Saga - 2002, Blaðsíða 93

BRESK STJÓRNMÁL í LJÓSI ÍSLENSKRAR MENNINGAR
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ingar eru þó ekki enn sáttir vegna þess að þeir vilja að lands-
stjórnin, sem Danir halda í Kaupmannahöfn, verði flutt til höf-
uðborgar íslands.36
Ræða Bryce í þinginu og skírskotun hans til sjálfstæðisbaráttu íslend-
inga féll í grýttan jarðveg meðal andstæðinga frumvarpsins. Þing-
mönnum fannst hér ólíku saman að jafna og að vísa til íslands
væri ekki annað en einföldun á mjög flóknu pólitísku máli sem
varðaði hagsmuni og framtíð heils heimsveldis. Utan þings virð-
ist sem menn hafi tekið í sama streng. Richard Burton hafði talað
um forkólfa íslenskrar sjálfstæðisbaráttu sem „Home Rulers" en
taldi þó að ekki mætti rugla þeim saman við þjóðernissinna á
Irlandi: „ísland er í raun í 1600 mílna fjarlægð frá Danmörku, jafn-
langt og London frá Jamaíku. England myndi örugglega ekki
neita írum um heimastjórn ef þeir byggðu Nýja-Sjáland."37 T.G.
Paterson, sem gegndi embætti eins konar ræðismanns Breta á
36 I will give [an] instance ... on a small scale, because the population of the
Island is small; but it relates to a country which ought to be interesting to
us, not only from the ties of blood which unite us to its people, but from
the splendour, unrivalled in the modern world, of its early literature - I
mean the case of Iceland [Cries of „Oh!" from the Opposition.] Hon. Members
opposite seem curiously anxious to have no information upon this subject.
I suppose they would rather I should tread again the weary round of hackney-
ed arguments which we have listened to from those Benches, than that I
should endeavour to throw light upon the subject by means of some new
illustration. For 30 years the people of Iceland - a poor and scattered,
though a high-spirited people - sustained a struggle against the power of
the Danish Monarchy. They demanded legislative independence; they
protested against being governed by and from Denmark; and when Den-
mark offered them a voice and seat in her Diet they refused it, because they
would be in minority there, and because that Body as they said, cared
nothing and knew nothing about their concerns. In 1874 the Danish Gov-
ernment at last yielded, and conceded what may be called legislative inde-
pendence to the Icelandic Govemment. Ever since then things have gone
on with comparative smoothness and harmony. The Icelanders are not yet
contented, because they desire that the seat of administration, which the
Danes keep at Copenhagen, should be transferred to the capital of Iceland.
Parliamentary Debates, The House of Commons cccv: James Bryce, 17. maí
1886, bls. 1223-24.
37 Iceland is actually 1600 miles distant from Denmark, as far as London from
Jamaica. England certainly would not refuse Home Rule to the Irish if they
lived in New Zealand. Richard Burton, Ultima Thule I, bls. 378: