last word.

Yet now, avowedly on his own account, and not speaking for the Cabinet, he proposed that a new negotiation should be opened with Sir Edward Carson.
This proposal elicited no response, and the debate continued that day in a line of violent recrimination.

But next day Sir Edward Carson rose and affirmed that he had previously declared his willingness to advise Ulster to close with a proposal giving exclusion until a Federal scheme had been considered, when the whole matter should be reviewed "in the light of the action of the Irish Parliament and how they got on." Now he said: "I shall try to make an advance on what I said before.