Worst possible Irish Free State/Republic for the W Allies?

I think it's more complicated than that, I mean if Collins lives, what happens during the 22-39 period might be just as important, would Dev live? Would FF grow as it did, and CnaG suffer in the 30's? Would the Economic War play out the same way and even if the Treaty Ports would have been returned... I mean you have the possibility of the better part of two decades of butterflies in that regard.
Indeed. It's likely Collins would have been more amenable in some respects to Britain and less so in others. I don't think he'd have got into the tariff war over repayments due on land purchases from landlords. But might have been harsher over Border issues and the pogroms against Catholics in the North.

So, no way of knowing how the Free State would have behaved in 1939-45 had he lived and De Valera died. Though I can't help feeling that would be a swap that's beneficial to Ireland. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

or, "me a cowboy, me a cowboy, me a Mexican cowboy".
 
The best way to get the Irish to cause a lot of trouble for the allies is to have the British invade the Irish free state.
 
Yes, but I'm wondering if even that old AH standby a living Michael Collins could have delivered the Free States (as it might well still be) as a willing ally? I think the mood would be 'Once we let the Brits back in we'll nevdr get them out again.'

It would certainly need a more sensitive touch than Churchill's on the other side.

I think a surviving Kevin O'Higgins and/or Arthur Griffith are probably a better bet for a pro-Britain government especially if Dev dies during the war.

(I really must write that timeline some day.)
 

Wimble Toot

Banned
A bad Irish Government in Dublin (excessively anti-British) during 'the Emergency' just means the Republic of Ireland is going to get occupied, with all that entails.

It's far too weak to defend itself, and any sane Dublin government knew that.

Ireland was de facto blockaded by the Royal Navy, anyway.
 
A bad Irish Government in Dublin (excessively anti-British) during 'the Emergency' just means the Republic of Ireland is going to get occupied, with all that entails.

It's far too weak to defend itself, and any sane Dublin government knew that.

Ireland was de facto blockaded by the Royal Navy, anyway.

I do not think the British would invade Ireland short of the Irish joining the axis powers. Ireland would be too much trouble too control. Plus all the Irish in the British forces especial the Irish who deserted the Irish army are now a problem. There are a lot of Irish civilian working in Brittan who could be a problem too.
As the occupying power Britain would be legally responsible for food and medicine and fuel etc
An invasion of Ireland might cause problem with the British relation ship with the US.

Cutting off coal ,fertilizer, wheat and other vital imports would be whagt would happen.

The Irish got all their hard currency from the Bank of England. The irish free state had no foreign currency.
 
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Now I'm trying to think of a case where a small country achieved formal independence from a langer one, and that independence was later revoked
 
Now I'm trying to think of a case where a small country achieved formal independence from a langer one, and that independence was later revoked
Anguilla, though that was given independence as part of a federation with St Kitts and Nevis. For a laugh Google Bay of Piglets.

And, as been noted, Newfoundland due to bankruptcy

Edit

Of course, neither case negates the points you were making. They're just examples.of how real history can be more illogical than AH.
 
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Worst case Ireland for W/Allies is a Blueshirt Ireland.
Not automatically, Fascists didn't do international solidarity to quite the same degree as Communists. OTL Salazar in Portugal and Vargas in Brazil were both reliable friends of the Western Allies. And given that the Blue Shirts strongest supporters were those disadvantaged by the negative effects of DeValera's policies on the cattle export trade to Britain...
 
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