Unionists portrayed themselves as making a "great sacrifice" by conceding 26 counties, three of which were part of Ulster. In reality, the arrangement actually suited their interests as it consolidated their power as a Protestant majority over the North. Some British authorities assumed that having two "Home Rule" parliaments in Ireland would be an agreeable compromise for Nationalists (who were not informed of the proposal beforehand). Counties Tyrone and Fermanagh had Nationalist majorities yet were to be included in Northern Ireland. Despite Edward Carson suggesting that the four most Protestant counties would be viable in 1914, Unionists persisted in including these counties as part of the desired six. On the 23 December 1920, amidst political unrest, the Government of Ireland Act 1920 entered the statute book, officially creating the province of Northern Ireland.